Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Description of England and Ireland under the Restoration (Author: Albert Jouvin)

section 3

CARRICKFERGUS

Knockfergus is a strong town, and one of the most ancient in the kingdom; it is situated, as it were, at one of the ends of the island, at the entry of a gulf environed by mountains, whereby it is sheltered from the wind, having besides a port, enclosed by a great mole built with flints, composing a large quay in the form of a semicircle, by the side of which there are always a number of vessels. The entrance is defended by a huge castle on the sea-shore, elevated upon a rock, that renders it difficult to be scaled. There are garrisons in both the town and castle, as there are in all the strong places in Ireland. I was not disappointed in procuring a passage for Scotland, but the wind being contrary, obliged me to wait eight days, during which time I walked about all the environs of the town, and upon the sea-shore, which are very agreeable. I was well entertained here, both on fish and flesh, for a shilling a day, exclusive of my horse, which I had sent back to Dublin, where I hired him to this place. I nevertheless began to tire, being without company, or any person to discourse with, unless in the English language, in which I had great difficulty to make myself understood in a long discourse, as well as to understand what was said to me in the same tongue, wherefore my whole amusement was to walk and see the town, expecting the change of wind and weather. They took me into the great castle, which is enclosed by very thick walls, and defended by round towers placed all about it, having in the middle a large keep, or dungeon, over whose gate are many pieces of cannon; these command the city, and also the port. About a month before my arrival the garrison was in arms against the Viceroy, who

p.424

had not paid them.41 Being informed of this, he equipped six large ships of war and three thousand land forces, and besieged the castle, which resisted three months, without the guns being able to do anything; but provisions and ammunition failing, the mutineers were obliged to make conditions with the Viceroy, who caused five or six of the most guilty to be punished. At the distance of about an hundred paces in the city, near the sea-side, are still to be seen some old towers of an ancient castle. Another day I went to see the great palace, which is at one of the ends of the town. It is a great square pavilion, having, I think, as many windows as there are days in the year. The top is terraced, and surrounded with balustrades; the entry is handsome. You first come into the outer great court, surrounded with the officers' lodgings, having a gallery over it, from whence there is a view of the sea and all over the town; then you advance to a drawbridge between two little turrets, which accompany a small pavilion rising over the gate of the drawbridge; this leads from the first to the second court, and faces the grand edifice. Its staircase is admirable, and its gate or door much more so, on account of many pieces of sculpture and engraving with which it is ornamented. The town has properly but two principal streets; in the largest there is a marketplace, where are the town hall and parade; a small river runs through the middle of it, and empties itself at the port, whither I often went to see if the wind had changed.42

The etymology of Knocfergus,43 according to the opinions of many of the natives, comes from the embarkation made by the King Fergus for Scotland, from near that rock on which the castle stands; a rock being in the Irish tongue called Knock, or Karrick, which added to Fergus, the name of the King, gave the name of Knock Fergus, or Karrick Fergus, to this town.

p.425

I knew that the common passage for the post and packet-boat was six miles above the town, at a little village called Larne, and that formerly this passage was to Arglas and to Denocadi,44 villages below Belfast; but for security, and finding an opportunity of passing from Knockfergus, or Karrickfergus, in Scotland, I would wait for proper wind and weather to do it. During my stay I saw the burial of the governor of the town, who was carried in procession about all the streets, followed by the most considerable burghers of the town, and all the officers and soldiers of the garrison, their arms trailing on the ground, with many trumpets playing sorrowfully and in a dismal tone, until they came into the church, where, after all these ceremonies, before he was put into the grave, they fired a general discharge on the spot where he was placed, in the middle of the church.45

As the water throughout England is in general unfit to drink, they make a sort of beer they call Smal Bir, or weak beer, for the servants and children, instead of water. It is made solely of what remains after they have drawn off the good beer, by the addition of water passing through the grains, which is afterwards well boiled up. This small beer is extremely proper to quench thirst and to refresh, but has neither strength nor nourishment.

The wind at length became favourable for leaving Knockfergus, from whence we kept the Irish coast for some time, until it was stark calm. This gave occasion to our sailors to observe, that it was a presage of our having presently a brisk gale; and in effect, early in the morning, so violent a wind arose that, though it was abaft, it obliged us to take in all our sails, and run into the great gulf of Dombritton,46 at the entry of which there is the great rock Aliza.47 The storm increased so much, that the sea often covered our vessel, and passed over it, threatening to bury

p.426

us in its waves. This gulf is skirted by high mountains and bare rocks, whence we saw on the right hand Yroüen.48 Towards the approach of night the wind began to abate, owing to some clouds portending rain and a change of wind, which came on with a fury, and in so tempestuous a manner that resistance was impossible, and in the little gulf of Krinock49 our sailors were obliged to put out all the anchors they had, trusting to the mercy of God, in whom was placed all our hope. We arrived there after the storm was over, which both wetted and greatly fatigued our sailors, happy to get off so well. This town is the passage of the Scotch post and packet-boat to Ireland; its port is good, sheltered by the mountains which surround it, and by a great mole, by the side of which are ranged the barks and other vessels, for the conveniency of loading and unloading more easily. We made good cheer together, as companions of fortune. After which I left this town, and coasted the gulf of Dombritton.