Monthly Archives: March 2022

In 1776 the original St Anne's Parish Church opened for worship, but burials in the town continued to take place at the old Corporation Church. However, the Corporation Graveyard was nearing capacity and so the innovative member of the Belfast Charitable Society decided to use a portion of its ground to create a new cemetery. Preparation began in 1795, with the 'New Burying Ground' opening its gates for burials in March 1797. Three years later, a clause in an Act of Parliament in 1800 stated “no dead bodies whatsoever shall be interred in the said old church-yard” and instead the “piece [...]

Mary Ann McCracken To mark International Women's Day 2022 we thought it was appropriate to highlight the story of two formidable women in the history of Belfast Charitable Society and the wider city. Mary Ann McCracken is a name that is synonymous with Belfast, but her biographer, Mary McNeill, was an equally remarkable woman who shared many traits with her subject. Mary (Molly) Alice McNeill was born in Belfast on 21st August 1897. The eldest child of George Martin McNeill, a Presbyterian merchant, and Annie Mary McNeill née Cuthbert. Molly was educated at Richmond Lodge before entering St Hugh’s [...]