On this day 334 years ago (in the Julian calendar, which would be June 24th in the Gregorian), King William III landed at Carrickfergus and began his journey, via Belfast and Lisburn, to the Boyne river (outside Drogheda) where he successfully led his forces against those of James II.

After landing in Carrick, William rode by horse to Whitehouse, half-way to Belfast, where he met his commander-in-chief, the Duke Of Schomberg, who had been in Ireland since the previous August and laid siege to, and taken, the Jacobite garrison in Carrickfergus, making William’s landing there possible (WP).

This new large board at Monkstown Old Boys (Fb) celebrates William’s landing and journey to Whitehouse, which is the point closest to Monkstown.

The image reproduced in the centre of the board (see below; a crisper version can be found at Orange Heritage) shows William meeting Schomberg at the eponymous White House, where Glas Na mBradán (the Salmons’ Stream) made a small port. Dalaradia has a 3-D flyover of what the White House and surrounding area might have looked like at the time. The remains of the White House have been restored and now house an interpretive centre (Bangor Historical Society | Causeway Coastal Route).

(For more on William’s journey from Carrick to Belfast see George Benn’s (1877) A History Of The Town Of Belfast p. 180 ff and Millin’s Sidelights (1938) – a contemporary map of the area appears at the bottom of the page. “Lord Belmont” also has a two-part history of William’s journey from Carrick to Belfast and on to Lisburn.)

Other images of William’s landing at Carrickfergus can be found in an old Bobby Jackson mural in the Fountain, Londonderry, (see the Peter Moloney collection) and in the Glenfield estate in Carrickfergus (see The Liberties Of England). There is also a statue of William in Carrickfergus harbour – see The Landing Of SARS-CoV-2 At Carrickfergus, March 2020.

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The text on the board and the other images are as follows:

[The portrait of William is by Godfrey Kneller and part of the collection in the National Gallery Of Scotland.]

[The following text appears to be an excerpted and slightly modified version of a page at Orange Heritage.]

“King William was in Ulster from Saturday, June 14th, 1690 until Thursday, June 26th, only 12 days, yet he left behind a legend full of proud memories. For his part he liked what he saw. “This country is worth fighting for,” he said.

“His departure from London had been held up by parliamentary business till the end of May, when he announced that he could wait no longer and adjourned Parliament.

“Early in the morning of June 4 he set out, but on June 11th he embarked on board the yacht “Mary” with a fleet escorted by Sir Cloudesley Shovell’s squadron. On June 14th the hills of Ireland came in sight and in the afternoon the fleet cast anchor off Carrickfergus. He was rowed ashore in the Rear Admiral’s barge and at about 3.30 p.m. landed at the Old Quay under the shadow of the great Norman Castle.

[The 1973 painting of the Quaker greeting William is by Thomas Everard Spence and held by Carrickfergus Council – see Art UK. The Union Flag on the right lacks the St Patrick’s Cross – this would not be added until after the 1801 Act Of Union.]

The Garrison of the Castle had drawn up a Guard of Honour and the townspeople added their applause. The chosen spokesman was a Quaker, whose principles forebade [sic] him to doff his hat, or use such titles as Sir and Majesty. He got over the difficulty by taking off his hat and laying it on a stone and then stepping forward and saying “William, thou art welcome to thy Kingdom” which pleased the King so much that he replied: “you are the best bred gentleman I have met since I came to England.”

“With these words he mounted his horse and set off for Belfast. Half-way along the shore was the little port of Whitehouse, where most of the army disembarked. The Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Schomberg, and his senior commanders were waiting here to welcome the King. To cover the disembarkation, earthworks has [sic] been thrown up by the engineers at Fort William and garrisoned by troops ready for action.”

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[The following text perhaps draws upon the BBC page on the Battle Of The Boyne.]

“Battle of the Boyne: Although the battle has been commemorated on 12th July for more than 200 years, it actually took place on 1st July according to the old Julian calendar, and on 11th July according to the Gregorian (which replaced the Julian calendar in 1752). It was the last time that two crowned Kings of England, Scotland and Ireland faced each other on the battle field.”
[By the time of Britain’s adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752 the calendars had moved (in 1700) another day apart, making them eleven days apart at that time. However, eleven days rather than ten were added to all prior dates, even those before 1700 and further back, to yield July 12th as the date of the Battle in 1690.]

[The two paintings of the Battle Of The Boyne are by Jan Wyck. The painting of William on horseback is part of the (UK) Government Art Collection; the 1693 painting of the battle-field can be found in the National Gallery Of Ireland.]

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[This statue of William is in the grounds of Kensington Palace (WP).]

[The painting of William and Mary is actually two portraits blurred together. See e.g. History Extra.]

[The following text appears to come from the royal.uk page on William and Mary.]

“In 1689 Parliament declared that James had abdicated by deserting his kingdom. William (reigned 1689-1702) and Mary (reigned 1689-94) were offered the throne as joint monarchs.

They accepted a Declaration of Rights (later a Bill), drawn up by a Convention of Parliament, which limited the Sovereign’s power, reaffirmed Parliament’s claim to control taxation and legislation, and provided guarantees against the abuses of power which James II and the Stuart Kings had committed.

The exclusion of James II and his heirs was extended to exclude all Roman Catholics from the throne, since ‘it hath been found by experience that it is inconsistent with the safety and welfare of this protestant kingdom to be governed by a papist prince’. The Sovereign was required in his coronation oath to swear to maintain the Protestant religion.”

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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