Ballywillan Cemetery
Ballywillan Cemetery
Ballywillan Cemetery is just off the Ballywillan Road, on the Magheraboy Road on the very edge of County Londonderry’s borderlines. In the location is also the old Ballywillan Church. It is said to be around 800 years old. Across the road is the Portrush Cemetery, this contains 4 Second World War burials, this though is in County Antrim, so is not covered in this edition of “Ulster’s War Graves.”
During the 17th century, the church in Ballywillan cemetery was abandoned and quickly fell into disrepair until it was eventually taken over by the “Church of Ireland” and rebuilt and reused well into the 19th century. At this time, it was once again abandoned for a smaller, newer building in the town of Portrush, County Antrim, which is located nearby. At the time though the area was more of a seaside village rather than the busy town it has become today, so the need for a large building was not required.
Another interesting burial in this location is possibly that of a Royal Princess, the illegitimate daughter of King James II,[1] King of England. Her name was Dorothea, the granddaughter of a local farmer, who had supposedly loaned her to the king while he was visiting the area, and subsequently she became pregnant. The king denied this, although it is said that Queen Anne III,[2] sister of King William’s wife,[3] Queen Mary II who had taken the throne in 1688, had a grave marker laid to mark her final resting place with the Stuart Coat of Arms and a Fleur de Lys on it. This has though now been badly worn away by time and weather.
Ironically if Dorothea was still alive when Anne passed away in 1714, she would have had claim to the throne. There are six war graves within the old cemetery, 3 sailors and 3 soldiers, 5 from Great War, 1 from the Second World War. The six war graves are all located around this building.
[1] King James 2nd reigned from the 6th of February 1685 until the 11th December 1688, when James fled England to France. He returned with an army to Ireland the following year to try and regain his thrown but was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690 James returned to France, never to return.
[2] Queen Anne reigned from the 8th of March 1702 until 1st August 1714, when she passed away, she was only 48.
[3] King William the 3rd was the King of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 until his death in 1702.
