James Fitz-James Duke of Berwick was the natural son of the Duke of York (afterwards James II) and Arabella Churchill, sister of Marlborough. He was born in 16760 at Moulins, in the Bourbonnais and died in 1734. He first went by the name of Fitz-James. He received his education in France, served in the army in Hungary, returned to England at the age of seventeen, and received from his father the title of duke. On the landing of the Prince of Orange he went to France with his father, and he was wounded at the battle of the Boyne, where he nominally commanded. He afterwards served under Luxembourg in Flanders; in 1702 and 1703 under the Duke of Burgundy; then under Marshal Villeroi. In 1706 he was made marshal of France, and sent to Spain, where he gained the battle of Almanza, which rendered Philip V again master of Valencia. In 1709 he held with honour the command in Dauphine, displaying the highest strategic skill against the superior forces of the Duke of Savoy. He was killed at the siege of Philipsburg by a cannon-ball in 1734. Research Duke of Berwick
Frederick Hermann, first Duke of Schomberg, was a German mercenary. He was born in 1615 at Heidelberg and died in 1690. He fought first in the army of the Prince of Orange, and then in the Swedish army against the Imperialists in the Thirty Years War. He then fought for France, conducting a campaign against Spain, and was made marshal. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 drove him from France of account of him being a Protestant and he re-entered the service of the Prince of Orange, whom he accompanied to England in 1688. He was appointed commander in Ireland, and fought at the Battle of The Boyne, in which he was killed. Research Duke of Schomberg
George Walker was a defender of Londonderry. He was born in 1618 and died in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne. He entered the Church, but when the Revolution broke out he gathered an army for the defence of Londonderry and throughout the siege of 1689 upheld the resistance of the inhabitants. He became Bishop of Londonderry and wrote a book about his experiences entitled 'A True Account of the Siege'. Research George Walker
The Hamilton family are a family long connected with Scotland, though probably of English origin, the name being evidently territorial. The first person of the name in Scotland of whom we have reliable information was Walter Fitz-Gilbert of Hamilton, who, in 1296, swore fealty to Edward I of England for lands in Lanarkshire, and held BothwellCastle for the English at the time of the Battle of Bannockburn. For his early surrender of this fortress King Robert Bruce gave him important grants of land. He continued faithful to King David Bruce, and had a command at Halidon Hill under the Steward of Scotland.
In 1445 the family was ennobled in the person of Sir James Hamilton of Cadyow, who was created Lord Hamilton of Cadyow. At first he adhered to the Douglases against the crown; but, deserting them opportunely, he was rewarded by large grants of their forfeited lands, and at a later period by the hand of the Princess Mary, eldest daughter of King James II and widow of Thomas Boyd, earl of Arran. He died in 1479.
His only son was James, second Lord Hamilton and first Earl of Arran, who died in 1529, and was succeeded by his son James, whose nearness to the throne, and his great possessions and following, made him a person of such mark and consequence that Henry II of France gave him a grant of the duchy of Chatelherault; and his eldest son was proposed at one time as the husband of Elizabeth I of England, and at another as that of Mary of Scotland. This son having become insane, the second son, LordJohn Hamilton, created Marquis of Hamilton in 1599, succeeded in 1575 to the family estates.
Dying in 1604 he was succeeded by his son James, who was created Earl of Cambridge in 1619, and died in 1625. His son James, the third marquis, one of the ablest and most distinguished of the family, created Duke of Hamilton in 1643 by Charles I was taken prisoner by the parliamentary forces soon after the battle of Preston, and beheaded in March, 1649.
A successor was created Duke of Brandon in 1711, and was killed in a duel with Lord Mohun in 1712.
James George, seventhduke, on the death of Archibald, duke of Douglas, in 1761, became also the male representative and chief of the red or Angus branch of the house of Douglas, with the titles of Marquis of Douglas and Earl of Angus. He died in 1769, and was succeeded by his brother, Douglas, eighth Duke of Hamilton, who, in 1799, was succeeded by his uncle Lord Archibald Hamilton. He died in 1819, and was succeeded by his eldest son Alexander, who, dying in 1852, was succeeded by his only son William Alexander Anthony Archibald. In 1843 he married the PrincessMarie of Baden, and he died at Paris July 15, 1863.
