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17th Century Mass Grave of Siege Found In Derry, N. Ireland

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Marissa
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« on: January 16, 2011, 11:27:56 pm »

17th Century Mass Grave of Siege Found In Derry, N. Ireland
By Stephen Russell 12/01/2011 15:17:00



Recent excavation in the city of Derry are believed to have uncovered a mass grave dating to the 17th century Siege of Derry.

One of the most important events in Irish History was the Siege of Derry, which took place from 18 April to 28 July 1689.  The city was a stronghold, of William of Orange and was besieged by the army of James II until it was relieved by ships the Royal Navy.  Up to now human remains from the siege have not been identified.  However the discovery of three sets of human remains beneath First Derry Presbyterian Church might be from the Siege and could possibly be the site of a mass grave dating to this period.

The siege dates to the time of England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688, when James II a Roman Catholic, was ousted from his throne by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange who were both Protestants.  The vast majority of the Irish populations were Catholic, and James had given them some real concessions during his reign, which had lead to major uneasiness in Britain.

Moreover he had appointed an Irish Catholic Richard Talbot as Lord Deputy of Ireland.  In addition he also had re-admitted Catholics into the Irish Parliament, public office, and the army.  The Irish Catholics population also hoped that James would re-grant them their lands, which had been seized after Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland in 1653. This led James to Ireland to muster support in re-gaining his kingdoms.
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Marissa
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« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2011, 11:30:24 pm »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGyF-RIStOA&feature=player_embedded

What was the Siege of Derry?
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Marissa
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« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2011, 11:31:40 pm »

The three sets of remains, which have been dated to the 17th century, were unearthed during exploration of the foundations of the church.  This work was been undertaken as part of the restoration work on the church.  The work, which began last year, is scheduled to be completed later this year.

The site under investigation has been a center Presbyterian worship in Derry since 1675 when a Presbyterian Meeting House was built. The earliest incarnation of the First Derry Presbyterian Church was constructed on Magazine Street Upper in 1690, with the assistance of a grant from Queen Mary in recognition of the bravery of the townsfolk displayed during the siege. The church was rebuilt in 1780 and repaired in 1828 and is a currently a Grade B+ listed building.

Cormac McSparron, a spokesman for the contractor Archaeological Fieldwork (CAF said that while the buried bodies could indicate the land was used as a graveyard, equally, the possibility exists that the skeletons could also date to the time of the 105-day Siege. These remains could cast new light on the siege and the conditions the population endured during it.

He believes the bodies are very possibly those of people who either starved to death inside the city walls or were fatally injured in one of the bloody skirmishes.

To support this belief Cormac points out that artefacts found in the soil around the human remains and beneath the wall, such as clay pipe bowls and pottery from Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe, date to the 1600s, and some to the late 1600s.  These dates tie closely to the period of the siege.

The siege of Derry is an emotive period and is a key event in the sectarian strife that has racked Northern Ireland for the last 400 years. It has been “celebrated since the 19th century as a key victory of Protestants over Catholics.

While small numbers died in combat during the siege it is believed that between 4000 people died of starvation or disease. Many had been forced to eat dogs, horses and rats over the 105 days of the siege.   These casualties of the siege would have to be buried in mass graves, which to date have not been identified.

The events of the siege has sunk deep into the Ulster Protestant psyche and apparently began when 13 apprentice boys shut the gates of the city against the oncoming army. King James demanded they "Surrender or die", the leaders of the defenders made the famous retort of "No Surrender!" which became a rallying cry of the Protestant population during the sectarian violence of the 20th century
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« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2011, 11:32:41 pm »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEn6ujUILew&feature=player_embedded

Apprentice Boys of Derry (Son of Dixie Goes to Ulster) Aug 2008
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« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2011, 11:33:13 pm »

Commenting on the finds, Mr McSparron said: "It is probably a mass grave, but it is hard to say for sure. Certainly the finds suggest from the relatively small area that we opened at that end of the church, that there were quite a number of burials. We have one articulated skeleton, a skull in another church and at the side of that church we have more bones emerging, so we have at least three sets of human remains within two relatively small churches that pre-date the existing church.

"It is reasonable to extrapolate that there are likely to be a lot of burials in the area. The material found around them are compatible with the Siege period, but that's not to say they couldn't just be ordinary burials from the two previous churches in that area," he said.

First Derry Minister, Rev Dr David Latimer has found the discoveries very exciting and believes it will help in studies of the siege, He said he hoped that at some point after restoration work was completed a plaque could be erected commemorating the dead who rest beneath the church and the adjoining car park.  There have been fears that further construction would damage the site and the remains.  Address these fears the minister promised that any future building works would not disturb the graves.

The site will become a key part of the city’s plans to develop its tourist product and It is planned that the archaeological dig will be included in the 'story' of First Derry Presbyterian Church in the new interpretive centre.  This center is being created at the rear of the church building at a cost of £150,000, which includes money gifted to the project by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

 

Copyright Archnews 2010

http://www.archnews.co.uk/featured/4708-17th-century-mass-grave-of-siege-found-in-derry-n-ireland.html
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