Ballymoney Graveyard

After my first book on Ballymoney Old Church Graveyard, it seemed obvious that my next volume would explore the history and headstones of St. Patrick’s Parish Church. These graveyards are now separated by a busy road. However, once they were a single burial ground with graves that can be traced back to the 17th century.

It is often assumed that burials in this graveyard were restricted to members of St. Patrick’s Parish Church. This has only been the case since April 1877 and, prior to this date, plots could be purchased by members of other congregations. It is interesting to note that in one corner of the graveyard most of the deceased (the families of Pinkerton, Hamill, Erskine, Hacket, Williamson and Darragh) were members of the Unitarian Church of Ballymoney.

This second book on St. Patricks Parish Churchyard was published in September 2010.

I am now working on my third book, due to be released in September 2012. It will be on Derrykeighan Old Churchyard, near Dervock. It  has many old graves dating back to the 1600s. There has not been a map of this graveyard produced before and burials ceased many years ago.

Most of my research has focused on church records. I have avoided the temptation to use speculation or assumption where the information is not fully reported in contemporary archives. I welcome any corrections or additions to my work and I apologise in advance for any errors in transcription that may have occurred in documents that were difficult to read.

Unlike in my first book, I have omitted information concerning living people. This is to protect the confidentiality of the families associated with the graveyard and to respect their personal privacy. Any readers who would like further information on particular families are invited to contact me through my website.

I have devised a map which divides the churchyard into sections and added a reference for each headstone. In addition, there is a list of the names of families found in some of the unmarked graves.

This is the second in a series of books that I plan to write on the graveyards of North Antrim. All costs for research and publishing are met entirely at my own expense and I thank you for buying this copy and supporting my work.

This new book will be available for sale from October 2010 priced £15.