Siege of Carrickfergus (1689) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Carrickfergus
Part of Williamite War in Ireland
Carrickfergus Castle
Date 20–27 August 1689 Location Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland Result Williamite victory Carrickfergus surrenders
Belligerents
Williamites	Jacobites
Commanders and leaders
Marshal Schomberg	Charles MacCarthy More Cormac O'Neill
Strength
Unknown	500
Casualties and losses
200	150

The Siege of Carrickfergus happened in August 1689. It was a battle where Williamite soldiers attacked the town of Carrickfergus in Ireland. These soldiers supported William of Orange. They were led by a famous general named Marshal Schomberg.

Inside Carrickfergus were Jacobite soldiers. These soldiers supported King James II. After about a week of fighting, the Jacobites gave up. They were allowed to leave the town with their weapons. This event was an important part of the Williamite War in Ireland.

Why Carrickfergus Was Important

Carrickfergus was a very old and strong town. It had a large castle called Carrickfergus Castle. This castle had been important for the English Crown for a long time. In 1689, many Catholic people in the area went to Carrickfergus. They were trying to escape the growing rebellion against King James II.

In February 1689, local Protestant groups tried to take the town. But they were not successful. Soon after, Jacobite forces took control of eastern Ulster. This included Carrickfergus and the areas around it. The Jacobites then moved on to attack Derry. Derry was one of the last places still held by Protestants in Ireland.

The fight for Derry lasted longer than expected. Some Jacobite soldiers had to go fight defenders in another town called Enniskillen. Meanwhile, new forces were getting ready in England. One group helped break the siege of Derry in July. After this defeat, Jacobite soldiers started to leave Derry. They burned things as they went to stop their enemies from using them.

Williamite Soldiers Arrive

More soldiers were gathered in England. They were led by Marshal Schomberg. He was a very experienced commander. At first, they thought about going to Cork. But then they decided to land in Ulster. By the time they sailed, news of Derry's relief had reached England. This meant Schomberg could now go on the attack.

On August 13, 1689, Schomberg's ships arrived near the Mountains of Mourne. They sailed into Bangor Bay. A navy force helped clear the area of French ships. That same afternoon, Schomberg began to land his soldiers. He kept them ready for a fight. But there was no resistance from the Jacobite soldiers nearby.

The heavy guns and supplies arrived a few days later. By the end of August, many soldiers had landed safely. This included six cavalry (horseback) regiments and nine infantry (foot) regiments.

The Jacobites were facing many problems. They had lost at Derry and Enniskillen. Another Jacobite force was defeated at the Battle of Newtownbutler. Because of these defeats, the Jacobite commander in the north ordered his troops to pull back. He left a small group of soldiers in Carrickfergus. Their job was to slow down Schomberg's army. The Jacobites then left Belfast. English soldiers quickly took control of Belfast.

Fighting at Carrickfergus

Schomberg wanted to march to Dublin before winter. So, he planned to take Carrickfergus quickly. He marched his army through Belfast. He sent out patrols to stop Jacobite soldiers from stealing things.

On August 14, the Jacobites burned the town's outer areas. They did this to remove any hiding places for the attackers. They tried to get Carrickfergus ready for a fight. But many of the town's defenses were old and broken. On August 20, Schomberg arrived with five regiments. More soldiers joined him the next day. They also met up with troops from Enniskillen.

The first small fights began around the town. Schomberg sent a message asking the town to surrender. The defenders asked for time to send a message to King James. They wanted his advice. Schomberg said no. He thought they were just trying to waste time. Soon after, the town's cannons fired at Schomberg's tent. But he was not there.

That night, the Williamites dug trenches. They wanted to get closer to the walls. There was a lot of gunfire. Schomberg's cannons aimed at a large house in the town. Jacobite soldiers were using it and had put cannons there. Schomberg also ordered his cannons to fire at Carrickfergus Castle. He had hoped to use the castle later. But now he attacked it too.

During another talk, Schomberg refused to let the Jacobite soldiers leave with their weapons. He wanted them to surrender completely. Many of the soldiers wanted to give up. But some leaders wanted to keep fighting. Williamite cannons had made a hole in the wall near the North Gate. The defenders worked hard to fix it at night.

To put more pressure on the defenders, Schomberg ordered navy ships to fire from the harbor. The Jacobite soldiers had enough food. But they were running low on gunpowder. By the evening of August 27, the Jacobites raised a white flag. They agreed to surrender. Schomberg changed his mind. He let them leave with their weapons and belongings. They marched to Newry.

What Happened Next

Many buildings in Carrickfergus were damaged during the battle. On the morning of August 28, the Jacobite soldiers left the town. Their families and other people with them also left. A group of Williamite horse soldiers went with them. They were supposed to protect them on the way to Newry.

But soon after they started, local Protestant people attacked the Catholic soldiers. They stole their clothes, things, and weapons. They said this was for all the bad things that happened during the Jacobite control of the town. The escort could not stop them. Many Catholic people ran to hide among the Williamite soldiers. Marshal Schomberg had to ride among them and fire his pistol to stop the chaos.

King James called up more soldiers to defend Dublin. Schomberg left some soldiers to guard Carrickfergus. Then he and his main army left on August 28. But Schomberg's journey south was slow. He stopped at Dundalk because he did not have enough supplies. Supplies were still coming from Carrickfergus, which was getting farther away.

Schomberg's army stayed at Dundalk for the autumn. Many soldiers got sick and thousands died. Many sick Williamite soldiers were sent to a hospital in Belfast. After a long stand-off with the Jacobite army, both sides went into winter camps.

In June 1690, William of Orange himself landed at Carrickfergus. This was just before his big victory at the Battle of the Boyne the next month.

Images for kids

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  A statue of William III commemorating his landing at Carrickfergus in 1690.