old belfast 3

Looking down High Street in 1908

Bringing Old Belfast To The NewBringing Old Belfast To The NewBringing Old Belfast To The NewBringing Old Belfast To The NewBringing Old Belfast To The New

£1.50

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3

Glenravel Local History Project

There is perhaps no more fruitful for of education than toarouse the interest of a people in their own surroundings

These words were written by Richard Livingstone and appeared in a bookby Alfred Moore called Old Belfast over fifty years ago. Looking back itshard to imagine that they are as true today as they were way back then. Moreand more people are becoming interested in the history of Belfast and it wasout of this that the Glenravel Local History Project were born in May 1991.Many could be forgiven for assuming that this name derived from thefamous Glens in Co. Antrim and they would be right but in a roundaboutway. Glenravel Street was situated directly behind in the old Poorhouse onNorth Queen Street and contained quite a few beautiful and historicbuildings. One of these buildings was situated at its junction with CliftonStreet and although it was officially known as the Ulster Ear, Eye and ThroatHospital it was known to most people as the Benn Hospital. This was dueto the fact that it was built by Edward Benn (brother of the famousVictorian Belfast historian George). Mr Benn lived in the Glens of Antrimwhere Glenravel is situated. Although Glenravel Street contained all thishistory the street itself was totally obliterated to clear the way for themodern Westlink motorway system leaving us to question schemes such ashistorical areas of importance as well as buildings.The Glenravel Project was established by local historians Joe Baker andMichael Liggett and has now went on to become the main local historicalgroup in the whole of Belfast. Over three hundred publications have beenpublished by the group as well and several web sites, DVDs and countlessnewspaper and magazine articles. The Project also conducts severalwalking tours ranging from the Belfast Blitz right through to a walkingtour of the historic Cavehill area. One of these tours is also around thehistoric Clifton Street Burying Ground which is also situated behind theold Poorhouse and which was opened by them in the mid 1790s. Althoughour original aim was the historical promotion of this site we have now wenton to cover the whole of Belfast as well as assist numerous local historicalschemes far beyond our city’s boundaries. This magazine is now ourmain focus for the local and factual history of Belfast and we welcome allarticles of interest relating to the history of our city. And our aim:-

To secure a future for our past

5 Churchill Street, Belfast. BT15 2BP

028 9020 2100 • 028 9074 2255

028 9020 2227 • 028 9035 1326

[email protected]

www.glenravel.com

The old Belfast Mercantile College whichstood in Glenravel Street. This laterbecame the Belfast High School and

moved to Jordanstown when demolished.

Clifton Street at the turn of the last centuryshowing Glenravel Street and the old Benn

Hospital to the right

The old Belfast Skin Hospital of GlenravelStreet. Can’t blame the developers for its

destruction - that was done by theLuftwaffe during the Blitz

On Wednesday, July 31st, 1895 the inquest

on the bodies of Mary Ellen Bailey and

Driver Denis Donovan, 67th Field Battery, 1, who

were found in the river Blackwater three weeks

previous was resumed and concluded. The

greatest excitement prevailed, as for some time

past it has been believed that the deceased weere

murdered and the evidence showed that this belief

was fully justified.

District-Inspector Ball represented the

Constabulary authorities, and Captain Gubbins

attended to watch the intrests of the battery to

which the deceased, Donovan belonged.

Dr Williams deposed to making an examination

of the body of Donovan. There werre two wounds

on the head with great effusion of blood

underneath, showing that great violence had been

used. His face was badly battered and he was

either dead or utterly insensible when thrown into

the water. Death was caused by syncope resulting

from concussion of the brain. The girl Bailey had

also been severely beaten and had previously been

outraged. She scarcely breathed after being flung

into the river.

Dr Dilworth concurred with this evidence. In his

opinion the wounds on Donovan’s head were

probably caused by a kick from a spur on a boot,

but might have been caused by a sharp stone or

other instrument of a like nature. Donovan’s

wounds could not have been inflicted by one

person.

Agnes Cooke deposed that on the night of the

occurrence she met four artillerymen on the bridge,

who said, Good night, Polly," when passing, and

used words to the effect that they would "do" for

him or it that night.

Thomas Shea deposed that at 11 o’clock on the

night of July 1st he heard a loud piercing scream

from a female and a few minutes after, looking

out of the window, he saw four artillery soldiers

coming out from the direction from which the

scream proceeded.

A number of military witnesses were examined,

FERMOY MURDER MYSTERY

but nothing important was elicited.

Director Inspector Ball read a letter which

Donovan had written to his mother, in which he

stated his life was a misery to him and appealing

to her to get him out of the artillery regiment.

Coroner Rice, having summed up at length, the

jury found a verdict that the deceased were on the

night of July 1st wilfully murdered at Fermoy by

some person or persons unknown, and added a

rider commending District Inspector Ball for the

zeal and ability he displayed in prosecuting the

inquiry and Captain Gubbins for the manner in

which the Royal Artillery aided the investigation.

They also expressed their dissatisfaction at the

manner in which the ajority of the military

witnesses gave their evidence.

District Inspector Ball said the constabulary would

continue to do their best in the matter. He wished

that some of the thirty or forty persons who were

up the river walking on the night in question would

come forward and give the police information of

what was within their knowledge.

The brutal crime remained unsolved.

Captain Gubbins

attended to watch

the intrests of the

battery to which

the deceased,

Donovan

belonged.

Old Belfast

Many of us are aware of the

old graveyard situated at

Clifton Street but other than

Henry Joy McCracken how

many of us are actually aware of

who is buried there? If we stated

that the inventor of the Christmas

card is there would you believe

us? How about if we stated that

the inventor of Milk of Magnesia

and the actual founder of Irish

Republicanism are interred there

- would we be pushing it? Well

the fact of the matter is they are

all here and over the next few

issues we’re going to take an in-

depth look at this fascinating

piece of history which is quite

literally on our doorstep and in

this issue we are going to go right

back to the very start.

On the 20th of August 1752 a

meeting was held in Belfast by

the leading inhabitants of the

town and adjoining countryside

to consider the question of

building a poor-house, hospital

and church. It was at this

meeting that the Belfast

Charitable Society was born and

their aim was to build a home for

the poor.

The necessity for a poor-house

is shown by the following

resolution passed at a subsequent

meeting:

Resolved -that, whereas a

poor-house and hospital are

THE OLD POORHOUSE

AND GRAVEYARD Part 1greatly wanted in Belfast for the

support of vast numbers of

real objects of charity in this

parish, for the employment of

idle beggars who crowd to it

from all parts of the North, and

for the reception of infirm and

diseased poor; and, whereas the

church of Belfast is old and

ruinous, and not large enough

to accommodate the

parishioners, and to rebuild and

accommodate the

parishioners, and to rebuild

and enlarge the same would

be an expense grievous and

insupportable by the ordinary

method of public cesses: Now,

in order to raise a sum of money

to carry those good works into

execution, the following scheme

has been approved of by the

principle inhabitants of the said

town and gentlemen of fortune

in the neighbourhood who are

friends to promote so laudable

undertaking.

The scheme was a lottery by

which they were to raise a sum

of money, the tickets of which

The old Belfast Poor House - Today’s Clifton House

Old Belfast

were sold in the large cities and

towns throughout the British

Empire. But as the scheme did

not receive much encouragement

in London, and the tickets were

cried down, the committee of the

Belfast Charitable Society sent

over two members, Mr Gregg

and Mr Getty, with the power of

attorney to promote the project.

Notwithstanding the scheme was

still decried, and legal

proceedings had to be taken to

compel the purchasers to pay for

their tickets.

At last, a sum of money having

been obtained, a memorial was

presented to Lord Donegall

asking him to grant a piece of

ground for the erection of

buildings. The land the Belfast

Charitable Society had in mind

was in the countryside at the

North of the town which today

makes up part of the New Lodge

area.

Lord Donegall granted the land

to the Society, and later

advertisements were issued

inviting plans for the building of

a poor-house and hospital, the

cost to be £3000, and the stone,

sand, lime and water to be

supplied by the inhabitants of the

town and district.

The plans of a Mr Cooley, of

Dublin, for a poor-house to

accommodate 36 inmates and a

hospital to contain 24 beds were

approved, and on the 7th of

August, 1771, the foundation

stone was laid, and placed within

it were five guineas and a copper

tablet with the following

inscription:-

THIS FOUNDATION

STONE OF A POOR-

HOUSE AND INFIRMARY

FOR THE TOWN AND

PARISH OF BELFAST WAS

LAID ON THE FIRST DAY

OF AUGUST, A.D.

