THETHE REGISTRYREGISTRY BOOKSBOOKS Page 2 Clifton Street Cemetery One of the most historically interesting facets of any burying ground are, without doubt, its registry books. Although the New Burying Ground was opened in 1797, it was not until 1831 that the Belfast Charitable Society began to keep a registry of all interments. It is unknown why they did not keep a registry from the beginning, but one reason may be that they were more interested in making money to finance the poor-house through the selling of the graves, than to worry about recording who was being buried in them. However at a meeting held in the poor-house on the 18th of December 1830 it was: Resolved -that a registry of all the interments in the Burying Ground of the Charitable Society be kept from the commencement of the next year, and that the Rev. Messrs Macartney and Hicks be requested to have a suitable book prepared for the purpose. The first burial recorded was on the 4th of January, 1831. However, the exact number of people buried in the burying ground before that will never be known. At a rough estimate it could be guessed that around 3,600 burials could have taken place before 1831. That is if up to 100 people had been buried per year, which was below the average amount of burials taking place throughout the 1830s. The figures shown in the three volumes of the registry books are approximately: Volume 1 1831-1841, 2,640 Volume 2 1841-1864, 5,489 Volume 3 1865-1984, 3,109 Add on the pre-1831 figures and the number of those buried in the New Burying Ground could be as high as 14,000. The information contained in these books is, to any historian or genealogical researcher, a historical goldmine, and to the curious, a fantastic insight into the life of Belfast from before Victorian times. The books themselves are lined up into eight different sections which are: Date of burial. Name of deceased. Profession. Age. Address Grave number Place of birth. Cost to open grave. (Although not in first books) The following is a list of all these recorded internment's and although we had difficulty deciphering some writing we can state that we really did do our best. North Belfast’s Historic Gem Page 3 January 17 February 3 Mary Edgar Andrew Doe April 2 May 4 Mrs Mary Orr 1831 Mrs Kinly Jane Archer Aged 25 Aged 2 Weeks Samuel Carson Margaret Jane Kelly Aged 44 Aged 91 Aged 75 Seamstress Son of Thomas Doe Aged 1 Aged 13 Months Wife of William Orr January 4 Gentlewoman Ann Street Mustard Street Donegall Street Son of William Carson Daughter of George Allen Falls Road John Harrison Joy’s Street From Downpatrick, born in Stewart’s Town, Co A Native of Belfast Corn Market Michael Street A Native of Belfast Aged 8 Came from and born in Lisburn Tyrone Frederick Goldthorp A Native of Belfast A Native of Belfast Son of John Harrison Of the Fulton family & widow of John Kinly who Thomas Archer her son settled in Belfast Aged 1 Donegall Square A Native of Belfast died in America Thomas’s Lane March 15 May 22 Sarah Lindsay From and born in Leeds, family in Belfast Sarah Simmons April 4 May 6 George Allen William Hastings Margaret Brennan Aged 93 Aged 17 John Todd Jane Share Aged 33 Aged 53 Aged 86 Bed rid Daughter of Hugh Simmons Labourer 55 Clerk Architect Died in Poorhouse Little Donegall Street Bridge Street Poorhouse Poorhouse Near the Dublin Bridge Malone Road Came from, and born in, Carrickfergus February 25 A Native of Belfast From Castle Robin born at Irish Hill near Comber Came from and born in Irvines Town, County Tyrone Born in & came from the City of Armagh, family William Irwin Family settled in Belfast John Jackson His wife is in the Poorhouse Eliza Magill Family settled in Belfast settled in Belfast Aged 74 Aged 6 months Aged 19 Weaver Son of John Jackson March 18 Servant Died in Poorhouse February 9 Thomas Street (new Dock) Henry Savage April 6 Cuxton Street January 7 Born in and came from Dundroad, family in Belfast Elizabeth McClean A Native Aged 49 Grace Hunter A Native of Belfast May 23 William Campbell Aged 6 months Bricklayer Aged 30 James Gillis Aged 34 January 18 Daughter of Mrs McClean Edward Street Wife of John Hunter Aged 56 Merchant John H. McDonnell Waring Street. A Native of Belfast February 28 From and born in Carnmoney Pipe Lane May 7 Clerk North Street Aged 32 Mary Pelan Patrick Savage, his Father, settled in Belfast From Ballymena born in Rarnoum, Ballycastle Amelia Christine McCrann Institution Place From Gilford, born in Kernon, his parents in Gilford, Servant John Tranlavery Aged 20 The family settled in Belfast Aged 17 Months Came from Tildargh E & S Campbell his brothers, in Belfast Forest Lane Aged 60 Wife of Peter Pelan Daughter of Sergeant McCrann Family in Belfast Labourer Henry Square 64th Regiment, Belfast Barracks Margaret