XVII. The siege of Carrickfergus Castle, 1315-16

On 26 May 1315 an expeditionary force from Scotland landed on the north-east coast of Ireland, not very far from Larne, under the command of Edward Bruce, who was intent on gaining by the sword a kingdom for himself in Ireland after the fashion in which his brother, Robert, had recently won a crown in Scotland. By September 10 he had overthrown the too confident ‘Red Earl’, Richard de Burgh, and was lording it over the east of Ulster save at one point: the royal castle of Carrickfergus, placed impregnably on a rocky headland jutting out into Belfast Lough. The town itself could not, of course, resist, but the castle defied assault for a whole year before it found it wise to surrender on terms. We have little information about what happened during the siege and are almost wholly dependent upon a few chroniclers and annalists, who are often merely repetitive and are usually writing long after the events they record. Their evidence can be briefly summarised

Ancient history · Archaeology · Brother · Coronation · Genealogy · Headland · Kingdom · Siege · Surrender · SWORD · Classics · Historical Studies of British Isles · History · Law

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