A reprint of the original book By W. G. LYTTLE with Other Stories and Pictures of '98 as collected by and published in The "Mourne Observer" MOURNE OBSERVER LTD., Printers and Publishers, Newcastle, Co. Down, Northern Ireland.   This drawing of Mat McClenaghan making pike heads in his smiddy at The Six Road Ends appeared on the cover of several of the earlier editions of this book.
The reprinting of "Betsy Gray or Hearts of Down" will be welcomed by those who have been seeking this thrilling story of events in Counties Antrim and Down in the troublous days of the 1798 Rebellion. The central figure is a beautiful Co. Down lass who inspired the Insurgents and fought side by side with her brother and lover at the Battle of Ballynahinch. This historical novel captures the tenseness which gripped the North East in the struggle against oppression and the stirring events which led to the famous Rising. The original story is supplemented with 40 pages of research into local history and folklore of the Rebellion, and of its aftermath in Co. Down. There are more than thirty illustrations and photographs, many of them unique.
This Book is now out of print

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In reprinting, in full, the original story as written and published by W. G. Lyttle, the publishers thought it opportune to include addi tional historical data and folklore concerning the '98 Rebellion as it affected Co. Down, with photographs and other illustrations. They acknowledge with gratitude their indebtedness to all who assisted them in their research, especially Mr. Aiken McClelland, of Belfast, who not only wrote the Preface, but also gave valuable advice and placed much material at their disposal; the late Mr. Colin Johnston Robb, of Spa, Ballynahinch, for access to his manuscripts; the late Miss E. McNeilly Ballynahinch, for loan of old photographs; Mr. A. McNeilly, secretary of the Ards Historical Society; and the Northern Ireland Public Records Office.
The Appendix is reprinted as it first appeared in 1968, although some of the people then interviewed have since passed on.

PREFACE

WESLEY GUARD LYTTLE, the author of this book, was born near Bangor on the 15th April, 1844. He began work as a clerk in a solicitor's office in Downpatrick, and in the course of a varied career became a junior reporter, a school-teacher, a lecturer on Dr. Corry's `Irish Diorama', a teacher of shorthand the first in Belfast) and an accountant. Finally, in 1880 he became the proprietor, editor and printer of the North Down Herald, a strong Liberal paper which he published in Newtownards. Shortly afterwards he transferred his paper to Bangor, where it appeared under the title, North Down Herald and Bangor Gazette.

Lyttle was in demand all over Ulster as an entertainer. His humorous monologues, given in the dialect of an Ards farmer, were published In his newspaper and later reprinted in eight pamphlets under the title, Robin's Readings. He also published in his newspaper, and later issued as books, two novels, Sons of the Sod and The Smugglers of Strangford Lough.

None of these writings, however, gripped the imagination of his readers like his third and last novel, Betsy Gray, or Hearts of Down, which appeared a few years before his death, on 1st November, 1896. The reason is not hard to find. Despite its faults in construction (perhaps due to the fact that it originally appeared in serial form in his newspaper), and lack of style, Lyttle gives his readers a vivid account of the Rebellion in Co. Down, and the events immediately leading up to the insurrection.

Fact and fiction are intertwined in Betsy Gray. Did Betsy really live at the Six Road Ends, or did Lyttle simply alter the story of a Dromara girl who was murdered after the Battle of Ballynahinch to provide a convenient peg for his fictionalized history? The fact that such a controversy exists is proof that Betsy is firmly enshrined in local folklore.

Lyttle was writing for the children and grandchildren of former rebels - readers who, although loyal to the Crown, admired the struggle of their relatives against wrongs that were subsequently righted. This fact unconsciously coloured his writing - he saw everything in black and white. To him, the insurgents were dedicated men attempting to redress undefined wrongs, while the military and supporters of the Crown were cruel and selfish men.

For many years after its first publication, this was a standard book in almost every County Down home, and although a vast number of books has been written about the Rebellion of 1798, many have gleaned their knowledge of the insurrection solely from Betsy Gray. This may be regrettable from a purely historical viewpoint, but the average reader cares little about the complex political and economic factors which underlay the insurrection. He is content to read with pride how his poorlyarmed ancestors defeated the English troops at Saintfield, and to thrill with horror at the murder of poor, defenceless Betsy Gray. And to such a reader this edition, with photographs and additional information, will be welcome.

AIKEN McCLELLAND.
Ulster Folk Museum, Cultra Manor.