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Rebellion
Rebellion and the Williamite Wars
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The period immediately after the Flight of The Earls in 1607 was marked largely by relative peace, however, instability was never far off the horizon. The 1641 rising led by Sir Phelim O'Neill of Caledon was the next major event to beset the district. After the capture of Dungannon, Charlemont and Mountjoy, Sir Phelim attacked Strabane and carried off Lady Strabane, the daughter-in-law of the Earl of Abercorn. Colonel Sir George Hamilton retook Strabane three days later with an expeditionary force of Scottish soldiers. In Newtownstewart events followed a similar pattern. Both Stewart residences at Newtown and Aughentain Manor were destroyed with the family fleeing to Strabane and then to Derry. However the Stewart brothers mobilized a force of horsemen - the celebrated Laggan force - and retrieved the situation. At Castlederg, the Davies bawn was destroyed. The war finally ended in 1652 and from then until the Restoration in 1660 the influence of Cromwell's puritans and the Commonwealth dominated the area.
The initial years of the Restoration heralded another period of relative peace. At Castlederg the Edwards family gained possession of the castle and it's estate. As landlords they did a great deal for the town despite being seriously in debt themselves. Sir George Hamilton of Dunnalong who had gone to France in support of the monarchy had his estates restored to him by an Act of Parliament. His nephew George Hamilton had also been successful in having the Strabane estates restored to him. His eldest son Claud was active later in the affairs of Strabane and was High Sheriff of Tyrone in 1683.
The years which ensued, following the coronation of James II and his attempts to re-establish the Catholic Church however, saw a return to conflict in Ireland in the form of the Williamite Wars. Strabane at first provided protection for Protestant refugees but was later captured by the Jacobite forces loyal to James and became a base for attacks on Maiden City. At Clady, the arch of the bridge nearest the village was blown up by Colonel Beresford in order to halt their advance. James arrived at Strabane in 1688 on his way to the 'Siege of Derry', however his forces were forced to retreat when the siege was broken in July of the following year. Strabane and Newtownstewart were both torched in the retreat. A year later the war ended with the signing of the Treaty Of Limerick in October 1691.
