Buttoncap – The Ghost of Carrickfergus Castle

According to the best-known version of the story, Buttoncap was a soldier stationed at Carrickfergus Castle during the 18th century. He is often identified in later retellings as Timothy Lavery, a drummer connected with the regiment garrisoned at the castle.

The legend tells of another young soldier, Robert Rainey, who fell in love with a local woman named Betsy Baird. Lavery was supposedly accused of wrongdoing connected with the affair and was condemned to death, despite claims that he was innocent.

As the story is told, Lavery protested his innocence before his execution and vowed that he would return to haunt Carrickfergus Castle. Some later versions say Rainey eventually confessed to the crime for which Lavery had been punished.

Over the years, visitors and storytellers have associated Buttoncap with an old well inside the castle. A dark figure is said to have been seen nearby, and the location has sometimes been referred to as Buttoncap’s Well. Other versions place the ghost in or around the well itself.

The nickname is traditionally explained by the large button said to have been worn on the front of the soldier’s military headgear — although some modern details of the story may have been added much late