M,DCC,LXXI, AND IN THE

XI. YEAR OF THE REIGN

OF MAJESTY GEORGE III

THE RIGHT

HONOURABLE ARTHUR

EARL OF DONEGALL AND

THE PRINCIPAL

INHABITANTS OF

BELFAST FOUNDED THIS

CHARITY; AND HIS

LORDSHIP GRANTED TO

IT IN PERPETUITY EIGHT

ACRES OF LAND ON PART

OF WHICH THIS

BUILDING IS ERECTED

In addition to the hospital and

poor-house the building

contained assembly rooms for

the use of the towns people and

profit of the charity.

On the 17th of September, 1774,

the hospital was opened for the

admission of the sick. In this

hospital were made the first trials

of inoculation and vaccination in

the north of Ireland, because, the

Clifton Street Cemetery in 1957

Old Belfast

minutes show that on the 4th of

May, 1782, the thanks of the

committee were given to Dr W.

Drennan (the founder of the

United Irishman) for his

introduction of the plan of

inoculation, and on the 29th of

March, 1800, a resolution was

passed permitting Dr Haliday to

try the experiment of vaccination

on a few children in the poor-

house, provided the consent of

their parents was obtained.

An extern department was

afterwards established and wards

were also allotted for the

treatment of lunatics, and it can

be found from an entry in the

committee book that a lunatic at

one time had to be chained down

and handcuffed. It also appears

that there was a lock hospital as

well as a reformatory in

connection with the building.

For a number of years the Belfast

Charitable Society remained the

only charity in the town of

Belfast, but gradually other

institutions became established

which relieved its expenditure,

and with the erection of a

dispensary in 1792 and a hospital

for infectious diseases in 1799

the Society was then able to

close its extern department .

In August 1817 the hospital was

moved to Frederick Street where

it was named the ‘Royal

Hospital’, and it was here that

the hospital remained until the

early part of the present century

when it was moved to the Falls

Road and renamed the ‘Royal

Victoria Hospital’.

Since coming under the

operation of the Irish Poor Law

Act the Society has been, in its

practical operation, limited to

the class of decayed citizens.

Reduced tradesmen, artisans and

servants, under this act, were

seen to be fit and sent to the

work-house on the Lisburn Road

In 1867 an additional wing at the

back of the poor-house was

erected at a cost of £2.500 which

was paid by John Charters (a mill

owner),and in 1873 two

additions, at each side of the

building, were erected by

Edward Benn at a cost of £2.850.

John Charters and Edward

Benn also gave donations to the

poor-house along with a large

number of others, but donations

were not enough to run the poor-

house and the Society had to find

other ways of raising money, and

in 1795 a new idea for making

money was presented to the

committee – the opening of a

graveyard.

The old Royal Hospital in Frederick which

went on to become the RVH

Old Belfast

Poor-House 27th October 1795

Resolved. That it is

recommended to the next

general board to consider

appropriating one of the fields

up the lane for the purpose of

a burying ground, and also

whether some new regulations

ought not to take place relative

to the house in front of the

Poor-House, in consequence of

the erection of the New

Barracks.

(Signed) William Bristow

vice-president

That was the resolution passed

in the board room of the poor-

house which marked the

beginning of what is now

known as Clifton Street

Cemetery. At present it is

unknown just who came up with

the idea of building a graveyard,

but without doubt, it must have

been one of the gentlemen

present at the above meeting.

There were two reasons why the

Society wanted to build a

graveyard; the first was for

somewhere to bury the poor who

had died in the house and the

second was to simply raise

money.

On the 3rd of November, 1795,

a meeting of the general board

was held in the Poor-House, at

this meeting it was resolved:

That the field, number 5, lately

in the possession of the Rev. W.

Bristow, be enclosed with a wall

and appropriated for a burying

ground, and the committee are

hereby empowered to lay it out

and dispose of it in such a

manner as may appear most

advantageous to the society, and

at the same time ornamented.

From this resolution it can be

seen that field number 5 of the

poor-house grounds was to

become the new graveyard. Field

no. 5 was at the top of what was

then known as ‘Buttle’s Loney’.

This was a lane which ran along

the south and west sides of the

Poor-House, then continued up

to the grounds of Vicinage, the

home of Thomas McCabe,

which is now the grounds of St

Malachy’s College.

In December, 1795, plans were

made as to how the graveyard

was to be laid out. Soon

afterwards work began on the

walls and gate. In just over a

year the graveyard was ready for

the selling of lots.

It was at this time that the

Belfast map of 1845 showing

the cemetery

Old Belfast

graveyard was named the ‘New

Burying Ground’ to distinguish

it from the ‘Old Burying Ground’

which at that time stood next to

St George’s Church in High

Street.

Poor-House, March 1797

The public are now informed

that the Burying Ground near

the Poorhouse is now ready,

and that Messers. Robert

Stevenson, William Clarke, and

John Caldwell are appointed to

agree with such persons as wish

to take lots.

It was this notice which informed

the public that the Burying

Ground was now open. Once

again it is unknown who bought

the first lot, but what is known

is that the lots were being bought

very quickly .

Two years later a meeting of the

General Board was held in the

Exchange Rooms at the bottom

of Donegall Street.

Exchange Rooms April 16th 1799

At a meeting of the General Board.

Resolved. That a portion of the

Poor-House burial ground be

laid apart for interring such

poor persons as may die, not

having funds to pay for their

interment in the same or some

other burying ground, the same

to be regulated by the committee

for the time being.

(Signed) William Bristow

Chairman.

The ground laid aside for the

poor was a large stretch of land

at the top end of the Burying

Ground, and it was this ground

that was to become a ‘mass

grave’ during the various fever

and cholera outbreaks.

One of the reasons the Board

gave this ground for the burial

of the poor was that they could

save money on burying the

paupers in the Shankill or Friar’s

Bush graveyards.

Another section of the Burying

Ground was also laid aside for

the burial of paupers, and due to

large sections of the Burying

Ground being used, it was not

long before the lots being sold

were almost gone.

The Burying Ground over the

next two decades was now

almost full, and in 1819 a report

was read at the Charitable

Society’s annual meeting, part of

which was a follows:

The old Exchange Buildings at the foot of Donegall Street

The old Poor House

from Donegall Street

Old Belfast

The Burial Ground is already

so full as to call for the

particular attention of the

subscribers. The wall lots, in

particular, are all disposed of,

and, consequently, the

graveyard must cease to be a

source of accommodation to the

public, and of emolument to

the charity, without

considerable enlargement. It

appears to your committee that

in the first place, the enclosure

should be completed on the

south east side, so as to afford

room for some additional wall

lots, which are the most

profitable; and that as soon as

may be, the Charitable

Corporation should get

possession of the adjoining

field, now in the occupation of

Mr. W. McClure. By the

alteration to the burial ground,

a simple, but signal

improvement has been made,

partly a the expense of the

Corporation, under the

superintendence of certain

members of the committee.

As this shows, the Poor-House

Committee would have to

enlarge the Burying Ground if

they wished to make any more

money on it, and at a meeting

held in the Poor-House on the

24th of March, 1827, it was

agreed:

That field number 6 be enclosed

with a proper wall for the

purpose of extending the

Burying Ground; and that

Messrs. Munford, Sinclair,

Suffern, McTeir and Mackay be

a committee to carry into effect

the enclosing and draining of

the said field.

Chairman.

Field number 6 was below the

present Burying Ground. In

April,1827, work began on the

walls which were erected as

funds would permit.

The old gate, which stood where

St Enoch’s Church now stands,

was bricked up and the new gate

was erected on what was then

called ‘Hill Hamiltons Avenue’

(now Henry Place), and at the

same time a gate lodge was built

for the Burying Ground’s

caretaker.

By 1828 the new section of the

Burying Ground was ready and

people began to buy lots almost

as soon as it had opened.

Because of this the Committee

decided to keep a registry of all

the burials taking place and this

began three years later in 1831.

Before this new part was

opened, a new problem was now

facing the Committee of the

Burying Ground, and of all the

burying grounds throughout the

British Isles. That problem was

‘Bodysnatching’.

