Our Archive
Our archive material dates back to 1752, and contains a vast quantity of information on the development of the Belfast Charitable Society as well as Belfast itself, from town to city.
Our unique collection, reflecting the breadth and depth of our history, would suit a wide variety of interests, including academic and family history researchers.
Collections
Poor House Collection
Our Poor House Collections includes records relating to the fundraising, building, opening and running of the Belfast Poor House, now Clifton House. Access to these records is available on request.
The information below gives brief details of the archive collections we hold for the Belfast Poor House.
Accounts MS4
The account manuscripts relate to the running of Clifton House and Belfast Charitable Society. Employees wage books, pension income from residents and general income and expenditure ledgers related to both the Poor House and Old Peoples Home give a detailed insight into the economy of Clifton House past and present.
Board Matters MS5
Correspondence and reports for the attention of or regarding the Board of the Belfast Charitable Society. These include the Gatekeepers book, annual reports from 1827- present, copies of the Acts of Parliament governing the Charitable Society and correspondence relate to the vacation of the military in 1800 and war damage payments in the 1940s.
Graveyard MS6
Clifton Street Cemetery, originally called the New Burying Ground, was opened by Belfast Charitable Society in 1797. The archive holds important documents related to the sale of plots from 1797 and burial registers for those interred from 1831 onwards. The archive also contains letters in relation to the transfer of burial plots, receipts for the opening of graves and mausoleum keys.
Clifton Street Cemetery Collection
Clifton Street Cemetery was originally opened by Belfast Charitable Society in 1797 as the New Burying Ground. Many notable citizens of Belfast are buried within its walls including the McCracken, Joy and Drennan families. Thousands of people also lie in unmarked graves. Some lived out their final days in the Poor House; others died without friends to bury them and there are those who tragically lost their lives in the 1832 cholera epidemic and the Irish Potato Famine.
All human life rests in Clifton Street Cemetery.
Today it is managed by Belfast City Council, however Clifton House regularly run tours and talks on the graveyard.
Register of Plots
From the opening of Clifton Street Cemetery in 1797 a register book was kept detailing the list of burial plots, who they were purchased by, the date of purchase and the price paid for the plot. The Register records those who purchased ‘Wall Plots’, the most expensive in the cemetery, and the ‘Garden Plots’ in the centre of the graveyard. Of particular interest in the purchase of Wall Plot 35 by Captain John McCracken in 1801.
Burial Register
For the first thirty-five years of the cemetery’s existence a record of interments was not kept. From 1831 each burial was recorded in the Burial Register. Information about each burial did vary but typically included the date of interment, the name of the deceased, age, profession, residence and if they are a native of Belfast. Most significantly, the details of those who were buried in the Stranger’s Plot, an area of public ground, are also recorded.
Mausoleum Keys
The mausoleums within Clifton Street Cemetery were a way in which wealth and social class could be reflected in death. These imposing monuments typically had iron doors or decorative gates which locked to protect those whose remains were laid to rest in them. Some of these wealthy families deposited the keys to their mausoleums for safe-keeping with the Belfast Charitable Society, including the Dunvilles, famous for their whiskey.
Mary Ann McCracken Collection
Mary Ann McCracken (1770-1866) was a social reformer, philanthropist and abolitionist who had family ties to the Poor House. Mary Ann was the niece of Robert and Henry Joy who designed and managed the lottery to fund its construction. Her father, Captain John McCracken, was on the Charitable Society’s Board, and Mary Ann later helped to found the Ladies Committee in the 1820s which she served on throughout its existence.
As such, Clifton House still holds a number of collections and artefacts relating to Mary Ann McCracken, some of which are on permanent display within the building. Throughout the year we host dedicated talks and tours on the life of Mary Ann McCracken, and our Self-Guided audio tour provides a short history of the house from Mary Ann’s perspective.
In 2022 we established the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation to continue her philanthropic work in Belfast.
Ladies Committee Book
Inspired by the social reforming Quaker, Elizabeth Fry, who visited Belfast in the 1820s, Mary Ann and a number of women formed the Belfast Charitable Society’s Ladies Committee in 1827. The minute books reflect the women’s views and activities in relation to education, welfare, cleanliness and improvements for all aspects of the lives of the women and children resident in the Poor House.
Surrender of Lease
Following the death of her brother Francis McCracken, whom she lived with in Donegall Street, there was still six years left on the lease which she could not afford to buy herself out of. Led by Rev Macartney, who had served on the Poor House Committee, her friends came together and loaned her the £200 required. This document is the official surrender of the lease to the landlord.
Register of Plots
Mary Ann McCracken’s grave remained unmarked until 1909 when bones believed to be those of her brother, the executed United Irishman, Henry Joy McCracken, were placed in the McCracken plot at Clifton Street Cemetery. The headstone was erected by Francis Joseph Bigger, a noted antiquarian and solicitor. A transcription of the inscription was inserted into the Register of Plots held by Belfast Charitable Society.
Visiting The Archive
How to visit
Access to our archive is by prior appointment only. To gain access, please follow the steps below:
- Contact should be made by phone, email or by filling out the form below in order to agree a time for your visit. This allows staff to ensure there is desk space for the reader.
- On the day of your visit, you will need to be a registered Clifton House Visitor to access research areas and view original records. To do this, please bring with you one form of photographic identification or a letter of introduction from someone known to the researcher in a formal capacity related to their research such as an academic supervisor, archivist, employer or member of the Belfast Charitable Society.
- Once paperwork is complete, staff will ensure they have relevant documents ready and will bring all requested material to the researcher, thus ensuring no double booking of the same resource.
Archive opening times
The archive can be accessed during the below times, by appointment only (see above).
- Monday to Thursday: 9am to 4pm
- Friday: 9am to 2pm
Archive Visitor Request Form
Exhibitions
At any one time, only a small fraction of our archive and artefact materials can be viewed, as part of our regular exhibitions within Clifton House. These exhibitions change regularly throughout the year, and generally help to support the theme or story we want to tell at the time. All items within the exhibitions are records or artefacts belonging to the Belfast Charitable Society, some of which are dated from the early 1700s.
The exhibitions can be enjoyed by visitors to Clifton House, as part of our regular tours.
Research & Collaboration
Over the years Clifton House has extensively grown its knowledge about the people and events surrounding its history.
This research has been enhanced by working in collaboration with students, academics and other partners, including Ulster University, Queen’s University, PRONI and National Museums NI to name a few. This invaluable research feeds into everything we do at Clifton House, from enhancing our talks, tours and exhibitions, to supporting future planning.
These valuable research projects and partnerships also allow us to raise the profile of the ongoing philanthropic work of the Belfast Charitable Society, whose home is still in Clifton House, over 250 years on.
Clifton House welcome approaches in relation to possible research and collaboration projects.