This week’s Virtual Museum post features an important artefact from the town’s rich history. Located at the entrance of the Museum, it is a stone slab which is inscribed and dated 1708. The stone is significant as it represents the rebirth of the town after the devastating fire the year before.
On 20th April 1707, after what was described as ‘a long drought of weather’, a fire broke out accidentally in a house in an alleyway off Bow Street. Aided by high winds, the fire quickly spread throughout the town, destroying homes and buildings, the majority of which were constructed from timber and plaster.
Within hours the town was in ruins. The Market House (the present day Museum) was the only building to survive. While there were no recorded fatalities, hundreds were left without a home and many fled, never to return. The town’s Landlord, Francis Seymour-Conway, made the trees on his lands freely available for rebuilding, and declared a rent-free period until his tenants were back on their feet.
It was said that a house on Market Square was the first to be erected after the fire. The stone slab was inserted into the building’s front wall. It bears the following inscription:
1708.
The year above this house erected,
The town was burnt ye year before:
People therein may be directed,
God hath judgments still in store:
And that they do not Him provoke
To give to them a second stroke.
The builder also doth desire at the expiration of his lease,
The landlord living at that time may think upon the builder’s case.
The mark of the great fire can also be found Lisburn’s coat of arms. The symbol of a phoenix rising from the flames signifies the town’s rebirth . The Latin motto, “Ex igne resurgam” (“Out of the fire I shall arise”), is also a reference to the incident. Visitors to the museum can view the historic 1708 stone on arrival and can learn about Lisburn’s history through our many exhibitions. See our What’s On section for details.