Belfast map of 1888 showing the cemetery

Old Belfast

Old Belfast

O n Sunday 6th of May 1895,

considerable pain was caused in

the neighbourhood of Westport by the

news that Patrick Louden, the young son

of Mr John J Louden B.L., of Killedagan

House, had attacked his sister with a

razor, cutting her throat and inflicting

injuries from which she died two hours

afterwards. It would appear that at about

midday the poor fellow (who has been in

a very melancholy mood for some days

past) while at his uncle’s residence, Deer

Park, was seized by a homicidal mania,

and taking up a knife attacked his uncle

Mr George Louden, who was with him.

The uncle however managed to knock the

knife out of the maniac’s hand and

escaped uninjured. The maniac

procuring a razor, rushed from the house

and attacked and killed a dog. He then

ran off in the direction of his father’s

house, and on the way, cut the head off a

goose at Killedangan. He met his little

sister, aged about eleven, and

immediately attacked her with the razor,

inflicting a terrible wound across her

throat. The unfortunate boy continued

on his way in the direction of Cloona,

and after having stabbed a pig there

turned the razor upon himself and

inflicted a ghastly wound, extending from

the left ear to the windpipe. The police

having received the alarm went in search

of the youth and found him lying a few

yards from the main road at Cloona. Dr

Johnston of Westport was promptly on

A maniac kills his sister

and attempts suicide

the scene. After getting the maniac

removed to Killedangan House he drove

there himself and attended to the poor

little girl, whose case however, was

hopeless, and who, as already stated, died

within two hours of the attack upon her.

Patrick Louden was subsequently

removed to the union hospital and later

convictied to a lunatic asylum where he

spent the rest of his life.

Patrick Louden attacked and killed a number of

animals before turning his attention to his sister

For More True

Irish Murder Stories

Make Sure You Read

Joe Baker’s Column

Every Sunday in the

Sunday Life

Old Belfast

Old Belfast

THE BELFAST MARKETS IN 1900

CAUGHT IN TIMEOne famous Belfast landmark which has recently

been restored is the old St George’s Market. St

George’s has been around for many a year and

although shown in this 1900 map it is dwarfed by

the other markets around it. First impressions

show that there must have been a market for

everything as there was a Grain Market, a Potato

Market, a Cattle Market, a Pig Market, a Fish

Market, a Vegetable Market, a Flax market, a Pork

Market, a Fowl Market and even a Hay and Straw

Market which was the biggest. As the map shows

these markets were massive and covered a large

area on both sides of Oxford Street right down to

Stewart Street. It is great to see St George’s Market

restored and used as a general market place but as

the map shows the Belfast Markets will never be

able to go back to what they once were. It must

have been a wonderful experience to walk through

these old trading stalls but in these modern times

and a better understanding of animal welfare it

would be hard to picture stalls such as the cattle,

pig and fowl ever being replaced.

Traders and farmers came from all over the

countryside to sell their wares in Belfast. A look

at the Belfast Street Directory of 1900 gives an

idea of what they saw and who was there full time.

Needless to say Oxford Street was packed full of

Potato and Grain merchants but in between there

were others such as a Mr J. McMann who had a

Butter and Egg shop at No. 8. The dealers are

countless and these were trading everything from

Army and Navy wear to Tobacco. There was even

Oil and Cake Mill Shop! Of course fruit dealers

are also numerous and one, James McGahen,

advertisers himself as a ‘Home and Foreign Fruit

Broker.’ There are plenty of refreshments to be

had and rooms can be found at No. 3 where a Mrs

Cuddy no doubt threw out many a drunk farmer.

For those staying away from the demon drink the

Irish Temperance League had their traditional

coffee stand. Another coffee stand is situated on

the other side of the road next to the Great Northern

Railway.

There are also a number of other interesting

features around the markets shown on this map.

For example at the top left on Victoria Square are

the famous Finlay Soap Works. This was one of

the biggest in the country and besides soap also

manufactured candles and glycerine and was one

of ten soap manufactures in the city at that time.

Also on Victoria Square were once again the drink

detesting Irish Temperance League. Here not only

did they have a coffee stand (shown on map) they

also had dining rooms. Keeping the League

company were the public houses of the Lennon

Brothers at No. 41, Conlan at No. 51, and Michael

Conlan at No. 16 This was the Kitchen Bar which

remains to the present day. Siding with the drink

takers is also the establishment of the Irish

Distillery Limited whose factory was at No. 35.

However at No. 1 Victoria Square was the

premises of the famous lemonade makers Cantrell

& Cochrane which is still in business in Belfast

although not at these premises. Also shown on

the map on Victoria Square is the old Empire

Theatre which the street directory tells us was

being managed by a Mr C. Duignan. At the bottom

of the map a massive Bakery can be seen between

Eliza Street and McAuley Street. These were the

premises of the Inglis Bakery which is listed as

being Bakers, Confectioners and Flour Merchants.

To the bottom left of the map another Bakery can

be seen on Joy Street which was the establishment

of McWatter’s.

There are many more fascinating features on the

map for the reader to see for themselves but one

point of interest is to try and count the number of

pubs shown in this small area.

Old Belfast

THE GHOSTS OFRAGLAN STREETI t is well established that the

vast majority of ghosts

stories are in some way

connected to a tragic event and

that the victim of that event is

generally stated to be that of the

apparition. Throughout the

whole of Ireland there are very

few cases were more than one

apparition has appeared at the

same time and of these few

cases there are at least four

within Belfast. One example are

the two apparitions which were

sighted in the old Smithfield

Mill after a number of people

were killed when a section of the

building collapsed. In this case

a ghost was sighted by a number

of people in one of the working

rooms while another was seen

to disappear in the stairway.

Another Belfast story, which not

only has a number of apparitions

but also a number of different

paranormal events, is centred

around one of the most tragic

events ever to occur in old

Belfast. This series of events

was know in Victorian Belfast

as "The Ghosts of Raglan

Street."

Raglan Street was a typical turn

of the century thoroughfare

which connected Cyprus Street

to Albert Street in the lower

Falls area. Within this street

stood St. Peter's National School

which was the main school in

the area for a number of years.

In December 1894 a

preformance came to the school

and it was decided to hold it in

one of the upstairs classrooms

which was larger than all the

others in the building. Many

children from the surrounding

streets attended the show and

some of them were

accompanied by their parents.

When the show began a few of

the boys in the front rows began

to misbehave and because of this

those in the seats behind were

forced to stand on their chairs

in order to see the performance.

As the show was progressing all

the gas lanterns suddenly went

out and their was a loud shout

of 'ghost!' The whole room was

in total darkness and widespread

panic broke out with the

children shouting and crying. A

rush was made for the door and

when it was opened it was

discovered that the hallway was

also in total darkness. Those

who were first out the doors

were pushed out into the

hallway by the crowd behind

them and as they could not see

where they were going many of

them fell down the stairs while

others stumbled down over

them. Those who fell the whole

way down the stairs were

blocking the door which led

onto the street and in a few

moments they had the full

weight of all those on the stairs

on top of them. This not only

made the situation worse for

those unfortunate enough to

have fallen but all the children

on the stairs now began to

scream in terror.

Peter Cassidy, of 55 Cyprus

Street, was one of the few

parents who had attended the

show. He had taken his four year

old daughter to watch the

performance. After the incident

he made the following

statement:-

The entertainment commenced

about a quarter past five

o'clock. There was a brave lot

of children, and a good many

women in the room . The front

part was packed thick enough,

but there was some vacant

space at the back. I should say

that there was between 200 and

300 there. The performance

had started about half an hour

when the gas went out. There

was a good deal of confusion

before this. The boss of the

show came out first dressed up

Old Belfast

and began singing 'Come, all

you little children.' The

children were shouting,

however, and the man could not

get leave to sing, and he had to

stop. He went into the

classroom behind and brought

out his wife to help him, but

they would not listen to her

either, and she went in, too, and

sent out the little girl. They

would not hear any more than

the others, and kept shouting

and kicking up a terrible noise,

but I heard little of their singing

or speaking. Then the light,

which had been very dim all the

time, went out, and left us all

in black darkness. There was a

rush by the people behind for

the door, and then the children

in front got terrified, and

scrambled over everything,

trying to get to the door too. I

was towards the front, and I

picked up my little girl and put

her in the little room behind out

of the rush, and went the length

of the stairs to try if I could find

a light any how. There must

have been a horrible crush on

the stairs at that time, though I

could not see. The women and

poor children were shrieking

and screaming. The children

ran over each other and

tumbled to get to the door and

some of the glass in the

windows was smashed. When

the gas was lighted I did my best

to help free the children as soon

as I had taken care of my own

little girl. I can't say who put

out the gas, but it was a fool that

did it anyhow. It caused a heap

of trouble, not to speak of loss

of life.

