Hillsborough ‘Castlemen' parade at full strength for first time since 1890
The UK's oldest private ceremonial military regiment has paraded at full strength for the first time in more than 130 years.
Thirteen new warders of the Hillsborough Fort Guard, which dates back to 1660, were presented with their warrants at a special ceremony in the Co Down village on Saturday.
The guard paraded in the village at an event attended by deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Lagan Valley MP Sorcha Eastwood and Lord Lieutenant for Co Down Gawn Rowan Hamilton.
It is the first time the guard, which carries out ceremonial duties at Hillsborough Castle, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, has been at its full complement of 20 warders since 1890.
The guard was created in the 17th century when a royal warrant was first issued by Charles II but went into decline in the 20th century when no new warders were recruited.
For several years, only the bugler was left to carry on ceremonial duties until 2021 when the Marquess of Downshire issued warrants for six new warders as part of the reformation of the fort guard.
With a further 13 warrants issued, the final restoration sees the guard, whose members are known as the 'Castlemen', return to its full original strength of 20 warders.
Hundreds of people turned out to see the investiture parade at Hillsborough Fort.
The programme for the event included a letter from the King passing on his 'warmest good wishes to all of those who are present for a memorable event'.
Bugler Andrew Carlisle said it was a special day for the village with strong royal connections.
He said: 'For the first time in over 130 years the guard at Hillsborough Fort is parading at full strength of 20 as per the royal warrant of 1660 which was given to the Hill family, making them the hereditary constable of the fort.
'It is a fantastic day for Hillsborough, a historic day for the village.
'We are probably the first guard to actually parade through the village headed by the constable, as far as we can tell that has never happened before. It is a very proud moment.'
Mr Carlisle has been a member of the guard for 20 years and said it has not been easy to get to the point where it has been returned to full strength.
He said: 'Maintaining a private, legal army in Northern Ireland has its ups and downs, but it has been worth it.
'When you see the 20 guys on parade, the colour and the history and the passion that these guys have put in, we do this voluntarily.
'It is a unique thing for the village, this has to survive, it is not what we do now, it is the gift we give on to the next generation that this survives.'
He added: 'This journey has been at least 12 years in the making. It is a very proud day.
'We are indebted to the people that have got behind us, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, Tourism NI both were a huge help in funding our new uniforms.
'A lot of our funding also comes from private donors and the village and the community.
'This is a Hillsborough story, it always will be a Hillsborough story and we genuinely want the village to be proud and get behind it.'
One of the 13 new warders is Trevor Hill, who is the fourth generation of his family connected to the Hillsborough Fort Guard.
He said: 'We are unique. We are the only and longest-running private militia guard in the history of the United Kingdom and all-Ireland.
'This year we are in our 365th year of existence.'
He added: 'It is a wonderful piece of history, it is unique to Northern Ireland and the UK.
'It is more now a ceremonial role as opposed to a guarding role and I think it is very important to keep that history alive.'
MP for the area Ms Eastwood said it was a 'special day' for Hillsborough.
She added: 'I know some of the people who were getting their investiture today and I know the service they have given to their community over many, many years and the real passion they have.
'Today is about consolidating Hillsborough as a destination for tourism. We are very proud of what we have here in the village, it is a very unique offering.
'All of us who are Lisburn born and bred will know the links over many years, with this being the only location on the island of Ireland with a royal palace and still retained as the King's official residence.
'There is a brand new generation coming through who don't know that history and part of today is linked to that tourism offering.'
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