McKee Memorial

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Gabled arcaded neo-Gothic style sandstone memorial facing south and dating from 1866. Located in Balmoral Cemetery.

Four trefoil-arches supported on triple clustered Corinthian columns. The central arches are larger extending into the gable which also has a central quatrefoil above. Foliated mouldings to gable ends, all in Giffnock sandstone. Carved slate plaque behind the arcade and quatrefoil. The plot is enclosed by cast iron colonnettes and railings on a stone plinth.

The plot is located to the north end of Balmoral cemetery. Four square painted sandstone piers linked by dwarf painted sandstone walling, topped by iron railings and supporting iron gates mark the entrance to the cemetery to its southwest corner. An un-coursed rock-faced basalt wall serves as a boundary to the south.

Other listed structures within Balmoral cemetery are Fergusson memorial (HB26.23.001B) and the Cooke memorial (HB26.23.001A).

Historical information

By the middle of the nineteenth century Belfast’s cemeteries were becoming overcrowded, partly as a result of the rapidly expanding population of the city and partly as a result of cholera epidemics and the Great Famine. The opening, in 1855, of a new cemetery at Balmoral – which was also known as the Belfast Cemetery or the Malone Cemetery – helped to alleviate the situation. What had prompted the creation of this cemetery was an incident in which a funeral conducted by Reverends Henry Cooke and Joseph Mackenzie was obstructed by a Church of Ireland rector. In response a number of Presbyterians decided to open a cemetery of their own. Mackenzie secured the site and a board of trustees was appointed, Cooke being one of them. In 1953 the cemetery was taken over by Belfast Corporation.

One of three monuments in this cemetery to be listed, the McKee memorial consists of a Gothic Revival sandstone slab with clustered columns with foliated capitals. Larmour (1991, p. 159) has commented that the monument has ‘something of a Venetian touch to it’, and is possibly by William Barre who also designed the Ferguson monument in this cemetery.

The monuments commemorates various members of the McKee and related families, the ‘headline’ inscription reading: ‘Family burying place of James McKee, 1866’. James McKee died at his residence at 45 Balmoral Terrace on 19 November 1872 at the age of 76. He was a wealthy man for his estate was valued at just under £3,000. His occupation, as given on the wills and administrations calendar, was ‘gentleman’. His widow Isabella died in 1878 aged 71.

Others commemorated on this monument include Mary, widow of John Belshaw of Lurgan, who died in 1863 aged 89, Mary Jane Millar, described as ‘a faithful servant’ (no date of death given), and James McKee’s daughter Isabella, wife of W.D.H. Moore of Lurgan, who died in 1876 aged 29.

References

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Wills and administrations calendars

Northern Ireland Environment Agency
First Survey Record – HB/26/23/001C
HB Records – HB/26/23/001C

Published sources
Gravestone Inscriptions: Belfast, vol. 3 (Belfast, 1986)
Paul Larmour, Belfast: an illustrated architectural guide (Belfast, 1987)
Paul Larmour, The architectural heritage of Malone and Stranmillis (Belfast, 1991)

Online sources
Natural Stone Database: www.stonedatabase.com
Dictionary of Irish Architects: www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Gabled arcaded neo-Gothic style sandstone memorial facing south and dating from 1866. It has group value with other listed structures within Balmoral cemetery; the Fergusson memorial (HB26.23.001B) and the Cooke memorial (HB26.23.001A).
Four trefoil-arches supported on triple clustered Corinthian columns. The central arches are larger extending into the gable which also has a central quatrefoil above. Foliated mouldings to gable ends, all in Giffnock sandstone. Carved slate plaque behind the arcade and quatrefoil. The plot is enclosed by cast iron colonnettes and railings on a stone plinth. Larmour has commented that the monument has ‘something of a Venetian touch to it’, and is possibly by William Barre who also designed the Ferguson monument in this cemetery. It commemorates the McKee family. James McKee, occupation in will 'gentleman', died at his residence, a wealthy man, his estate was valued at just under £3,000.