John Dickson, of 39 Tenth

Street, was returning from his

work at Dunville's Distillery

when he heard the screams

coming from the building. He

later stated:-

Map of Victorian Belfast showing Raglan Street

Old Belfast

I was about the first in, and at

considerable risk held the door

forced partly back, while I got

out one or two of the children.

At first we could not open the

door for the crush, and

afterwards the pressure was so

great as to threaten to close it

again. I was coming home from

work when I heard the shouts

and shrieks for help inside.

When I got right inside at last,

the gas was soon afterwards lit,

and I saw a sight on the stairs

that I'll never forget. The poor

children were lying just like

bags of meal, one on top of the

other, and in some cases tied

into each other as it were. We

at once got to work as quickly

as possible, taking them out

into the air. There was a crowd

round the door by this time.

One little fellow I took to the

house opposite the school, but

the poor chap died on my knee

almost directly afterwards. He

was the last I took out, and he

was right at the bottom of the

heap at the foot of the stairs. I

took a little girl home who

seemed very bad, but she got

better after a time. I would say

there were over fifty children

on the stairs.

After everyone trapped in the

school house were calmed down

those who were injured were

removed to nearby houses with

the more seriously injured

conveyed to hospital. As this

was going on it was discovered

that four children, Eddie

McKeown, John Connell,

Dennis Dwyer and Rose

Taggart, had been crushed to

death. A police investigation

was immediately launched and

as statements were being taken

from all those who were in the

building one of them, a man

named Neil O'Donnell, stated

that he had heard a boy named

John McManus tell another boy

named John McKenna to "turn

of the gas for a geg," a few

minutes before the lights went

out. The police arrested both

boys and held them in custody

pending further inquiries Both

youths were held in cells

adjourning the Belfast Police

Courts and according to the old

R.I.C. records one of them was

extremely restless and was

'making up stories.'

John McKenna on his later

release claimed that as he was

held in his cell he could not get

any sleep due to a number of

disturbances. He claimed that

whenever he tried to get some

sleep a mysterious tapping

sound would keep him awake.

After some time he called on the

attendant to find out what the

noise was but when this man

entered the cell the noise had

stopped, but no sooner had he

left the room when it began

again. This noise continued the

whole time McKenna was held,

a noise which no one else heard,

and as a result, he got very little

sleep. After the Coroner's

inquest the following week both

boys were released as no one

had actually seen any of them

turn off the gas, but unknown to

them their troubles were only

just beginning. On his release

McManus left Belfast and went

to stay with relatives in Co.

Tyrone. When McKenna

returned home he could not

leave his house due to the ill

feeling towards him throughout

the neighbourhood. This feeling

was to escalate when a number

of unusual occurrences began to

occur at the school house,

Old Belfast

occurrences which terrified all

the children who attended the

school.

Shortly after the tragic event

those living near the building

began to tell of unusual

incidents taking part in the

school when it had closed for the

night. One of the first incidents

was over the Christmas holidays

when sounds were heard by the

locals of the classrooms being

smashed up and inside windows

being broken. The police were

called and whenever they

entered the building everything

was found to be in order. This

same incident was reported a

number of times but the police

eventually believed that it was

due to the actions of someone

playing a trick on the residents.

These were not the only

incidents which occurred as

there were others which terrified

the children during schools

hours. The gas lights glowed

extremely bright on several

occasions and whenever they

were checked by corporation

gas inspectors they were all

found to be in perfect working

order. No explanation was found

as to what was making the lights

go like this and on some

occasions parents kept their

children away from the school

with others being transferred

elsewhere. A number of rumours

also circulated the area

suggesting that a few of the

children were struck by objects

which were thrown at them from

nowhere. There is no evidence

of this happening and it is

believed that these were

'dramatic additions' to the

overall stories.

John McKenna began to hear of

these stories and he connected

them to the incident which

occurred to him when in police

custody. Terrified, and facing

community hostility, McKenna

decided to leave Belfast. In

January 1895, he moved to Co

Kildare where it was believed he

joined a religious order. When

he had gone, there were no more

reported incidents in the

schoolhouse and both McKenna

and McManus never returned to

Belfast.

A school drama group pictured in the grounds of Clifton House (the old Poor House) around the

mid 1950’s. The building to the right of the picture was the old Ulster Ear, Eye and Throat Hospital

(Benn Hospital) and among the buildings in the background is the old Sandes Soldiers Home

which served those based in the nearby Victoria Barracks (See next page)

Old Belfast

JUST WHO WAS MISS SANDESBrian McMahonA t a time when there is a

greater acknowledgement

of the role played by Irishmen

in the British Army, there is a

group of Irishwomen with a

unique claim to recognition for

their humanitarian work among

soldiers. Elise Sandes was

founder of a welfare movement

which survives today.

She was an evangelical

Christian and philanthropist,

and her concern for a young

soldier in Tralee in the late

1860s led her to set up a centre

for soldiers’ recreation and

general welfare. By 1913, there

were thirty-one such Soldiers’

Homes attached to army

barracks, twenty-two in Ireland

and the rest in India. Only three

remained open in the Free State

after 1921, but there were still

twenty homes in total in the late

1920s.

Elise Sandes, was born in 1851

in Oak Villa, now a convent

attached to Fatima Nursing

Home in Oakpark, Tralee. Her

family was a branch of the

Sandes family of Sallow Glen,

Tarbert, with origins in the

Cromwellian period. She

befriended a young soldier

around 1868, and invited him

and friends to Oak Villa for bible

study, prayers, hymn singing

and lessons in reading and

writing. As one soldier put it:

“To find ladies of social position

and refinement coming to a

soldiers’ barrack-room and

inviting the men to their own

house to spend the evening was

like a mighty magnetism to me.

Gladly did I accept the invitation

to Oak Villa.” Soon the meetings

had to be moved to a new

location at 15, Nelson St. (now

Ashe St.).

As the scale of the work

expanded, a premises in King

Street, Cork, was donated and it

opened as the first Soldiers’

Home on 10 June 1877. The

purpose was to draw young

soldiers away from the public

houses and offer them an

alternative centre for friendship,

entertainment and self-

improvement. The atmosphere

in the homes was welcoming,

and, while the women were

clearly missionaries, prayers

and religious services were

always voluntary for the

soldiers. On the ground floor of

the Cork home was a tearoom,

the next floor had a meeting

room and a reading room, while

the top floor had private

accommodation for Miss

Sandes and Miss Wilkinson.

BELFAST HOME

Elise Sandes next moved to

Belfast and set up a home there,

with the help of John Kinahan,

Maud McCausland and Miss

Steen. The Belfast home was

opened in March 1891 in Clifton

Street, opposite Victoria

Barracks. Homes in Dublin

(Parkgate St.), Ballincollig,

Queenstown and Dundalk next

became part of a growing

network, and Sandes’ dream of

having a home in every garrison

town in Ireland was fast

becoming a reality. In 1899, the

opening of a home in the

Curragh where there were 5,000

soldiers, was particularly

gratifying to Elise Sandes.

Experience of “canvas homes”

in South Africa during the Boer

War led to a similar type of

Casualties of the Boer War

Old Belfast

temporary home for the summer

months in army camps like

Coolmoney in the Glen of

Imaal, Co. Wicklow.

MOTHER’S

The women in charge were

addressed as “Mother,” and it is

clear from the many testimonies

of grateful soldiers that they

created a “home-from-home”

atmosphere for lonely men,

some of whom were alcoholics.

Many men came to see

themselves as saved in body and

spirit, and some became

evangelical missionaries.

Sandes was a charismatic leader,

who had a profound impact on

all who met her – she was

“endynamited by Christ”

according to the organisation’s

literature. She proved herself a

A photograph of the Royal Ulster Rifles marching out of Victoria Barracks on to Clifton Street in

1932 and taken from the first floor of the Sande’s Soldiers Home. The house on the top right

was that of world famous author Brian Moore.

very competent administrator

also, especially as more homes

were established in widely

scattered, remote locations of

the British Empire.

