Shankill Road Graveyard - One of the oldest cemeteries in Belfast. It has been used for burials for more than 1,000 years. The graveyard remains an important historical site.
"The Shankill Graveyard had been used as a burial ground for over one thousand years, among the 500 Hundred Thousand people said to be interred there contains those from all walks of life, rich, poor, men of the cloth, members of Parliament, and soldiers from the great, and Williamite wars, there is also a section where many victims of the great Cholera outbreak of 1832 are laid to rest.
The Shankill Graveyard is such a Historic site, to learn of our past or just to sit and reflect in the beautiful garden of rest and although it is no longer used for burials it contains a special area where cremated remains can be scattered and a stone memorial plinth for recording and remembrance. Text Source: (
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" Shankill Road Graveyard is one of the oldest cemeteries in Belfast, It has been used for burials for more than 1,000 years and, it remains an important historical site.
One of the oldest legible stones belongs to George McAuley who died in 1685.
A memorial stone book is located in a special landscaped portion of the cemetery, which includes an area of grass where cremated remains can be scattered.
The site's gates and railings are listed due to their historical significance.
Another feature is the sculpture of Queen Victoria by artist John Cassidy, which you can see from the main entrance. The statue was originally located at in Durham Street, before being moved to the cemetery in 2003. It was carved from Portland stone in 1897 to celebrate the queen's diamond jubilee and shows her wearing a dress of Nottingham lace.
History
The earliest church on this site, dating back to around 1306, is believed to have been the White Church of the Chapels of the Ford.
Although the name 'Shankill' means 'old church' (from the Irish 'séan chill'), the name did not come into common use until the 17th century.
During the 18th century, most burials were of local people but, during the 19th century, residents from the nearby linen settlements of Glenalina, Ligoniel, Oldpark and Springfield were also buried in the cemetery. During this time, the site changed from a rural community graveyard to a town cemetery.
Many paupers and victims of the plague and other diseases are also buried in Shankill Graveyard, in unmarked graves. In fact, the Black Death sparked such fear, the ground surrounding the victims' graves was ordered to be closed over and never reopened, in case the disease was 'released'.
In 1834, a watchtower was built by William Sayers and Israel Milliken so families could guard new graves for a small fee. The idea was to prevent bodysnatchers from stealing 'fresh' remains for use in medical research.
Shankill Graveyard was handed over to the public in 1958, after it had fallen into disrepair following the decision to no longer accept new burials. Belfast Corporation (now the council) cleared and renovated the site, turning it into a ‘rest garden’ for local residents to enjoy." Text Source: (
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