The Fords of Carrickfergus
Archived: 23 October 2026
Abstract
On 6 June 1333, William de Burgh, twenty-year-old earl of Ulster and lord of Connacht, was murdered near Carrickfergus by men associated with Ulster’s settler community. His death, following de Burgh family conflict, deprived vast, fragile lordships of an adult ruler. His widow fled to England with their infant heiress, while royal justice punished some killers but could not restore stability. Annals also record cattle-raiding, noble sureties, official campaigns and violence in Dublin, illustrating insecure aristocratic politics. The murder initiated divisions that later produced the Burke civil war and Mac William lordships, exposing limits of inherited power and English administration.