Baronet is the first in rank among the gentry, and the only knighthood that is hereditary. They were instituted by James I in 1611 as a result of the rebellion in Ulster, it being required of a baronet on his creation, to pay into the exchequer as much as would maintain 'thirty soldiers three years at eight pence a day in the province of Ulster in Ireland.' It was also required that a baronet should be a gentleman born, and have a clear estate of 1000 pounds per annum. Research Baronet
George Monck (George Monk) was an English soldier, politician and the first Duke of Albermarle. He was born in 1608 at Great Potheridge, Devon and died in 1670. His early life was served in campaigns in France and Spain, before around 1630 he went to the Netherlands where he made his reputation as a soldier. During the English civil war he fought with the Royalists until captured by Fairfax and imprisoned for two years in the Tower of London. Released from prison in 1646 to become a soldier of Parliament, he was a governor of Ulster and served under Oliver Cromwell and was instrumental in bringing about the restoration of Charles II. Research George Monck
John Toland was an English theologian. He was born in 1670 at Ulster and died in 1722. Born a Roman Catholic, he converted to Protestantism when he was a youth. Educated at Glasgow, Leiden and Oxford with a view to entering the church, he abandoned his intentions and became a writer and traveller, writing on matters of religion. Research John Toland
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
Prince Alfred Ernest Albert Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was the second son of Queen Victoria. He was born in 1844 at Windsor Castle and died in 1900. At the age of fourteen he joined the navy as naval cadet, and served on various foreign stations. In 1862 be declined the offer of the throne of Greece. On his majority he received 15,000 pounds a year from parliament, and was created Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Kent, and Earl of Ulster. In 1867 he was appointed to the command of the frigateGalatea, in which he visited Australia, Japan, China, India, etc. In 1873 he received an additional annuity of 10,000 pounds, and next year he married the Grand-duchess Marie, only daughter of the Emperor of Russia. In 1882 he was made a vice-admiral, and subsequently held important commands. In 1893 he succeeded his uncle as ruler of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and resigned his annuity of 15,000 pounds. He had one son (who predeceased him) and four daughters. Research Prince Alfred
Robert Bruce was the greatest of the Scottish Kings. He was born in 1274 and died in 1329. He was King of Scotland from 1306 to 1329. The son of Robert Bruce (Earl of Carrick) in 1296, as Earl of Carrick, he swore fealty to Edward I, and in 1297 fought on the English side against Wallace. He then joined the Scottish army, but in the same year returned to his allegiance to Edward until 1298, when he again joined the national party, and became in 1299 one of the four regents of the kingdom. In the three final campaigns, however, he resumed fidelity to Edward, and resided for some time at his court; but, learning that the king meditated putting him to death on information given by the traitor Comyn, he fled in February 1306, to Scotland, stabbed Comyn in a quarrel at Dumfries, assembled his vassals at LochmabenCastle, and claimed the crown, which he received at Scone, on March the 27th.
Being twice defeated, he dismissed his troops, retired to Rathlin Island, and was supposed to be dead, when, in the spring of 1307, he landed on the Carrick coast, defeated the Earl of Pembroke at Loudon Hill, and in two years had wrested nearly the whole country from the English. He then in successive years advanced into England, laying waste the country; and on June the 24th, 1314, defeated at Bannockburn the English forces advancing under Edward II to the relief of the garrison at Stirling.
In 1316 he went to Ireland to the aid of his brother Edward, and on his return in 1318, in retaliation for inroads made during his absence, he took Berwick and harried Northumberland and Yorkshire. Hostilities continued until the defeat of Edward near Byland Abbey in 1323, and though in that year a truce was concluded for thirteen years, it was speedily broken. Not until March the 4th 1328, was the treaty concluded by which the independence of Scotland was fully recognized. Robert Bruce did not long survive the completion of his work, dying at CardrossCastle on June the 7th, 1329. He was twice married; first to a daughter of the Earl of Mar, Isabella, by whom he had a daughter, Marjory, mother of Robert II; and then to a daughter of Aymer de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, Elizabeth, by whom he had a son, David, who succeeded him.
Ronert Bruce (Robert De Brus) was the fifth lord of Annandale. He was born in 1210 and died in 1295. He was possessed of extensive estates in Cumberland, of which he was made sheriff in 1255. He was one of the fifteen regents of Scotland during the minority of Alexander III and was one of the competitors for the Scottish crown on the death of Margaret, the Maiden of Norway, in 1290; Bruce being the grandson of David, earl of Huntingdon, by his second daughter Isobel, while Baliol claimed as the great-grandson by the eldest daughter Margaret. On the decision of Edward being given in 1292 in favour of Baliol, Robert Bruce resigned the estate of Annandale to his eldest son to avoid doing homage to his rival.
Robert Bruce (Earl of Carrick), was the eldest son of Robert Bruce and father of Robert Bruce, the later king of Scotland. He accompanied Edward I to Palestine in 1269; married, in 1271, Martha Margaret, countess of Carrick. Like his father he resigned the lordship of Annandale to his eldest son to avoid acknowledging the supremacy of Baliol. On the revolt of the latter Robert Bruce fought on the English side, and after the battle of Dunbar made an unsuccessful application to Edward for the crown. He died in 1304. Research Robert Bruce
Scotch-Irish was a name used in America to designate immigrants from the north of Ireland, mostly Presbyterians of Scotch descent. Scots had been settled in the north of Ireland during the Plantation of Ulster in the reign of James I. Thence some went to America early. But the large emigrations were just after the famous siege of Londonderry in 1689, and again in 1718 and the years immediately succeeding. The largest settlements of them were made in the hilly parts of Pennsylvania, in the valley of the Shenandoah, and in the Carolinas. In all these, they occupied the highland regions, back from the coast, and formed a sturdy, independent, Presbyterian population. Jackson, John Calhoun, and many other eminent men were of this stock. In New England their chief settlements were at Londonderry, Antrim, etc., in New Hampshire, founded about 1719. Research Scotch-Irish
In Celtic mythology, Conchobar was the King of Ulster whose intended bride, Deirdre, eloped with Noisi.
Conchobar killed Deidre's husband and his brothers and she died of sorrow. Research Conchobar
In Celtic mythology, Cuchulinn is a hero-king of Ulster and son of Lugh. He is a warlike figure and tales tell of his warlike deeds. Research Cuchulinn
Cu Chulainn (Cuchulain) was a Celtic hero, the chief figure in a cycle of Irish legends. He is associated with his uncle Conchobar, King of Ulster; his most famous exploits are described in The CattleRaid of Cuchulain. Cu Chulainn was said to have been born of a virgin, died and been reincarnated as both father and son. He died bound to a sacred pillar, pierced by arrows, his blood fertilizing the earth. Research Cu Chulainn
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Baronet
