In 1963 the building was bought by the Government of Northern Ireland, whose Finance Minister Terence O'Neill intended to donate the cottage to the National Trust.

[2] William Arthur graduated from Belfast College, came to the United States, studied law for a short time, and was then called to the Baptist ministry.

After preaching in Vermont and western New York, he was settled as pastor of the Calvary Baptist church of Albany, N. Y., where he remained from 1855 to 1863.

He later moved to Schenectady, where he published a magazine called The Antiquarian and General Review, to whose pages he contributed much curious learning on a variety of topics.

During the last ten years of his life he lived in retirement, preaching occasionally, and giving much time to literary pursuits.