CITY OF LONDONDERRY. 
“ The provisions wee carried wth us at first were a quantetie of deale boards, and sparrs of firr 
timber, a 100 flock bedds, wth other necessaries to furnish an hospitall wthall, one peece of 
demycannon of brass, two culverins of iron, a master gunner, two master masons, and two 
master carpenters allowed in pay, with a greate number of tooles and other utensiles, and wth all 
victuell and munition requisite. 
“ Soewth those men from England and these provisions aforesaide on the 25th day of Aprill 
wee sett saile, and on the 28th in the evening, put in at Knockfergus, where wee staide the space 
of 8 days before the companyes from Dublin came all unto us. 
“The last of them coming in by the 6th of May, on the 7th we sett saile againe, and the windes 
often fayling, and sometimes full against us it was the 14th before wee could putt into the mouth 
of the bay, at Lough-Foyle, and noe sooner were wee entered but, wee fell on grounde, and soe stucke 
till the next day, then at a full tide we waighed our anchors, sayled a litle way, and rune on 
ground againe. 
“ On the 16th in the morning wee gott loose, and about 10 of the clocke (100 men lying on 
shoare, and giving us a volie of shott and soe retyring) wee landed att Culmore, and wth the first 
of our horse and foote that wee could unshipp, made up towards a troupe of horse and foote, that 
■wee sawe standing before us on the top of a hill, but by ignorance of the wayes our horses were 
presentlie boggt, and soe of that day wee made none other use, but onelie to land our men. The 
next day, the place seaming to my judgement fitt to build, wee beganne about the buttend of the 
old broken castle, to caste up a forte, such as might be capable to lodge 200 men in. 
“ Sixe dayes wee spent in labour about it in wch meane space, makeing upp into the countrie 
wth some troupes (onely wth intent to discover) wee came to Ellogh a castle of O Doghartyes, 
wch he had newlie abandoned and begunne to pulle down, But, seeing it yet tennable, and of 
good use to be held, I put Captaine Ellis Floudd into it and his companie of 150 men. 
“On the 22th May wee put the army in order to marche, and leaving Captaine Lancellott Atford 
at Culmore wth 600 men to make up the workes, wee went to the Derry 4 myles of upon the 
river side, a place in manner of an iland, comprehending wthin it 40 acres of ground, wherein 
were the ruines of an oldabbay, of a bishopps house, of two churches, and at one of the ends of it 
an old castle, the river called Loughfoyle encompassing it all on one side, and a bogg most com¬ 
onlie wett, and not easilie passable except in two or three places dividing it from the maine land. 
“ This peece of ground we possest ourselves of wthout resistance, and iudging it a fitt place 
to make our main plantation in, being somewhat hie, and therefore dry and healthie to dwell upon, 
att that end where the old castle stood, being close to the water side, I presentlie resolved to raise a 
forte to keep our stoore of munition and victuells in, and in the other a little above, where the walls 
of an old cathedral church were yet standing, to erect annother for our future safetie and retreate 
unto upon all occasions. 
“ Soe then I unloaded and discharged the shipping that brought us, all but those reserved for 
Sr Math : Morgan, and two men of warre under comaund of Captaine George Thornton, and Captaine 
Thomas Fleminge, wch were purposlie assigned to attend us all that sommer, and the first 
bussiness I setled myselfe unto was to lay out the forme of the said two intended fortes, and to assign 
to every companye, his severall taske how and where to worke. 
“ I know there were some that presentlie beganne to censure mee, for not starring abroade, 
and makeing iourneyes up into the countrye, alleadging wee were strong enough and able to doe it. 
I deny not but wee were, but that was not the scope and drift of our coming, wee were to sitt it 
out all winter, prayes [preyes] would not be sett wthout many hazards and a great consumption 
of our men, the countrie was yet unknown unto us, and those wee had to deale with were [such ?] 
as I was sure, would chuse or refuse to fieght wth us as they sawe theire owne advantage ; these 
considerations moved me to resolve to hould an other course, and before I attempted any thinge 
else, to setle and make sure the footing wee had gayned. 
“ The two shipps of warre therefore (the countrie all about us being wast and burned) I 
sent wth souldiers in them to coast all along the shoare for the space of 20 or 30 myles, and willed 
wheresoeuer they found any howses, they should bring away the timber and other materialls to 
build wthall, such as they could, And O’Cane hauing a woode lying right oner against us (on 
the other side of the river) wherein was plentie of old grown birch, I daylie sent workemen with 
a guard of souldiers to cutt it downe—and there was not a sticke of it brought home, but was 
first well fought for. A quarrie of stone and slatt wee found hard at hand, cockle-shells to make 
lyme, wee discouered infinite plentie of in a litle iland in the mouth of the haiboui as wee came 
in, and with these helpes, togeather wth the provisions wee brought, and the stones and rubbidge 
of the old buildings wee found, wee sett ourselves wholie, and wth all the dilligence wee could 
possible to fortefying and framing and setting upp of howses, such as wee might be able to line 
in, and defend our selves when winter should come, and our men be decayed as it was apparant it 
would be : And whether this was the right course to take or noe, let them that sawe the after 
events be the judges of. 
