Knockbreda Cemetery lookup - Baillie

[gaffy]

Hi MikeOz, I'm going to try and attempt to upload a few photos I took this lunchtime, bear with me if there are a few hiccups.

First of all, well done to you and Castlereagh Borough Council, for when I arrived at the cemetery, it was almost as if they were expecting me and one of the attendants took me straight to the grave.  I hope no-one minds if I upload more than just the headstone inscription, in the circumstances I thought that some wider shots might add context and jog some old memories.

In the event, it turns out that the James Bailie headstone lies within the walled churchyard surrounding the church itself which has the oldest graves. Adjacent to the old churchyard is the main part of the cemetery with graves from the 1920s onwards, which accounts for most of the 6,500 graves - presumably this bit might well have been fields in your mother's time.

Anyway, photo 1 is of the front of the church, James' grave is to the left of the photo, obscured by bushes.

[gaffy]

This is the headstone, lovely and simply.

[gaffy]

The inscription is slightly at odds with the information that you were given, I reckon it says:

ERECTED
BY
TERESA BAILLIE
IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND
JAMES, WHO DIED JAN 31st 1912 AGED 76 YRS

ALSO OF HIS PARENTS AND BROTHER WILLIAM

[gaffy]

The grave is in a nice spot, underneath a large yew tree, given how slow these grow, I wouldn't rule out it having been there as a younger tree in your mother's time.

[gaffy]

This shows the proximity of the grave (bottom right) to the front of the church.

[gaffy]

The headstone faces east. This photo from the side shows a glimpse of Belfast to the north. You can't see it, but Ormeau Road is only a mile or so away.  You can see the churchyard wall. Beyond that (and out of sight because the ground drops off in height) is the main cemetery containing most of the cemetery graves from the 1920s onwards.

[gaffy]

Again, to show it's location in relation to the church, headstone is bottom right.

[gaffy]

And finally, standing on the steps of the church shown in the previous photo, here is the grave again.

[gaffy]

One other thing, I couldn't help but notice that the 1918 street directory on the Lennon Wylie website shows the following entries for Simpson's Court:

2. Baillie, Mrs.
4. Baillie, Jas., boiler maker

http://www.lennonwylie.co.uk/scomplete1918.htm