Frequently asked questions

Introduction

If you're having problems using the online search facility to find a burial record, the questions and answers on this page may help. 

If you continue to experience difficulties finding a record, call the Cemeteries and Crematorium Central Office on 028 9027 0296 or email cemeteries@belfastcity.gov.uk for help and advice.

Displaying records

Can I narrow my search further by entering an exact date of death or burial, rather than just a year?

The dates of deaths and burials have been recorded in many different formats over the years, for example, some records use the date style 11/03/78, while others are recorded as 11th March 1978 or 11 MAR 1978.

This makes it difficult to carry out a comprehensive search by date, as some records may be omitted from the search facility as a result of their format. 

We carry out quality checks of the records contained within the search facility and review date formats as part of this. We hope that this will allow you to search by exact date of death or burial in the future.

I want to find out who else is buried in a particular grave - is this possible?

Yes - you can view who else is buried in a grave by clicking on the grave section and number contained in your search results, for example, Q2 304.

This will display a list of all the grave occupants, reducing the number of individual searches you need to make.

In some cases, you cannot click on the number - this may be because the number is illegible or unclear on the original burial order, or because we cannot tell from the order who has been buried in which grave.

I want to view records for a particular cemetery only - is this possible?

Just as with dates, the names of our cemeteries have been recorded in many different formats over the years, for example Belfast City Cemetery is known as City Cemetery, Belfast Cemetery and several other names. This makes it difficult to carry out a comprehensive search by cemetery name.

However, we are currently carrying out a quality check of the records contained within the search facility and are reviewing cemetery names as part of this. We hope that this exercise will allow us to display results by cemetery in the future.

There are some terms I don't understand. What do they mean?

Some older burial records use abbreviations to indicate certain things. For example:

• NK - not known. This could be for several reasons - for example, a field may be blank or it could be that the information contained within the record, for example, grave section and number, has not been checked or updated. For more information, call our Bereavement Services Office on 028 9027 0296.
• ILG - the information for that particular field is illegible or unclear. This is usually because many of our records are very old, and may have been damaged or have disintegrated over the years. 

Other records use specific terms to show types of burial, for example:

• Earth burial - a full body burial
• Cremated remains - burial of cremated remains
• Dedicated tissue - burial of body parts.

The search doesn't seem to be working for me. Why is this?

If you are having problems using the online search facility, please check the system requirements listing in our help page.

When I search for a relative, their last place of residence shows two addresses - why is this?

Some burial records have not allowed a separate space for recording a person's place of death and their last known residence. In these cases, both the deceased's place of death and their last known address have been recorded in the same space. Unfortunately, this means there is no clear way of identifying which address is which.

The surname that I am searching for is missing an apostrophe - why is this?

Our online burial record information has been captured as seen on the original burial order. So, if the name listed in the original record is missing an apostrophe, then the apostrophe will be missing from the online record details.

If the name you're searching for contains an apostrophe, you may need to search:

• the name with an apostrophe
• the name without an apostrophe
• a space in the name, where the apostrophe should be.

Missing records

I can't find a particular record. Why isn't it displaying?

This may be happening for several reasons:

• some burial records have been damaged or have gone missing over the years, and certain information may be missing as a result. Some handwriting is also difficult to read, which can lead to misspelling in the system. Although we make every effort to ensure the system is correct, we are not responsible for any inaccuracies and errors. If you find a record which is inaccurate or incorrect, please report it to us by clicking on the 'request a change to information' button, located within each record.
• the search facility only contains burial records - it does not currently contain any records of cremations which have taken place in Belfast.
• the decreased may be buried in a cemetery whose records are not contained within our search facility, for example, a church cemetery or a cemetery which is not owned by the council.

For further help and advice about missing burial records, call the Bereavement Services Office on 028 9027 0296 or email cemeteries@belfastcity.gov.uk.

I'm looking for records relating to Friar's Bush Cemetery. Are they included?

No, the online search facility only allows you to search for burial records for the following cemeteries:

• Belfast City Cemetery - records from 1869 (including the Jewish, public and Glenalina extension sections)
• Roselawn Cemetery - records from 1954
• Dundonald Cemetery - records from 1905.

It does not currently included burial records for the following cemeteries:

• Balmoral Cemetery
• Clifton Street Graveyard
• Knock Burial Ground
• Shankill Graveyard
• Knockbreda Cemetery
• Friar's Bush Cemetery

If you are looking for records for these graveyards, call our Bereavement Services Office on 028 9027 0296 or email cemeteries@belfastcity.gov.uk for more help and advice.

Please note that we also do not look after, or hold records for, Milltown Cemetery. For more information, call Milltown Cemetery on 028 9061 3972.

Errors and inaccuracies

The record I searched for isn't correct. How do I report this so it can be updated?

We are currently carrying out a quality check of the records contained within the search facility. This is a long process due to the sheer volume of records we hold. In the meantime, you can help to increase the accuracy of the service by reporting any inconsistencies or errors you find, especially relation to the spelling of names or addresses.

You can do this by clicking on the 'request a change to information' button, located within each burial record. Please note that if the record is from before 2012 any updates will only be made to the online record, and not to the original burial record.

About our records

Is information relating to burial records covered by data protection?

The Data Protection Act 1998 refers to the management of personal information belonging to living people. It does not cover the personal information of those who have died.

How up-to-date are the records?

Records are available for up to, and including, 2012. No new records have currently been added.

Purchasing an image of burial record

Why aren't images available for all burial records?

Images are only available for records that are 75 years old or older due to the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. As time passes, more records will become available. 

How much do images of burial records cost?

Each image of a burial record costs £1.50. There is no administration charge.

More help and advice

Who do I contact if I'm searching for burial records from before 1869?

In Northern Ireland, most information is held by the Public Record Office for Northern Ireland (PRONI) which contains archives dating back to around 1600. Some material can also be searched online through the PRONI website

You can also call the office on 028 9025 5905.

I would like to find out more about a particular record. Do you hold any further information?

Further information may be available for some records. Call our Cemeteries and Crematorium Central Office on 028 9027 0296 for details.