Thousands of people lie buried in the three graveyards which surround the former site of the Magherafelt workhouse. At least three burial grounds were in use during the lifetime of the workhouse (see map for location). Unfortunately, a burial register for the workhouse does not survive, but for some there are ways of ascertaining who is buried in the workhouse.
The Workhouse ‘Indoor Registers’ which run from 1842-1929 do list those who died while resident in the house and it is hoped that further examination of these books can be carried out in the future in order to compile this data.
There are few years however with such high death rate in the workhouse as 1847, or ‘Black 47’ as it would come to be known, the worst year of the Great Famine. By 1847 fever and other diseases were rampant in the workhouse and with the number of ‘inmates’ rapidly increasing it was impossible stop the spread.
Among those who succumbed to fever within the walls of Magherafelt workhouse during ‘Black 47’ were five members of the Lennox family. With James Lennox in Scotland, presumably in search of work, five members of the family ranging from age 26 to 1, all succumbed to fever between the start of December 1846 and the end of January 1847. Likewise, Betty McKee who entered the workhouse during this outbreak of disease ‘in a famishing state and with her children (aged 4,3 &1) dying’ also succumbed t to fever. The McKee children all died within a five-day period from 15 to 20 March 1847, with Betty herself dead with three days on 23 March.
For some they never made it to or entered the workhouse but were still buried in the adjoining cemeteries. John O’Neill was one such man who never made it to the workhouse described as dying on the cart brought to Magherafelt by McElree in June 1871. He was subsequently buried in the workhouse cemetery.