INDIA

There was a tradition of military

service and associations with

India in the Sandes family.

Elise’s uncle had been Registrar

General of Calcutta, and a

plantation owner, and her sister,

the wife of an officer, had died

in Rawal Pindi. Elise was well

aware of the discomfort,

loneliness and tedium of a

soldier’s life in India. She

responded to military requests

for homes to be set up there,

with the aim of drawing soldiers

away from the wet canteens,

The barracks at Rawal Pindi

Old Belfast

Old Belfast

opium dens and bazaar brothels

to more wholesome recreations.

Anna Ashe set up the first home

in Rawal Pindi, with £600 from

a donor, and Theodora Schofield

and Alice Bailey followed,

setting up homes in Murree,

Quetta and Lucknow among

other places. Elise Sandes now

gained a new objective – to

establish a home in every

cantonment in India.

All the homes in India closed in

1947 when the British departed.

WORLD WAR 1

Elise Sandes was in Coolmoney

Camp in 1914 when war was

declared. Army camps expanded

with the calling up of reserves

and new recruits, and she and her

helpers quickly became familiar

with the horror of war as reported

in the many letters sent from the

trenches (left). The scale of

casualties was appalling to these

humanitarians. Their work for

four years was to prepare men

for death. Along with prayers,

there were practical supports:

parcels sent to men at the front,

with food, clothing, books,

magazines and treats. Women

went on board troopships before

they sailed, handing out

postcards and pencils for soldiers

to send a last message home.

DEPARTURE FROM THE

FREE STATE

With the establishment of the

Irish Free State, most of the

homes were closed and Elise

Sandes departed from the

Curragh on 3 August 1922. On

her final night there she observed

from a distance as a drummer

from the Free State army met his

counterpart from the British

army, and they greeted each

other warmly. She took it as a

good omen for the future. She

moved to the new home in

Ballykinlar, Co. Down, where

she died in August 1934. She

was buried in nearby Tyrella,

with full military honours. She

and her successor, Eva Maguire,

are thought to be the only civilian

women to have received this

distinction. Both women were

also awarded the CBE. Elise

Sandes’ simple headstone reads:

“For 66 years the friend of

soldiers.”

SANDES HOME IN

THE CURRAGH

Three homes in the Free State

remained open: one in the

Curragh, at the request of the

Three homes in the Free State remained open

at the request of the Irish Army

Old Belfast

Irish Army, one in Cobh

(Queenstown) and one in

Dublin. These last two closed

down soon after, but Sandes

Home in the Curragh remained

open until the 1980s. It was

never fully integrated into the

Sandes organization after 1921,

and seems to have survived

mainly on account of the

determination of the women who

ran it.

GREAT FAVORITE

In the 1950s, the Catholic

chaplains expressed concerns

about the large numbers of

civilians from outside the camp

attending gospel meetings in

Sandes Home, and about the

dangers of young soldiers losing

their faith. They had no

objection to soldiers using the

canteen, but they were wary of

the Prayer House attached. In

1955, Col. A. O Leathlobhair,

Officer Commanding, reported

to his superiors that there had

been an increase in the number

of evangelical sayings displayed

in the canteen and reading room.

Nevertheless, he had very good

relations with the

superintendent, Miss Carson,

describing her as “very much in

earnest in looking after the

welfare of the soldiers.” Her

predecessor was Miss Magill, a

niece of Elise Sandes, and the

Colonel wrote that “this old lady

was a great favorite with the

soldiers, and used to get young

soldiers to write to their parents,

and even advised them to attend

the Catholic mission.”

BRITISH

Col. O Leathlobhair believed

that Sandes Home was

“essentially British,” and

accepted that there was a

possibility that it could

unwittingly act as a recruiting

agency for “another army.” The

walls of the home were adorned

with pictures of the royal family

and of British regiments in

famous battle scenes.

Surprisingly, this was not a

source of major concern to him,

and he merely noted that “all of

this, of course, had little value

from the Irish army point of

view.” He was appreciative of

the welfare work done in the

home, and its founder would

have been satisfied with his

conclusion:

In justice, I must say that Sandes

Home is well run and it fills a real

need. Young soldiers are made to

feel at home and not faced with the

cold commercial atmosphere of the

canteen. A good feminine influence

meets a real need where young

soldiers are concerned, and the only

place where some of the young

recruits that I obtain, receive

anything approaching a motherly

care is in Sandes Home.

After World War II, there were

homes in locations such as

Borneo, Hong Kong, Jamaica,

Malaysia and Iceland, but there

are no longer any international

centres. Today the organisation

survives as Sandes Soldiers’ and

Airmen’s Centres in Ballykelly,

Ballykinlar, and Holywood in

Northern Ireland, and Pirbright

and Harrogate in Britain.

Belfast’s Victoria Barracks was almost completely destroyed after

the German Blitz of 1941. The barracks final closed down in the

mid 1960’s after being used as a T.A. Camp. When the serving

soldiers were moved to Ballykinlar, Sandes Soldiers Home went

with them and the building on Clifton Street was closed down.

This could be looked at as almost perfect timing as a new conflict

was about to break out between the British Army and the IRA - a

conflict that was to last well over twenty years

Old Belfast

A mixture of trams and

trolly busses on Donegall

Place in 1951

Another view of Donegall Place this time in 1974

Old Belfast

TRANSPORTATION, ABYSMALLY TREATMENT

AND A MASCULINE WOMAN OF VERY

DRUNKEN AND BEASTLY HABITS!

We all know what life must have been like in

Victorian Ireland and how hardship and

poverty were the norm for a vast majority of the

people. Accounts of the poverty and deprivation

of children in large towns everywhere almost

beggar belief. In mid-Victorian Belfast a lucky few

were rescued from the streets and placed in ragged

schools. Many others, deprived of even this basic

education, spent their whole lives in abject poverty,

in and out of the gaol house, the whorehouse and

the workhouse.

One ragged school kept records of those 'rescued'.

They referred to their charges by their initials.

H.B's. mother kept a rag shop. During his four

terms in prison he had twice been flogged and was

under the tutelage of an older boy, a professional

housebreaker. William did well at the school,

found a situation in a mill, married and eventually

settled in southern Ireland. His 'tutor', not taken

into care, was sentenced to transportation for

breaking into a tobacconist's.

Ralph and Richard R were left to fend for

themselves as their mother spent all her time

drinking and gambling. Market stall keepers

watched in disgust as the half-naked youngsters

scavenged for rotten fruit and stole the refuse from

the sheep's trotter stalls. They felt obliged to bring

their case to the attention of the school.

Ralph was at first very difficult to manage and

'filthy in his habits and uncontrollable'. He once

ran away but, when forcibly returned, his mother

came to see him and threatened to break his back

with a poker if he absconded a second time.

Eventually apprenticed he found his calling and

caused the community no further problems.

Richard too went to work and an even younger

brother did not stray from the straight and narrow.

The mother, reformed after her dealings with the

school, believed that all three would have been

transported if there had been no intervention.

Thirteen-year-old E.S. possessed, in the way of

attire, no more than a dirty threadbare frock. She

had been abysmally treated at home and ran away

to her grandmother's. When taken into the school

her habits were described as filthy. Within one year

she had been turned around, sent out to service

and, after three years, was promoted to cook,

earning the princely sum of £18 per annum.

Her father, mother and three brothers, all of whom

had criminal records, abandoned another young

girl, eight-year-old C.T.. Her own mother pawned

her boots, during the harshest of winters, in order

to buy drink. Stallholders at the Markets took pity

on her and fed her scraps until the case was referred

to the ragged school. When admitted C.T. was so

emaciated she could barely stand in order to leave

the bath. Her rags were so filthy they had to be

immediately burnt.

A buzz of disapproval and tut-tutting was heard

in court as C.T. came face to face with her mother

once again. She buried her head in the bosom of

the school guardian, holding her tightly. She could

not bring herself to even glance at her mother. It

was painfully obvious to everyone in court that

she was terrified of the foul-tempered woman.

Although not fully recovered when the final report

was written, C.T.'s health and appearance

improved tremendously; she was considered 'a

nice child and a favourite with all.'

One final story from the ragged school is reprinted

from the original report:

'The family of Robert B has been known to Mr.

