354 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1769-1770.

Lib. C. B.
No. 20

Charles County 25^th April 1770. The Deposition of Hannah
Woods House Keeper to the Honourable Richard Lee Esq^r
aged Twenty one years or thereabouts being sworn on the
Holy Evangels of Almighty God deposeth and saith that she
has been at the dressing of the most of the Victuals that went
to the Prisoners and saw it dressed in a decent clean manner
and often seen the Victuals delivered to them in good Order
This Deponent further saith that before the Prisoners broke
Goal they had Meat and Bread for their Breakfast. This Depo-
nent saith that all the Prisoners frequently had Cyder or small
Beer at their Meal times and in cold Mornings very often
delivered them a Bottle of Rum by Esquire Lee's Order and
at the time William Fentham was in Goal the Prisoners com-
plained of having the Itch and this Deponent never heard of
any other disorder the Prisoners had while Fentham continued
in Goal. M^rs Lee sent to Fentham and Joseph Harrison a pair
of clean Sheets in the time of their having the Itch they sent
them back and thanked her for her kindness and said they
thought it a pity to spoil them with such Disorder. After
Fentham was released from Goal they anointed with Ointment
that they got of John Doncastle which he said he got of his
Son Doctor John Doncastle and that the Ointment had like to
have laid them down in a Salivation and all the time the Pris-
oners lay Ill they had every thing that was necessary for them
that the House could afford such as Broth or Gruel or any
thing that was fit for them in their disorder this Deponent
saith that the Prisoners complained of- a leak that fell through
a Dormant Window and immediately Esq^r Lee had the Win-
dow taken down and the place well secured, this Deponent
saith that John Doncastle was continually abusing the whole
Family without any occasion in such a Blackguard manner
that it would not be decent to repeat and this Deponent saw
where the Prisoners cut through a four Inch Plank in order
this Deponent believes to get out, and that William Wright
was taken out of Goal and received Six Stripes and that she
never heard the said Wright complain and when he received
the last Stripe he said it was all and that it was the Sheriff's
Orders that he should receive no more After Watts's wife
had given the Tools to the Prisoners she was not allowed on
the Plantation for some time but a few Months after she was
admitted in Goal to her Husband two or Three Nights at a
time, the rest of the Prisoners' Wives frequently went in Goal
with their Children and staid there some time and the Pris-
oners' Wives have often eat in Esquire Lee's House which he
now lives in.
Hannah Woods.