St Anne's question

St Anne’s was the main parish church for Belfast. It’s Church of Ireland. In 1904 it was replaced by St Anne’s Cathedral, which is still there today. As you have discovered, the method of building was to build the Cathedral around the old church. That way the old church could continue in use whilst the building work was taking place. Once the Cathedral was ready, they knocked the old church down and cleared the rubble out through the cathedral entrance. So one building replaced the other, on the same site, with little interruption in business. Your ancestors were married in the building that was demolished in 1904.

Bear in mind that tradition was to marry in the brides church. James may have been Presbyterian but if his wife was Church of Ireland, they’d normally have married there. Thereafter she probably attended his Presbyterian church.

Thanks Elwyn, that makes sense. It looks to be a beautiful building - will visit during my August trip....Debbie

There's a shop inside the Cathedral plus a Church of Ireland bookshop just next door. Between them they probably have some photos of the old church, if you can't find any on the net.

My Great Grandparents Rebecca De Winter and John Lindsay Johnstone were married there in 1855. For a picture, See Jean McCarthy's Genealogy Web Site http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~jeanmccarthy36/more_c…

See also the URL cited in what I attached to my Ancestry data: "

St.Anne's Belfast as it was in e.g. 1855

up tp end 19C, then developed into a Cathedral

Donegall Street, Belfast, Ireland

The last service in St. Anne's Parish Church was on 27 December 1903. The Cathedral was built round the old church, the organ replaced, etc The feeling that Saint Anne's was still the Parish Church persisted. In the Marriage Registers it took until 1927 before entries in the Married in ? slots changed from being Parish Church to Cathedral. Baptisms are still recorded naming the place of baptism as Parish Church of Belfast. Ref:http://belfastcathedral.org/heritage/articles/04/ One reason for arranging the building of the Cathedral around the Church was to allow as much continuity as was possible for worshippers during the transition. There was a fear that a lengthy closure would lead to some of the congregation leaving to join St George's or any of the 29 churches the Church of Ireland had created in Belfast since 1833. In the summer of 1906 an announcement was made that Mr Carnegie had promised £800 for a new organ on condition that another £800 was raised locally, this on the assumption that a suitable instrument could be had for £1600. That signalled the end for the 125 year old organ. Source of photo: Jean McCarthy's Genealogy Web

Two phots I have used are  below:

thank you elwyn and JeJIrishLass! I love the photos and story about the new construction, and I will check out the shop to see what's on hand.... Cheers, Debbie