Ambler for 12 years. His father was nearly blind,

and earned a little by weaving beehives. On his

death, the mother who is a masculine woman of

very drunken and beastly habits, and a terror to

the whole neighbourhood, married again, when

her first act was to turn her three boys into the

streets.

Old Belfast

The eldest, who is now twenty-four years of age

and a notorious thief, was only last month sent to

prison along with his mother for ill-using a police

officer. Robert, then only ten years of age, and his

brother William who was a year or two older, were

received by the school as inmates, when cast adrift

by their mother; with whose approval they had

been taught to steal by their brother.

William did not remain long with us, and has been

once in prison; but he was seen not long ago by

Mr. Ambler, and we hope is living honestly.

Robert gave us some trouble when a voluntary

inmate. He could cry any time, was an inveterate

liar, and could not be trusted or depended upon

for anything. He three times stole his earnings as

a shoeblack and brushes; and the Committee being

anxious to rescue him if possible, secured his

commitment in Sept. 1864. Towards the close of

1866, he had so far improved as to justify the

Committee in placing him in a situation, and in

December he was apprenticed to a coal trader for

five years. His master gave him an excellent

character, and his savings in the bank amount to

£3.5s.

Mr Ambler was much pleased when he visited him

last Autumn, as he accompanied him to the station

to hear him tell in his simple way, how he sang

the hymns he learned at school, and prayed while

at his work, and he was "sure the Lord helped

him."'

Old Belfast

T he Belfast historian

George Benn says in his

book “Names are sometimes

of long continuance. The

expression“‘Bullers fields’ is

said to have been in use, or

known in 1795, and the

origin of the term dates back

to the period of the civil wars,

when they were really fields

or waste ground. They

comprised parts of the

present York Street, Donegal

Street and Talbot Street.

Butler’s Row is marked on

the map of 1792, and shown

as branching off from the old

Cow Lane. Butler was a well

known citizen.”

TANNER

Benn does not mention either

the christian name or trade of

this well known citizen. The

only burgess of Belfast of the

name Butler was James, a

tanner, elected on the 25th

February, 1689, and on his

decease his successor was

appointed on the 6th

February 1702. He seems to

have earned his reputation

solely by being the owner of

the field which bore his name

long after his death, as he was

not raised to the dignity of

sovereign during the thirteen

years he was Burgess. His

STREETS AND LANES

OF OLD BELFASTwidow, Jane, Daughter of

John Brown, Merchant of

Carrickfergus married

Francis Telford and the

marriage settlement dated

28th May of 1709 states -

All those shares or portions

of the Governor’s Fields or

Park, Lately possessed by the

said James Butler. All situate

on the North Side of Broad

Street which said Lands were

demised to James Butler,

deceased the 24th day of

January. 1692.

THE GOVERNOR’S

PARK

Butler’s Field was 54 acres

in extent and formerly was

known as “Governor’s Park,”

as may be seen from the

parcels of a deed, dated 6th

of September 1722-

“tenement cellars and houses

situate on the North side of

Broad Street then in

possession of Thomas Banks

as executer of Richard

Hodgkinson a Brew-house

for the benefit of the said

Tenants and the half of the 51

acres of land called the

Governor’s Park and now

commonly known as Butlers

Field.

The ground bounded by the

rear gardens attached to the

houses on the North side of

Broad or Waring Street, The

East Side of North Street and

the west side of the back

plantation is shown on the

1685 map as undeveloped or

waste ground. In the 1715

map it is called ‘Bulier’s

field’, which was approached

from Broad Street, at it’s

western end but “Bulier’s

Entrance” and at its eastern

entrance, By “Cow Lean”,

opposite the present

Merchant Hotel. Cow Lane

led to the fore plantation

named “Strand Street”, in the

1715 map from which two

small streets ran westward -

one to the back plantation,

the other, further towards the

north on the site of the

present Great Patrick Street.

These two streets are un-

named on the 1715 and 1757

maps but are named Green

Street and Patrick Street

respectively on the 1823

map. Benn says - The

Governor and the locality of

the ‘Parke’ are equally

unknown.”

It must not however, be

overlooked that in the leases

of the 17th and 18th centuries

the words “Field”, “Park”,

“Close” and”“Course”, are

used with the same

Old Belfast

significance, viz. to denote a

portion of vacant or unbuilt

on ground in the vicinity of

the castle. Thus Buller’s

Field denotes an unbuilt on

field belonging to Buller, and

the Governor’s Park denotes

an unbuilt on field belonging

to the Donegall estate. that

contention is borne out by the

words in the 1722 deed: -

“The 5 acres of land called

the Governor’s park, and

now commonly known as

Buller’s field.” In a 1698

lease of a dwelling house in

North Street there are the

words: - “Extending

backwards towards the

Governor’s Close.”

THE “HORSE PARK”

The “Horse Park” was

further to the North, as may

be seen in the parcels of a

lease dated 3rd May 1728: -

“Situate in Warren’s

Plantation bounded on the

north by a field belonging to

Daniel Mussenden and now

in the possession of Joseph

Green and on the south by a

plot of ground now in the

possession of Andrew

Watson and by three slate

tenements with their gardens

now in the possession of

James Patterson, Edward

Scrubts and Andrew M’Gee;

on the east by the sea and

extending backwards and

bounded by the loaning to the

Horse Park or Pointfield

containing by estimation

three acres.” The earliest

map on which you can see

this plot of ground is that of

1791, which shows the Point

Field to the north of New

Row (the present Great

Patrick Street) and the point

loaning leading therefrom.

The Point Fields took their

names from the point, a

portion of the land jutting out

into the channel as shown on

the 1791 Map (below).

Looking towards North Belfast in 1864

Old Belfast

POTTHOUSE

The term potthouse may

require some explanation. It

is a rare and obscure word

and it is defined by the

Oxford Dictionary as “a

house where pottery is

made,” giving as an instance

of its use in the “London

Gazette,”1607: - “A very

convenient brick house to be

let having Potthouse

belonging to it and a very

fine yard for washing of

clay.” Sacheverell, who

visited Belfast in 1698, says:-

“The new pottery is a pretty

curious set-up by Mr Smyth

the present Sovereign, and

his predecessor, Captain

Leathes, a man of great

ingenuity.” Ten years

later, Sir Thomas Molyneux,

a distinguished Dublin

Physician and fellow of the

Royal Society, visited the

town in August, 1708, and

has left on record :- “Here we

saw a very good manufacture

of earthenware which comes

nearest Delft of any made in

Ireland and really is not much

short of it. ‘Tis very clean

and pretty, and universally

used in the North and I think

not so much moving to a

peculiar happiness in their

clay but rather to the manner

of beating and mixing it up.”

POTTERY INDUSTRY

Molyneux does not mention

a Potthouse, but in a marriage

settlement, dated May 28th

1709 there are the words: -

“Portions of the Governor’s

Fields or Park . . . the

Potthouse . . . all situate on

the north side of Broad

Street.” That is confirmed by

the words in a deed of March

14th, 1714: - “Part of Buller’s

Meadow and the Potthouse

or old Soaphouse.”

The word “old” is there used

in the sense “formerly.” and

the position of the soaphouse,

which apparently had been

converted into a Potthouse,

can be approximately located

by Maclanaghan’s map of

1715 which shows “Soap

Lean” on the eastern side of

North Street and running in

a South east direction from

what appears on the map as

“Bachelors Walk.”

Junction of York Street and Donegall

Street around 1910

Old Belfast

The omitted letters are due to

a defect on the Map, but by

adding what probably were

the omitted letters, we get

“Bachelors walk.” A variant

of the well known”“Lover’s

Walk.”

The Potthouse was still in

existence in 1722 and a lease,

dated September 6th 1722,

refers to “tenements situate

on the north side of Broad

street . . . the Potthouse now

in possession of Thomas

Banks as executer of Richard

Hodgkinson.” But the

Pottery seems to have been

discontinued about the

middle of the 18th century as

in a deed of January 13th

1755 there are the words: -

“Part of Warring’s plantation,

containing three acres,

Whereon . . . and a Potthouse

were formerly built.”

The industry was continued

towards the end of the 18th

century, and an

advertisement in 1702

includes the words: -

“pottery, Ballymacarret, near

Belfast.” position of which it

is shown on Williamson’s

map of 1791 and called

“China Manufactory.”