The ennobled offshoots of the Hamiltons are numerous and distinguished. Among these are the Dukes of Abercorn, the Earls of Selkirk, Orkney, and Haddington, and the Viscounts Boyne. Research Hamilton
James II was King of England from 1685 to 1688. He was born in 1633 and died in 1701. James II was named after his grandfatherJames I, and grew up in exile after the Civil War (he served in the armies of Louis XIV) and, after his brother's restoration, commanded the Royal Navy from 1660 to 1673. James converted to Catholicism in 1669. Despite his conversion, James II succeeded to the throne peacefully at the age of 51. His position was a strong one - there were standing armies of nearly 20,000 men in his kingdoms and he had a revenue of around 2 million pounds. Within days of his succession, James announced the summoning of Parliament in May but he sounded a warning note: 'the best way to engage me to meet you often is always to use me well'.
A rebellion led by Charles's illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, was easily crushed after the battle of Sedgemoor in 1685, and savage punishments were imposed by the infamous Lord Chief Justice, Judge Jeffreys, at the 'Bloody Assizes'. James's reaction to the Monmouth rebellion was to plan the increase of the standing army and the appointment of loyal and experienced Roman Catholic officers. This, together with James's attempts to give civic equality to Roman Catholic and Protestant dissenters, led to conflict with Parliament, as it was seen as James showing favouritism towards Roman Catholics. Fear of Catholicism was widespread (in 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes which gave protection to French Protestants), and the possibility of a standing army led by Roman Catholic officers produced protest in Parliament. As a result, James prorogued Parliament in 1685 and ruled without it. James attempted to promote the Roman Catholic cause by dismissing judges and Lord Lieutenants who refused to support the withdrawal of laws penalising religious dissidents, appointing Catholics to important academic posts, and to senior military and political positions. Within three years, the majority of James's subjects had been alienated.
In 1687 James II issued the Declaration of Indulgence aiming at religious toleration; seven bishops who asked James to reconsider were charged with seditious libel, but later acquitted to popular Anglican acclaim. When his second (Roman Catholic) wife, Mary of Modena, gave birth on the 10th of June 1688 to a son (James Stuart, later known as the 'Old Pretender' and father of Charles Edward Stuart, 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' ), it seemed that a Roman Catholic dynasty would be established. William of Orange, the Protestant husband of James' elder daughter, Mary (by James' first and Protestant wife, AnneHyde), was therefore welcomed when he invaded on the 5th of November 1688. The Army and the Navy (disaffected despite James's investment in them) deserted to William, and James fled to France. James's attempt to regain the throne by taking a French army to Ireland failed when he was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and he spent the rest of his life in exile in France. Research James II
An Orangeman is a member of the Ulter Protestant Orange Society which was formed in 1795 in opposition to the United Irishmen and the Roman Catholic secret societies. It is a revival of the Orange Institution of 1688 which was formed in support of William III of Orange. The Orangemen celebrate William III defeat of the Catholic James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Research Orangeman
The Orangemen are member of a Northern Irish society known as the Loyal Orange Institution, the avowed objects of which are to support and defend the Protestant succession to the throne and the Protestant religion in Church and State, as settled by Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement of 1688. Though the society derives its name from William III (William of Orange), it was not definitely established in Ulster until 1795, but system is of earlier date. The society is divided into lodges, which have extended to Great Britain and the colonies. Certain anniversaries, for example July the 1st, that of the battle of the Boyne, and November the 5th, that of William's landing at Torbay are commemorated, and the public celebration of these has done much to keep alive sectarian animosities in Northern Ireland, often leading to riotous encounters. Research Orangemen
Boan was another name for Dana. In this version of events, Boan visited a sacred well which, to punish her for breaking the law, rose up and pursued her to the sea and thus became the river Boyne where lived the salmon of knowledge which fed on nuts dropped from the nine hazel trees at the water's edge. Research Boan
Abbreviations
Research Duke of Berwick
