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Facts about the Ulster Scots - Part one

The Scots-Irish or the Ulster Scots, as they are known in this part of the world, were a unique race of people and those of us in Northern Ireland who belong to that noble tradition exude with pride at the exploits and achievements of brave men and women who created a civilisation out of a wilderness on the American frontier, 200-250 years ago.

This independent and spirited people had been on the move for several centuries before they made the trek across the Atlantic in simple wooden ships for a new life on the frontier. Most of them originated in lowland Scotland, some were of French Huguenot stock. They settled in the nine northern counties of Ireland in the 17th century in what were known as the Plantation years.

As Presbyterians these people were non-conformist to the Established Church of the day, the Anglican code, and during their settlement in Ulster they found great obstacles were raised to the means of propagating and witnessing for their Presbyterian faith.

Civil and religious liberty had been established to the British Isles by King William III through the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 and initially the Scottish Planter stock appeared to be getting a better deal for their dissenting religious beliefs.

Over a 100-year period from about 1610 the Scots had moved primarily into counties Antrim, Down, Tyrone, Donegal and Londonderry; they had worked the farms, established industry with the French Huguenots who had fought alongside King William at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 and erected meeting houses for their Presbyterian form of worship and schools for the education of their children. In the Presbyterian culture, the church and the school are inter-twined and this was the case when the Scots-Irish arrived in Ireland and subsequently in America.

William's reign ended in 1702 and his cousin Anne ascended the throne of England, a High Anglican faction became dominant in Government circles in London, enacting legislation which weighed heavily on the minds and consciences of the Presbyterians of Ulster.

An Act was passed in 1703 which required all office-holders in Ireland to take the sacrament according to the Established Episcopal Church. As many Presbyterians held posts as magistrates in cities and towns like Belfast, Londonderry, Lisburn and Carrickfergus and exercised civil duties they were automatically disqualified unless they renounced the dissenting Calvinistic faith of the forefathers in Scotland.