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with Sir Leonard Blennerhasset¹ concerning the ownership of the island of Crevinishaughey, which had been included in the Archdale patent. In the Inquisition held at Enniskillen on April 27th 1629, it was stated that “ the moyetie of the island of Crevenish Aghie or Crevenish Killegh, or greater part thereof, is withhoulden from the said proportion [Tallanagh] and incroached upon by, Leonard Blennerhasaett Esq., or his assigns, these four years past, and the same doth still withhould and keep back from the said proportion, pretended to be church land.” Eventually, Edward Archdale obtained a re-grant of his two proportions on December 22nd 1629, though the Crown Rent was doubled.²

On September 5th 1637, Edward Archdale leased to his brother John the farm of Drumgarragh and other lands in Fermanagh, in consideration of the payment of £200 and the yearly rent of £6. The payment of this £200 has been provided for by their father’s will. All the rights to this farm were redeemed by Edward’s son nearly thirty years later.³

By agreement, dated November 16th 1639, Edward Archdale and James Mervyn, elder brother of Sir Audley, became jointly bound to one Gilbert Rawson in the sum of £130, for which the latter obtained a judgment in the Court of Common Pleas.

In 1641, Edward Archdale and other parishioners of Derryvullen presented a petition to the House of Commons against Sir John Dunbar, though the nature of the petition is not stated in the Journals. The matter was referred on July 30th to the Committee of Grievances.

Edward Archdale is traditionally supposed to have been amoungst the party of Protestant gentry of County Fermanagh, whom Rory Maguire had planned to murder, whilst they were enjoying his hospitality at Crevinish Castle. The intention of Maguire, and the other rebels at Crevinish, was to fall upon the party after dinner, when they had drunk plenty of wine, and massacre them all. The plot was, however, frustrated by a timely warning whispered by a serving man named Coughlin, who thus enabled the guests to make their escape.⁴

It is certain, at least, that Edward Archdale was in possession of the family estates at the time of Sir Phelim O’Neill’s rebellion in 1641, when the old Castle of Archdale was destroyed by the rebels under Rory Maguire, and all the owner’s children are said to have perished, except the boy William. Tradition relates that nine Archdale children perished in the Castle, and that the youngest child was saved by his nurse.⁵

Rory had married Deborah, Lady Blennerhasset, and had established himself at Crevinish. Thence he came forth on his campaign of “ murther ” and pillage. It was afterwards stated, in a deposition Bryan Maguire, that the flames of Lisnarick were to be the signal for the rising in that part of the country, and also that Archdalestown was pillaged by the rebels.

Sir John Temple, in his History of the Irish Rebellion (page 83) says : “ Within the county Fermanagh, multitudes were presently killed in cold blood ; some taken at the plough, others as they sate peaceably in their own houses, others traveling upon the ways, all without any manner of provocation by them given—suddenly surprised and unexpectedly cut off. At the Castle of Lisgool, within that country, above 150 men, women and children, almost all consumed by fire. At the Castle of Monaeh, near 100 British there, slain all together. And the same bloody company of Rebels were no sooner admitted into the castle of Tullah [Tully], which was delivered up into the hands of Roury Mac-Guire, upon composition, and faithful promises of fair quarter, but that within the very court they began to strip the people and most   

1. Sir Leonard Blennerhasset Kt. was grandfather to William Archdale’s wife, Elizabeth Mervyn. His will, dated May 17th 1639, was in the Dublin Records Office. In it he mentions his wife Deborah and children Audley, Henry, Leonard, Elizabeth, Catherine and Lucie. To his daughter Elizabeth (afterwards Mrs. Mervyn) he left £600, to be paid at her age of 19. The younger daughters were to have £300 each. His father, Thomas Blennerhasset, was granted the Crevinish property in 1610.
2. See Calendar of Patent and close Rolls of Chancery, Charles I, by J. Morrin, p. 481.
3. Martin Archdale, brother of Edward and John, was a witness to this deed of 1637. The lands in question were Church lands, and had probably been held by the Archdales from the reign of James I. The denominations were Drumgarragh, Shramore, Tullilone, Turnegan, Tanagh, Tullianghe and Tonidrohill, comprising in all, four small tates.
4. See Lord Belmore’s Parliamentary Memoirs of Fermanagh and Tyrone, p. 15. The story is related on the authority of a Mr. Johnston of Ederney, one of whose ancestors was amongst the party at Crevinish Castle.
5. The statement in Burke’s Commoners, that a married daughter of Edward Archdale also survived is improbable as Edward was himself only 37 years old in 1641. In recent years, a few human bones have been dug up in the old Castle, and they presumably are relics of the massacre.