Belfast has been served by a number of graveyards over the years- in the early days the main cemetery was that at the Corporation Church, the site now occupied by St George’s Church on High Street. Friar’s Bush and Shankill Burying Grounds also served as the final resting places of the citizens of Belfast and […]
Clifton House were proud to be involved once again in the Féile this year, hosting a lecture on ‘The Bigger Family Picture: From 1798 to Partition’.
The talk was delivered by our Archive & Heritage Development Officer exploring some of the key figures in the Bigger lineage from David Bigger, Belfast Charitable Society member & United Irishman; to the […]
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 way […]
Belfast Charitable Society Board Member, Captain John McCracken was enchanted by all things French. He spent considerable time travelling between Belfast and Bordeaux, transporting wine for his employer, the Black family. He had been held prisoner in France in the mid-1700s, but it did not diminish his admiration for the French people. When French prisoners […]
The year 1847 was a dark one in Irish history, known as Black ’47, due to the number of famine related deaths. It wasn’t just the labouring classes who were impacted – many doctors, minsters and priests died due to contracting various diseases which fell under the ubiquitous term of ‘famine fever’, when helping the poor. […]
Belfast Charitable Society always viewed the education of the children within its care as paramount to helping them develop and gain employment in adulthood. On this day, 10th July 1819 Belfast Charitable Society unanimously supported the introduction of the Lancastrian mode of teaching for the Poor House Girls School.
This model of education, named after Joseph […]
THE Belfast Charitable Society has launched an updated version of ‘The Life and Times of Mary Ann McCracken – A Belfast Panorama’, which was first published by its author Mary McNeill in 1960.
Most of us can only hope to achieve something of note within an entire lifetime. Some manage many accomplishments and triumph over challenges […]
An innovative social enterprise in Silverbridge, south Armagh, is using horticulture to improve the wellbeing of the local community. Every week up to 400 people, including schoolchildren, adults with learning difficulties and dementia patients, are benefitting from programmes at An Tobar Community Wellness Centre and Social Farm.
Opened just last year, the centre has now received […]
In August 2016, we launched a search to reunite families with portraits of their loved ones which had been painted by Tobias Everard Spence between 1940 and 1980. On Canadian Day we thought we should re-share a previous story of a tremendous journey for one family from Canada in their quest to find out information […]
