A small,
almost secret, cemetery in Belfast.
About the
cemetery
Historical records show that Knock Burial Ground is one of the most
ancient sites in Belfast. The land itself is believed to date back
to at least the 13th century, while the graveyard became public
property in 1896.
Burials no longer take place at the site, which is enclosed by a
high stone wall. It contains 18th century headstones inscribed with
the names of local townlands such as Ballyhackamore,
Ballymacarrett, Bloomfield, Castlereagh, Dunover, Gilnahirk, Knock,
Mountpottinger and Tullycarnet.
Although these areas lie within Belfast today, they were once
regarded as countryside and farmland.
The oldest gravestone in Knock Burial Ground dates from 1644. Other
more recent headstones refer to those killed in World War I, for
example, Privates J Corbett and Henry Best who were killed in
action at Dunkirk on 28 May 1940.
History
Knock Burial Ground is located on top of a hill overlooking
Belfast, which explains its name - the Gaelic word 'cnoc' means
'hill’ in English.
A church at Knock, known as Dundela, passed from the Anglo-Normans
to the Clandeboye O’Neills in the 13th century. The taxation
of 1306 shows that it was valued at 40 shillings at the time. A
traveller, writing in the 16th century, later referred to a church
dedicated to St Columba, sometimes called Knock Columkille, on the
site.
By 1622, Knock Columkille was transformed for Anglican worship and
used until 1637 when it was abandoned in favour of a new parish
church, now known as Knockbreda, in the nearby townland of Breda.
The money to build the church came from Lady Middleton who lived in
Belvoir Park and was a member, by marriage, of the Hill
family.
The 'union' between Knock and Breda was completed in 1657 during
the time of Oliver Cromwell but it was almost 100 years before the
church was completed in 1737. Although an engraving in the Dublin
Penny Journal of 1834 shows two ruined gable walls within the
cemetery's modern boundaries, there are no visible remains of Knock
Columkille today.
The extension of Belfast's boundary in 1896 brought Knock Burial
Ground under the control of Belfast Corporation (now the council).
All the plots had been allocated by this time and only the
reopening of some graves was permitted. In 1905, a caretaker was
employed to look after the graveyard.
Cemetery records provide an insight into the site's history at this
time. One incident, describing 'suspicious activity', is recorded
in the burial register in script-style handwriting.
It reads: “On Friday 26 October 1928, a gate leading off the
avenue into lands adjoining was opened and a cart drawn through by
a horse off the avenue and back again. The same procedure took
place on Friday 25 October 1927”.
Another entry in the same register shows how, on 4 March 1926, a Mr
Norwood paid ten shillings (10/=) for the soiling of grave NE142
while, on 8 April 1926, a Mr Rutherford paid £18.15.0 (£18.15 in
old money) for perpetuity flowering on grave SE201.
Famous
burials
William Nichol (1794-1840), a Belfast-born painter whose works were
exhibited in the Ulster Museum, is buried in the cemetery. His
brother Andrew, who was also a painter, is believed to be buried in
London.
Access
The Graveyard
isn't open to the public, and the cache cant be accessed through
it, but if you are interested in looking at the graveyard, it can
be accessed by permission of Dundonald Cemetery (028
90270296) There are 4 steep steps into the Burial
Ground. Access for wheelchair users or people with walking
difficulties is limited due to very uneven ground.
About this
wood
The Woodland Walkway is a woodland creation site in Clarawood
Housing Estate, close to Knock in East Belfast in Northern Ireland.
It is flanked to the west by Clarawood housing estate, to the south
and northeast by private housing and to the east by the ancient
Knock Burial Ground. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive gifted
the land in 1999 as one of the 50 Woods On Your Doorstep (WoyD)
sites in Northern Ireland. The development and first 5 years
maintenance of the 50 sites was 50% funded by the Millennium
Commission.
Formerly maintained as mown grass by the Housing Executive,
following consultation with the local community, the 0.83 ha site
was planted by the local community in 1999. It is planted with a
mixture of native trees amongst the poplar and Swedish whitebeam
that previously existed on the site.
An informal grass path network has been established to allow local
people to wander through the site, sit in an open area, or enjoy
the view over Belfast, the hills and Lough.
Special
Thanks to The Woodland Trust for permission for this
cache.