Betsy Gray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth "Betsy" Gray
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Miniature attributed to Edward John Newell
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| Born | c 1778 or 14 January 1780 Gransha at Comber, or Killinchy or Waringsford County Down, Ireland
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| Died | 12 June 1798 |
| Cause of death | Summarily executed by government Yeomanry |
| Nationality |  Kingdom of Ireland, Irish |
| Movement |  Society of United Irishmen |
Elizabeth "Betsy" Gray (born around 1778 or 1780, died 1798) is a famous person from the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland. Songs, poems, and stories tell about her joining the United Irishmen. She died on June 12, 1798, at the Battle of Ballynahinch. Old records do not fully confirm every detail of her story. However, they do show that women helped the rebellion, even fighting in battles.
Later, in 1898, people disagreed about how to remember Betsy. Local unionists stopped Irish nationalist groups from celebrating her 100th anniversary. They even destroyed her grave marker.
Contents
The Story of a Rebel Heroine
The most popular story about Betsy Gray comes from a book. It is called Betsy Gray or Hearts of Down: a Tale of Ninety-Eight. Wesley Guard Lyttle wrote it in 1888. The book includes a song called the "Ballad of Betsy Gray." This song celebrates Betsy, calling her "the pride of Down." It says she fought bravely at Ballynahinch. The song tells how she died with her sweetheart, Willie Boal, and her brother. Government soldiers, called "Yeos" (Yeomanry), killed them.
Lyttle was a local newspaper editor and a writer. He claimed he got his facts from people who were related to those in the 1798 rebellion. He also said he visited the places he wrote about. Parts of his story were already known before his book. For example, a guide to Belfast from 1861 mentioned similar accounts.
Betsy's Role in Battle
According to Lyttle's story, Betsy was the daughter of Hans Gray, a farmer. She rode into battle on a pony with her brother and her lover. She carried a green flag. Betsy was said to be very beautiful and brave. She wore a green silk dress and carried a sword.
After the rebels were defeated, government soldiers caught Betsy and the two men. The soldiers killed the men even though they begged for Betsy's freedom. Betsy herself was shot in the head after her gloved hand was cut off. Later, the wife of one of the soldiers was seen wearing Betsy's earrings and green petticoat.
In the local community, people were divided. Some churchgoers would not sit near the soldier's family. While some made fun of "Bessie" in songs, many homes displayed pictures of her. These pictures showed her on a pony, carrying a green flag at the battle.
Other similar heroines appeared in different parts of the 1798 rebellion. These included Suzy Toole in Wicklow and Mary Doyle at the Battle of New Ross. Molly Weston also rode a white horse and wore green at the Battle of Tara Hill.
Old Records and Memories
Some early historians of the United Irishmen also wrote about Betsy Gray. Richard Robert Madden heard from Mary Ann McCracken about a County Down heroine. She rode a white pony at Ballynahinch and carried a flag. McCracken's brother, Henry Joy McCracken, also mentioned receiving money from a "G. Gray." Some think this might have been Betsy's brother George.
Other old records, closer to the time of the battle, make Betsy's story seem more likely. In 1825, James Thomson remembered going with women from his family to give food to the rebels. He heard that two or three women stayed on the battlefield during the fight. They helped and fought as bravely as the men.
Hugh McCall also shared his memories in 1895. As a boy, he was told by the mother of rebel leader Henry Munro that her daughter, Peg, rode into battle. Peg Munro was about Betsy's age. She rode a grey pony and wore a grey sash.
A small book from the 1920s showed a tiny painting of Betsy Gray. It was said to be by "Newell of Downpatrick." The artist, Edward John Newell, was a United Irishman who later betrayed many members to the government. However, there is no direct link between Betsy's death and his actions.
Where Was Betsy Born?
Historians have looked for Betsy Gray's birthplace. In 1968, Aiken McClelland suggested a different place. He thought Betsy might have been born in Tullyniskey, near Waringsford and Dromara in County Down. He used research from local historian Colin Johnston Robb. Robb found old records and local stories to support this idea.
According to this evidence, Betsy was the daughter of John and Rebecca Gray. Records from Garvaghy Parish Church show she was baptized on January 14, 1780. McClelland also noted that Charles Teeling described Betsy as "the pride of a widowed mother." This fits with records showing John Gray died in 1795, and Rebecca Gray lived until 1813.
Remembering Betsy Gray
Betsy Gray was supposedly buried with her companions near where they died. This was at Ballycreen, close to Ballynahinch. For many years, local people would visit the grave and place flowers there. The grave site was in a field owned by a farmer named Samuel Armstrong. He kept the field untouched.
In 1896, a memorial stone was placed at the site. James Gray, a grandnephew of Betsy, paid for it. Mr. Armstrong was thanked for protecting the grave for 98 years. He said that anyone who could not honor such bravery would be "dead to all sense of humanity."
The new memorial made the site more famous. But this was also a time when remembering the United Irishmen became difficult. After the 1800 Acts of Union, many Presbyterians in Ulster changed their loyalty. They had hoped to change the parliament in Dublin. Now they supported the "imperial parliament" in Westminster.
After Gladstone's first Home Rule Bill in 1886, they became unionists. They did not want Ireland to have its own parliament again. They resisted efforts by mostly Catholic-supported nationalists to use the memory of "98" to support their cause.
James Mills, born in 1882, saw local men destroy the memorial. He said there was supposed to be a special ceremony at the grave. This was to mark 100 years since the 1798 Rising. Local Protestants were angry because Catholics and other Home Rulers organized it. When visitors arrived for the ceremony, fights broke out. The locals cut the reins of the horses, and the visitors ran away. William Redmond, a political leader, asked questions about the event in the House of Commons. Newspapers across Ireland reported on it.
The 100-year celebration in Ballynahinch on June 13 was for the victory of the Crown. The next month, at a large Orange demonstration, a speaker asked why Catholics would celebrate "98." He said they had little to do with it. He claimed that Catholics deserted the night before the Battle of Ballynahinch. He said they decorated Betsy Gray's grave but "had not the courage to fight beside her."
The story of Catholic desertion was common. However, some say that Catholic Defenders only left after their idea for a night attack was rejected. James Hope, who had worked with the Defenders, told historian R. R. Madden that the "Killinchy people" were the ones who deserted. He said they were Dissenters (Presbyterians). If Killinchy was Betsy Gray's hometown, as Mary-Ann McCracken believed, then these would have been Betsy Gray's neighbors.
