Bangor Abbey Graveyard is a record of the social, economic and political history of Bangor and the surrounding district over at least 300 years.  Until the late 19^th century, all denominations from a wide area were buried in the graveyard.  The visitor may wish to note that most of the 17^th and 18^th century stones are situated close to the east end and south side of the church.

Prior to assuming its present size in the early 17^th century, the graveyard of the Augustinian abbey was very much larger, evidenced by bones and fragments of stones discovered under Church Street, Abbey Street and Castle Park.

The occupations shown on many of the stones show us that the abbey served a wide cross-section of society.  There are memorials to custom men and pirates, ambassadors and factory owners, rebels and planters, clergy and crooks!

As you walk around the graveyard you may note some rather quaint variations in spelling on many of the stones prior to the late 18^th century.  The delicate and intricate carving on slate headstones of the 1770 – 1830 period is well worthy of notice.  The inscriptions testifying the deaths of whole families in the nineteenth century are particularly moving.

From some of the stones may be gleaned various snippets of local history, reflecting the changing fortunes and character of Bangor.  Its position as a port of some consequence in the 18^th century is recalled by the graves of two revenue officers (Blackburn and Kelly), and the Colvill stone recounts the loss of the ship Amazon in 1780.  As can be seen from the headstones of James Dunlap and Archibel Wilson, the events of 1798 touched Bangor as the rest of North Down and Ards peninsula.

There are many interesting headstones throughout the graveyard, not least those of ancestors which will be most meaningful to family members.