Timeline of the 1600s
| 1603-- |
Arthur Chichester given Castle
and 52 townlands. He built a new castle and foundations of new town |
1641-- |
Belfast is seen as a safe place for Protestant immigrants during Irish rebellion
wars. The defense ditch is now 1690 yards or about 1 mile long. |
| 1610-- |
A village existed. |
1643-- |
Colonel Chichester made governor. |
| 1613-- |
New town chartered. Defended town-needed protection from the indigenous
Irish from whom the British and Scottish soldiers had stolen the land. |
1645-- |
Ulster Scots take possession of town. |
| 1637-- |
A large amount of trade is transferred from Carrickfergus, ten miles to
the north, to Belfast whose port is growing. |
1649-- |
Oliver Cromwell & Royalists retake possession. |
| 1638-- |
Inhabitants are warned that malting kilns used in distilling and brewing
may cause fires in town. A majority of the houses are wood. |
1689-- |
March-Irish army takes possession, Aug-surrender to William of Orange. |
The 1600s were characterized by new growth and planning and continuous warring
over control of the town. Belfast, like any other city in Ireland, was an
invader's city. The native Irish were organized based on clan, not city
location and were known to rebel against the settlers. Unlike other cities
in Ulster, notably Derry, Belfast was not completely walled. Instead, it
was protected by a ditch and rampart. The existence of this defense
and the settlement pattern it created are the basis of the current urban
pattern.