On 11 August 1919 the Orderly reported to the Belfast Charitable Society that the residents of the Old People’s Home thoroughly enjoyed the Peace Day Celebrations held earlier in the week. A parade of servicemen left Victoria Barracks, behind Clifton House, and made it’s way down Clifton Street into the city centre. Newspapers reported that […]
On this day in 1866 the people of Belfast learnt of the death of Mary Ann McCracken. She had lived through some of the most turbulent years of Irish history including the 1798 rebellion, the Great Famine and the Industrial Revolution. Passing away aged 96, Mary Ann lived into a period where photography was becoming […]
Ever wondered about the origin of some of the old tiled Belfast street signs? Well, at a meeting of the Belfast Corporation in July 1869, known today as Belfast City Council, it was resolved that the Belfast Charitable Society should affix signs to the streets on their land including Clifton Street, Regent Street & Duncairn Street. Over […]
On this day 1798 Henry Joy McCracken was executed for his role as commander of the County Antrim forces of the United Irishmen. After the United Irish defeat in Antrim in June of 1798, Henry Joy fled to the Belfast Hills, whilst Mary Ann arranged his escape to America. However, he was seized on the […]
Today (8th July 2020) marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mary Ann McCracken, the noted activist, abolitionist and social reformer. Mary Ann was born to Captain John and Anne McCracken (née Joy). Her maternal grandfather was Francis Joy, founder of the Belfast Newsletter. Like her siblings Mary Ann was educated at David Manson’s […]
Captain John McCracken, father of Henry Joy and Mary Ann McCracken, was a seafarer by trade. It was said that the Belfast skyline of those days was broken only by the spire of the Poor House, the cupola of St Anne’s Church, the Market House belfry and when Captain McCracken’s ship was in port her […]
As time passed the number of cases of cholera in the town of Belfast decreased, and the Poor House committee took steps to ease the tight restrictions that had been put in place a few months earlier.
The Belfast Charitable Society initially allowed the residents of the Poor House out on Sundays in May 1832 so […]
Francis Joy, the maternal grandfather of Mary Ann McCracken, was born in Killead, Co. Antrim, in 1697, of prosperous farming stock. In due course he settled in Belfast as an attorney, and, while still a young man of twenty-four, married Margaret Martin, granddaughter of George Martin, Sovereign of the town. Francis was an able and […]
Apprenticeships were a integral part of the running of the Poor House, offering the children a chance to learn a trade or skill in order to support themselves in the future. On 25th May 1822, John Delany was apprenticed to Thomas Alexander Stewart (1786-1847), to ‘learn the trade of farming’ for 6 years. However, this […]
Belfast Charitable Society had put in place a form of lockdown once cholera was found to be present in the town. However, they initiated other important precautions to protect the residents of the Poor House.
Convalescence Home
The Poor House Infirmary and the other hospitals worked jointly to deal with cholera cases in Belfast. This meant that […]
