Siege of Carrickfergus

Who Fought

History & Significance

The siege of Carrickfergus took place in August 1689 when a force of Williamite troops under Marshal Schomberg landed and laid siege to the Jacobite garrison of Carrickfergus in Ireland. After a week the Jacobites surrendered, and were allowed to march out with the honours of war.

Carrickfergus was a traditional stronghold of the Crown in Ulster, commanded by the Norman-era Carrickfergus Castle. During 1689 with its Irish Army garrison, it became a refuge for Catholic inhabitants of the region to flee to as the northern rebellion against James II's rule grew. In February 1689 local Protestant forces made a failed attempt to storm the town.

After the Break of Dromore on 14 March, Richard Hamilton's Jacobite forces had swept through Eastern Ulster bringing all of County Down and Antrim under their control. Carrickfergus and its surrounding area were securely under Jacobite rule as Hamilton advanced to lay siege to Derry, one of the few remaining Protestant strongholds in Ireland. What had initially seemed as though it would be a quick victory began to drag out through the summer, particularly as some Jacobite forces had to be diverted to confront the defenders of Enniskillen. Meanwhile, a series of relief forces were being prepared in England. Percy Kirke led an expedition to Derry, where the siege was finally broken on 28 July. In the face of the sudden defeat, Jacobite forces began to withdraw from Derry and employed a scorched earth policy as they retreated.

A second major wave of reinforcements was assembled at Chester under the veteran Huguenot commander Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg. While it was originally suggested that they might head for Cork, it was decided that they should be landed in Ulster. By the time the expedition sailed from Hoylake on 12 August 1689, news of the relief of Derry had reached England. It meant that Schomberg could now act offensively. During a council of war, the expedition's officers decided to make for Belfast Lough rather than Carlingford Lough, allowing them to join up with the advancing Irish Protestant forces of Derry and Enniskillen.

By 13 August the expedition was in sight of the Mountains of Mourne. They were accompanied into Bangor Bay by George Rooke who had led a Royal Navy force to clear Belfast Lough of French shipping. The same afternoon Schomberg began disembarking his men. He kept them at the alert in case the Jacobite garrisons of nearby Belfast, Bangor and Carrickfergus should attack, but there was no opposition as the troops were brought ashore. The artillery and supply ships arrived separately a few days later. By the end of August, a total of six cavalry and nine infantry regiments had been landed safely at Carrickfergus.

The ground they fought on

The site of Siege of Carrickfergus lies on Mercia Mudstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Rhaetian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Siege of Carrickfergus

Boundary wall of joymount gardens

Scheduled monument · POST-MED · ~0.2 mi

Boundary wall of Joymount Gardens is a post-medieval defensive wall in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, constructed to enclose the gardens of a substantial residential property. Built from locally quarried stone derived from the underlying Mercia Mudstone Group geology of the area, the wall reflects…

Fisherman's quay. stone quay

Scheduled monument · MODERN · ~0.5 mi

Fisherman's Quay is a modern stone quay located in Carrickfergus, County Antrim. Built upon Early Triassic sandstone bedrock, the structure reflects the historical importance of this coastal settlement as a trading and fishing port. The red sandstone geology underlying the site is characteristic…

Kilroot church, kilrothe, kille rootha. modern church & graveyard on site of early monastic site & medieval parish church & graveyard with bullaun & holy well

Scheduled monument · E.CHRIST. · ~2.6 mi

Kilroot Church is an ecclesiastical site of considerable antiquity near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. The modern church and graveyard occupy the location of an early monastic settlement, followed by a medieval parish church with its associated graveyard. The site preserves evidence of its reli…

Barrow

Scheduled monument · BRONZE AGE · ~3.5 mi

Barrow is a Bronze Age burial mound situated in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, in the townland of Greenisland. The monument stands on bedrock of the Mercia Mudstone Group, a geological formation laid down during the Rhaetian age and comprising mudstone, sandstone and limestone. These underlying de…

Lislaynan, templecorran church, temple-i-corran. post-med church on site of medieval parish church & graveyard

Scheduled monument · POST-MED · ~4.4 mi

Templecorran Church is a post-medieval ecclesiastical site located in Larne, County Antrim, occupying the location of a medieval parish church and its associated graveyard. The church represents a continuity of religious use at this spot spanning centuries, with the medieval structures eventually…

Rath

Scheduled monument · E.CHRIST. · ~5.7 mi

Rath — a e.christ. rath is an early Christian ringfort located in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument sits upon bedrock comprising the Hibernian Greensands Formation and Ulster White Limestone Formation, Late Cretaceous deposits of chalk and sandstone that underlie much of…

Other Jacobite Risings Battles

Battles near Siege of Carrickfergus

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• Siege of Carrickfergus · Wikidata
• Siege_of_Carrickfergus · Wikipedia