gg [Proc. B.N.F.C , 



became first King of Scotland. The Royal Society of Anti- 

 quaries of Ireland, in their report of the meeting held in 

 Belfast in 1892, say—" Carrickfergus is so called from Carrig, 

 a rock, and King Fergus, who, when coming here in 320 B.C. 

 to visit the well, now within the Castle, for the cure of leprosy, 

 was shipwrecked and buried at Monkstown adjoining." The 

 date given here is inaccurate. Keating in his history tells us 

 that Fergus was the first King of Scotland, and became so 

 early in the sixth century, and the Rev. George Hill, in his 

 invaluable work, " The Macdonalds of Antrim," gives a full 

 account of the matter, and shows that Fergus MacErc became 

 King of Scotland in 506 a.d. The father of Fergus was a 

 prince of Dalriada, and his seat was at Armoy, near Bally- 

 castle. He had three sons, Fergus, Angus, and Lome. From 

 the latter the Duke of Argyll's family are descended. The 

 descendants of Angus became Lords of the Isles, from whom 

 the Macdonalds sprang, and Fergus became the first King of 

 Scotland. It was for the purpose of crowning him that the 

 " Lia Fail," or stone of destiny, was taken from T'ara to Scot- 

 land. This stone was subsequently taken to England, where 

 it has been used for hundreds of years at the coronation of 

 our monarchs, and was so used recently at the coronation of 

 King Edward VII. 



At Monkstown a formal meeting of the members was 

 held, under the chairmanship of Mr. W. H. Phillips. Mr. 

 Wm. Gray gave a short address on the historical associations 

 of the place, and announced the further arrangements for the 

 day. Proceeding a few miles further, a visit was paid to Lis- 

 nalinchy Fort, an excellent example of the early Celtic 

 earthen fortification. The Rath around the circular Lis and 

 the outside fosse are still in fair condition, and well worth 

 preserving. Every feature of the fort was closely examined, 

 the botanists being specially interested in the fosse or 

 trench. The next halt was at an ancient monument known 

 as Wiley's Fort, a circular earthwork of about eighty paces 

 in diameter. The encircling rath has been levelled, but part 

 of the fosse remains. This fort has connected with it a souter- 



