Henry Joy McCracken

Henry Joy McCracken was born at 39 High Street in Belfast on 31 August 1767 into prominent Presbyterian merchant families. A textile manufacturer and United Irishman, he rejected British rule and sought to unite Presbyterians and Catholics against the Crown. In June 1798, he seized the initiative from hesitant leaders and attacked a British garrison in Antrim Town. Defeated, he returned to Belfast, where a court-martial condemned him to hang for treason on 17 July 1798.