The Pageant attracts thousands of members of the Royal Black Preceptory, a group related to the Orange Order, who come to march and stage a symbolic (sham) re-enactment of the 1690 Battle of the Boyne. In June 1690, a Williamite army of 30,000 men camped in the Scarva area for training before marching on to meet the forces of King James II at the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690. Whilst training his army, King William is said to have camped under a magnificent Spanish chestnut tree.
King James II
King William