Modern entertainment centre known as the Pothouse

at the junction of Waring Street and Hill Street

To the North East of

Bachelors Walk is a large

stretch of ground called

Smithfield, extending from

“the highway to

Carrickfergus” towards the

south east. The location of

Smithfield in that”locality is

confirmed by a lease, dated

3rd May 1728: - A

Brewhouse Maultkill or

Maulthouse with other, the

the necessaries and

conveniences built on the

ground belonging to Samuel

Smith. Senior, on the upper

end of Patrick Street in

Smithfield.” Smithfield

does not appear in the area

we knew it until the 1791

map of which Benn says: -

“nor has the time when

Smithfield was first granted

for and used as a market been

discovered.”

MAP OF 1715

“The map of Belfast as

surveyed in 1815, by John

Maclanaghan,” is second

only, and in some respects

superior to “The Ground Plan

of Belfast, pr Thos Phillips,

1685,” The 1785 map gives

a detailed plan of the Belfast

Castle and its numerous

Gardens, but the 1715 map

gives the names of the

different streets and names at

a critical time in the Donegal

estate, when through the

incapacity of the 4th Earl the

demesne lands were being

leased out for a long term at

Old Belfast

ridiculously low rents. The

map seems to have been

prepared by Maclanaghan,

either at the instigation of the

Earl and his Mother

Guardian, or with a view to

their accepting same. Every

name inserted is borne out by

legal documents of the

period, which seems to

indicate that he was in touch

with the Castle authorities, as

is also his note: - “I have

illuminated the present

custom house with red, the

church house and market

house with yellow and has

omitted the drawing of the

castle till I see how it may be

repaired.”

MAP OF 1757

“Plan of the town of Belfast

Anno 1757,” was presented

to the Linen Hall Library by

the late Lavens M. Ewart,

who discovered it in Dublin

in the early 1880’s. This map

has but few merits, the chief

of which however is the

description in writing by the

unknown cartographer: -

“The houses named the

plantation, them betwixt it

and the North East and the

lane leading from the head of

North Street heading towards

Carrickfergus. Likewise of

that lane; are only low

thatched dwellings; of a

mean appearance; so are the

houses at Mill Street. Peter’s

Hill the avenue out of Peter’s

Hill. The lane betwixt the

foot of Peter’s Hill and Mill

Street the alleys extending

north eastward out of North

Street and the alley betwixt

the Linenhall and the lane

running up north west from

the plantation.”

WHEN DONEGALL

STREET WAS UNBUILT

It will be seen that a

distinction is here drawn -

streets, lanes, and alleys - the

importance of which is in the

order mentioned. The named

Fore Plantation is named

Plantation, and no name is

Belfast map of 1757 showing

Belfast Castle and the area

around it. (Not to be confused

with the big Victorian house

on the Cavehill)

Old Belfast

given to the Back Plantation.

The name of Buller is

unmentioned, although the 5

acres of Buller’s Field are

shown to be largely

undeveloped. Ann Street and

Waring Street are wrongly

termed Bridge Street and

Wern Street. It shows in

Rosemary Lane (unnamed)

“Two Presbyterian meeting

houses,” and omits altogether

the third, which had been in

existence over 30 years.

Millfield is unnamed, and is

referred to as “the Lane

betwixt the foot of Peter’s

Hill and Mill Street.” There

is no suggestion of the Mill

Dam nor of the Farset which

flowed thence down High

Street. It has, however,

several advantages. It

mentions in the

‘explanation’’“a new built

Linen-hall” which appears

on the map as in Linenhall

afterwards Donegall Street,

the greater portion of which

is unbuilt. It also depicts

clearly the original outlet of

the Owynvarra into the

Lagan (unnamed) a little to

the south of the “Bridge”

ignoring its customary

appellation of “Long.”

“A Map of the Town and

Environs of Belfast taken to

the Distance of One Irish

Mile from the Exchange,

surveyed in 1791 by James

Williamson,” is the most

beautifully executed and

accurately detailed map of

18th century Belfast.

The old Belfast Church at the foot of

High Street

Belfast Castle which stood where the

present British Home Stores is situated,

hence the name Castle Junction,

Castle Place, Castle Lane etc.

Old Belfast

INACCUACIES

I have so far ignored the map

of 1660, a date first given by

Dubordieu in 1812, although

the map had appeared,

without date, in Tindall’s

Continuation of Rapin’s

History of England in 1774.

The inaccuracies in it are so

gross as to suggest a

concoction and consequently

most unreliable. It shows the

Sluice Bridge over the Farset,

opposite to Skipper Street,

which, according to the

Corporate Records, was not

erected until 1696. It does not

show the extensive gardens

of three acres attached to Sir

Arthur Bassett’s house on the

west side of the present

Royal Avenue, which are

clearly depicted in the 1685

map. it shows a continuation

of houses with gardens in the

vicinity of the present

William Street South,

depicted as vacant ground in

the 1685 map, named the

“Horse Marquit” in the 1715

map, and described as the

“Green or Horse markett” in

a deed dated 1737. But

perhaps the greatest blunder,

and an unpardonable one, is

the bridge with 12 finished

and regular arches spanning

the stretch of water in the

position of the outlet of the

Owynvarra, named in the

1685 map as “the New Cutt

River,” and in the 1715 map

as “the kinnall” running

parallel to”“Long Bank.”

THE ROPEWALK

Benn in his 1823 history

mistakes this stretch of water

for the Lagan, when he says

- “The plan, which is to be

found in Rapin’s History of

England, contains one very

singular mistake, the placing

of a bridge across the Lagan

before the present structure

was erected.”””the ‘present

structure’ in 1823 being the

Long Bridge, erected in

1682. The Rope Walk is

sometimes confused with the

fore Plantation, which dates

back to 1679, when William

Waring planted it, in

accordance with the terms of

his lease. The Rope Walk is

of later date. The east

boundary of the Plantation is

Looking down old

High Street

Old Belfast

1670 was slobland, over

which the tide ebbed and

flowed. Gradually the ‘void

ground’ was reclaimed, and

in June, 1690, William III

(King Billy to me and you!)

drove in a coach along the

strand from White House to

Belfast. The district became

known as Strandmore and in

the 1715 map the Fore

Plantation is named Strand

Street. It was on that strand

the Rope Walk was

established.

THE SALT WATER

POND

Daniel Mussenden was

granted a lease dated 29th

August, 1737, for a term of

41 years of “all the moiety of

a tenement late Boyd’s on

north side of Broad Street

extending backwards 126

feet and three acres of land

in Strandmore next the sea.”

That lease was confirmed

and extended by two leases

of equal date, 13th of

January, 1755 , 1 -“a parcel

of of ground adjoining to a

place called the Strand of

Belfast, being part of

Waring’s Plantation,

containing three acres

whereon some Cabbins,

Saltworks and a Pothouse

were formerly built, and on

which some Lime Kilns are

now building.”

2 - “on the north side of

Broad Street and Warring

Street abutting west upon

Cow Lane and being north to

south next the said Lane 150

Old Belfast

feet and abutting east upon

the sea, and being from north

to south next the sea 100 feet

and abutting north upon a

walk called the Ropewalk

and containing from east to

west next the said Walk 150

feet on which said piece of

ground certain works are

now erected for the

manufacture of White Salt

and also the Salt Water Pond

and Garden thereto

belonging containing

together two roads and 29

perches.”

EARLY TRADERS AND

INDUSTRIES

In the above recited leases

there is a whole flood of

information, not only

topographical, but what,

perhaps, is of greater

importance, economic, from

which we get an insight into

the early trades and

industries - Saltworks, a

Pothouse, a Soaphouse. Lime

Kilns, all occupying sites on

the present Corporation

Street, in the middle of the

18th century.

On John Mulholland’s map

of 1788 and also on the ‘Turn

Cocks’ map of 1790 the

portion of John Street,

approximately the present

Royal Avenue between North

Street and York Street is

named “Old Rope Walk.”

This is confirmed by a deed

dated 12th of August, 1709 -

“All that the Field next the

Rope Walk and another field

thereunto adjoining next

Peter’s Hill.” We thus see

that as early as 1709 there

Belfast map of 1685 showing the Belfast Church and a section of the Belfast River

which ran down High Street

Old Belfast

was a Rope Walk in Belfast.

Owen, copying R. M.

Young’s “Chronological List

of Notable Events,” says

Captain John McCracken

“established the first Rope

Walk Company in 1758.”

