‘Dearly, Departed’: Bodysnatching and Clifton Street Cemetery in 19th Century Belfast

There was a time in Belfast when the bodies of the deceased rose from their graves…but not without some help!
In the 19^th century body-snatchers were at large in the local cemeteries, stealing the bodies of the recently deceased for dissection by local doctors. But why did people go to such lengths? Why were these bodies needed? And how were they stopped?

Join us at Clifton House, where James Cromey, Archive Coordinator of the North Belfast Heritage Cluster will discuss why body-snatchers were such a concern during the early 1800’s, with a specific look at how they impacted the decisions surrounding Clifton Street Cemetery and how it was managed.

This year, as part of our 250th Anniversary celebrations, Belfast Charitable Society hope to use our talks and events to help raise funds for our ongoing philanthropic work, therefore we will be offering these free, with a ‘pay what you can’ donation. All funds raised will be used to support those most in need. Thank you in advance for your support.

James Cromey is the Archive Coordinator for the North Belfast Heritage Cluster and their Great Place North Belfast project. He has a background in Archaeology, Geography and History, and has completed extended works on Victorian Mental Health Asylums in Britain, and the Witch Trials in Europe. In his role as Archive Coordinator, his work with the Cluster focuses on academic accessibility and empowering communities to rediscover and reclaim their forgotten pasts, whilst his academic research focuses on how memorials, ruins and folktales can influence and alter how history is perceived and understood.