O’Hare Smithfield Court From and born in Strathhaven, Lanarkshire, Scotland Born in and came from Dublin Helen Elizabeth Hutson Aged 55 Came from, and born in Derryaghy Family settled in Belfast April 11 Her father is in the Belfast Barracks Aged 17 Died in Fever Hospital Family settled in Downpatrick Ann Andrews Daughter of John Hutson Emma Puist Aged 73 Custom House Aged 7 Months Mother-in-Law to Captain Charles Courtney May 9 From London January 10 February 11 Daughter of George Puist Waring Street William Newsam George Purdy Sarah Reid Bandman March 23 From Warrenpoint born at Edgeworth Town Co. Aged 63 John White Aged 20 Aged 41 64 Regiment, Belfast Barracks Essex Courtney Longford Carpenter Aged 6 months Merchants Clerk Wife of Captain James Reid A Native Aged 4 Mrs Courtney, her daughter settled in Belfast Birch Street Son of John White William’s Lane, Green Street Trafalgar Street Son of Captain Courtney Came from and born in or near Castlewellan Clark’s Lane A Native of Belfast Came from and born in Armagh City Waring Street A Native of Belfast Family in Belfast March 1 A Native of Belfast April 12 Alexander McDonnell Esther Hamilton Robert Morrow May 10 Aged 54 Aged 63 Patrick Benson Aged 41 Sarah Ireland Brick Layer January 24 February 13 Wife of Robert Hamilton Aged 33 Bricklayer Aged 20 May 24 Lagan Street Mrs Mary Davis Mary Heyburn Hill Street A Pilot North Queen Street Daughter of Francis Ireland John Bain From Glenarm, family in Belfast Aged 80 Aged 30 Chichester Lane Came from Carnmoney, born in Scotland High Street Ann Street Wife to Thomas Davis Wrought in a Cotton Factory Came from and born in Larne, family in Belfast His wife and children settled in Belfast A Native of Belfast Cromac Street Market Lane March 2 January 11 From Co. Cavan, born in Dublin From Antrim, born in Dungannon, Ann McGain May 26 Rachel O’Neill Has 1 son, Lieutenant Bigham, in County Kildare John McCusker her son, with his Grandmother a Aged 64 March 24 April 13 George Bullick William Byers Aged 58 mendicant Decrepit Thomas Thompson Hind Isaac Isdell Aged 2 Aged 35 Wife of a Shoemaker Poor House Aged 1 Aged 1 Son of Samuel Bullick Bell Hanger 16 Curtis Street January 25 A Native Son of Joseph Hind Son of John Isdell High Street Pottinger’s Entry A Native, family in Belfast Jane Gardner February 15 Sarah McGain her Daughter a servant in Belfast Great George Street Little Patrick Street A Native of Belfast A Native of Belfast Aged 17 Ann Kelly A Native of Belfast A Native of Belfast William Moore Daughter of Mrs L Gardiner Aged 70 William Hamilton Morrison Aged 1 High Street Spinster Aged 6 months Son of James Moore A Native of Belfast York Lane March 3 March 27 April 15 Son of Hugh Morrison May 30 Donegall Street From and born in Stoneyford, 1 Daughter in Belfast Ann Lynch J Neilson Garrett J. R. Tisdale Carrick Hill Murray A Native of Belfast Aged 73 Aged 15 Aged 11 Months A Native of Belfast Newly Born January 26 Margaret Lewis Wife of late James Lynch Son of Mr Garrett Son of J.R Tisdale Child of John Murray Patrick Magee James Dalton Aged 50 Mill Street Cromac Street Union Street High Street Died in Fever Hospital Aged 35 Schoolmistress A Native, family settled in Belfast A Native of Belfast A Native of Belfast A Native of Belfast Labourer North Street May 11 Bell’s Lane From and born in Saintfield Cinnamond John Doromy Robert Wallace January 12 Came from and born in Derry, family in Belfast Family in Belfast Aged 8 Weeks Aged 37 Aged 90 June 2 Sarah Patterson March 4 Child of Robert Cinnamond Pawn Broker Merchant Robert Kinmair Aged 3 Eliza Grandchamp North Street Marquis Street Rosemary Street Aged 39 Daughter of Alexander Patterson January 28 Aged 40 A Native of Belfast From Ceostehill Co. Tyrone From Ballywalter, born in Stranraer Shoemaker Mill Street Catherine Howes Servant His wife is in Belfast His son settled in Belfast Came from and born at Sandy Bay near Loughneagh A Native of Belfast Aged 3 Months Donegall Place Elizabeth Lennox Daughter of Sergeant Howes February 17 From Dublin, born at Harristown, Co Kildare. Aged 9 William Moore 64th Regiment, Belfast Barracks John Gordon 2 daughters settled in Belfast Daughter of Henry Lennox April 21 Thomas Rutherford June 3 Aged 81 A Native Aged 46 Bank Lane Ann McMullan Aged 28 Connolly McCann Cord Manufacturer Merchant A Native of Belfast Aged 10 Clerk 24 Excise Officer Poor House Margaret Jackson York Street March 8 Orphan Henrietta Street York Street From Lurgan born in Ballinderry Aged 37 Came from and born in Ballylinna, near Ballyclare James Brown Poorhouse Came from and born in Glasgow From and born in Dublin Family settled in Belfast and adjacent Wife of John Jackson Family settled in Belfast Aged 30 March 29 A Native of Belfast Adam Rutherford, his Father