Ropemaking had been

carried out in Belfast at least

half a century before that

date.

NEW INTENDED STREET

Roger Mulholland, architect

was granted a lease for a term

of 99 years dated 16

February, 1787, of “ground

situate on the south side of a

new intended street through

Bullers field, containing at

the front next the said street

323 feet of assize and

extending backwards in

depth at the west side thereof

183 feet.” In a later deed

dated November 3rd, 1796,

there is:- ”Situate on the

north side of a new intended

street through Bullersfield,

containing in length at the

front next the said street 390

feet and extending

backwards in depth a the

west end thereof next the

passage between the same

and Church Wall 118 feet.”

That “new intended street’

does not appear in the 1791

map, but it appears in the

1823 map as Edward Street,

leading from the rear of St.

Anne’s Church to Great

Patrick Street.

We have followed some of

the changes that were

effected during the 18th

century in Buller’s Field,

formerly Governor’s Park.

Since that time the area has

developed quite a history and

quite a dark one at that, but

that another story!

St Anne’s Church which

stood on the site of the

present cathedral

TOURS OF BELFASTThe Glenravel Project conduct a number of guided tours for

groups on different aspects of Belfast's history

FROM

BODYSNATCHERS

TO BOMBS

BELFAST PRISON

GHOSTHUNT

A fasinatingwalking tour of

the historyClifton Street

Cemetery

Join with a localparanormal

research societyghost hunting in

the old prison

THE BELFAST

BLITZ

THE DARKER SIDE

OF BELFAST’S

HISTORYA City Centre tour

looking at thestories behind theGerman bombing

raid

See what lifewas really like

in VictorianBelfast

toursofbelfast.com

Old Belfast

For some time now we have been

describing what life was like inside

the Crumlin Road Jail during Victorian

times using descriptions from the

prisioners themselves. We have added

nothing nor taken anything away as we

wanted you to read for yourselves exectly

what this life was like for these people.

Over the past few years we have obtained

detailed descriptions of this jail life and

therefore return you to the words of one

of the Victorian prisioners themselves.

CREAKING LOCKS,

PRESERVED RABBITS AND

TEAR-AWAY CHILDRENLIFE IN THE VICTORIAN CRUMLIN ROAD JAIL

At 5.45 am three strokes of a bell

announces the commencement of another

working day, and if they fail to awaken

any sleeper, the creaking of locks and the

clanging of doors, which shortly follow

will do the business. Each cell door is

opened by a warder, and the occupant

asked if he is “all right,” and told to

place outside of the door his tin pannikin,

if it be required to contain any portion

of his breakfast. At 6 o’clock each

prisoner is supposed to be washed,

James Hall was shocked and offended by the number of tear-away children

Old Belfast

dressed; have his bedding neatly folded

up, and himself ready for work. At that

hour a bundle or “task” of oakum, about

4lbs in weight is handed to me. This is a

day’s work...

The majority are still employed at oakum

picking and the rest find work in mat

making, ship fenders and in stone-

breaking. Shoemakers and tailors

respectively find employment in making

and repairing the prison shoes and

garments; blacksmiths, joiners and

tinners have facilities for plying their

respective crafts and all the extensive

whitewashing and cleaning is effected by

prison labour...

The principal punishments inflicted for

ordinary breaches of discipline are

forfeiture of marks, close confinement to

cell, and bread-and-water diet. For

repeated offences and more serious ones

such as assaults on officers, window

breaking &c., confinement in a dark cell

on bread and water is reserved and the

Governor has power to order personal

chastisement if he thinks fit...

The “county crop” is no longer

administered; the hair, when it requires

cutting is operated upon in the ordinary

way, unless its luxuriant filthiness affords

a shelter to vermin when the surgeon may

order a clean sweep. Shaving is

abolished though some manage to

perform it with the knives used at their

work. Tobacco is the great want and

every new comer is pestered with

applications for a “bit of snout.”

“Snout” is “gaolic” for tobacco, and

notwithstanding the strict scrutiny of the

reception room, small quantities of it now

and again find their way inside...

Talking between those in adjoining cells

is made easy by the perforations in the

walls, laboriously made by a bit of wire,

Oakum picking at the Belfast Prison

Old Belfast

which can be got from the rim of a dinner

tin. The cells are frequently visited in

consequence of these offences, the holes

plugged up with wood, and prompt

punishments await those whose offences

can be clearly brought home to them...

I can scarcely attempt to describe the

feeling which possessed me, when I

completed my time and found myself in

my ordinary habilements, outside the

prison walls; the buoyant cheerful feeling

which the Turkish bath induces is a faint

approach to it. In conclusion I may say

that I firmly believe that prison

discipline, as it is now applied does

exactly what it is intended to do. It is a

severe punishment but it is also a

reformatory: regular hours, plain and

nutritious food, and strict temperance

improve the health of the body, while the

frequent religious instruction and

exercises do as much for the soul, and a

prisoner - if there is any good in him at

all - returns to society a wiser and a

better man.

Quite often the Belfast Gaol provided

mostly temporary accommodation for

the thieves, rogues, vagabonds,

prostitutes, and, above all, inebriates of

the town between 1828 and 1881. For a

few inmates this was their last resting

home. Some were publicly hanged and

some privately. All were buried in the

prison burial grounds but, like the gaol

itself, their ‘marked tombstones’ have

long since disappeared.

Old Belfast

To their credit many Victorian

individuals and charities sought to rescue

youngsters from a life of hopelessness

and crime, which seemed especially

likely after a spell inside. One such

reformer put his ideas into practice in an

original manner.

James Hall was shocked and offended by

the number of tear-away children. With

the aim of turning many of the rudest

boys into worthy citizens, he founded a

school on board The Wellesley one of the

oldest sailing battleships of the line. With

the help of public subscriptions, the 50-

gun ship was moored and converted to

a training ship for approximately 300

boys aged between 12 and 16.

The lads had not been convicted of any

crimes but, for one reason or another,

were considered at risk and likely to

spend at least part of their lives at one of

Her Majesty’s ‘hotels’.

The day began at 5 am with a cold bath.

The boys were taught seamanship,

swimming, diving, navigation etc with a

view to their following a life on the ocean

wave. Discipline was harsh, there being

no holidays, and leave rarely given. The

emphasis was on moral and religious

training. To keep costs down the lads

were responsible for making and

laundering their own clothes.

Porridge was served at breakfast two

mornings a week, rice with sugar and

currants on another two and cocoa and

bread rnade up the weekday morning

menu.

In what was considered a treat, Sunday’s

breakfast was a half pint of coffee with

bread.

Dinners would typically contain about

5ozs. fresh meat, vegetables and suet

pudding. Australian ‘preserved’ rabbit,

plum pudding and reasonable allowances

of bread also featured on the menu. Tea

was a half-pint, served with eight ounces

of bread with marmalade on Saturdays,

and butter on Sundays.

By the very nature of training ship

‘recruits’, punishment of bread and water

had to be administered periodically and

some of the boys took longer than others

to settle in. On the whole, however, the

scheme was considered to be a success

with around seventy-five per cent of the

youngsters enlisting in the navy at the

end of their course. The end of The

Wellesley came when she caught fire on

March 11th 1914. The absence of panic

amongst the 290 lads on board testified

to the discipline instilled. Clad in their

blue uniforms the youngsters, many of

whom were shoeless, abandoned the

sinking ship by every possible means,

down the accommodation ladder and via

perilous descents on ropes. They were

rescued by the various vessels which had

assembled to render them assistance.

The following dawn saw a smouldering

hulk, listing and resting on the mud-

bottom of the river. It was in no way

salvageable and was towed away to the

slake where it lay forgotten in the mud.

For Lots More on

Old Belfast

go to

www.glenravel.com

ISSN 1757-7284

Old Belfast is published

by the Glenravel Local

History Project as part

of our Belfast History

Project scheme

www.glenravel.com

BELFAST

1950’SIN THE

BELFASTIN THE

A FASCINATING PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION

SHOWING LIFE IN THE CITY DURING THE 1950’s

BELFAST PRISONThe Crum (Crumlin Road)

Exhibition Organised as part of the

BELFAST HISTORY PROJECT

1950’S

Thursday 23rd April

Friday 24th April

Saturday 25th April ADMISSION

FREE

Supported By

Governors House

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