Reverend William Bristow was born in 1736 in Wiltshire, England but later made his name in Belfast. Bristow was an Anglican minister and the Vicar of St Anne’s Church between 1772-1808. He was also elected as the Sovereign of Belfast, (a position that predates the Lord Mayor) on 11 occasions: between 1786–88, 1790–96, and again in 1798. Bristow became one of the most important men in 18thcentury Belfast.
Bristow was particularly active in the Belfast Charitable Society during his life, with his name mentioned frequently in the early minutes of the Society. During the 1790’s Bristow would rent a portion of the Society’s land; a plot that would become known as ‘Bristow’s Field’. Whilst he was a prominent individual within Belfast, he was also often behind in the rent payments to the Society. When ‘Bristow’s Field’ was reclaimed after 1792, it would then become the land on which the New Burial Ground was founded. This is now what we would recognize as the Clifton Street Cemetery. The New Burial Ground was necessary to facilitate the needs of the growing town, and vital revenue stream to ensure that the Charitable Society could continue providing aid to the poor of Belfast.
Despite his tardiness on rent, he remained an important figure within the Society and held significant sway within the town. Evidence of his influence still sits in the foyer of Clifton House. In 1775, Bristow applied for loan of the bell and clock from the Old Parish Church, which had fallen into disrepair. The Vestry granted his request and the bell was placed in the spire of the Poor House, where it punctuated the day for those within the building:
A clock in front, with figures bright and gay
From Strain (1961)
And the slow-moving hands point out the time of day.
Betwixt these roofs, the spire’s all tow’ring height,
Rises with grandeur to the’ astonsished sight;
The bell is here, whose clinking hollow sound,
Alarms the inmates of the rooms around,
Tells them each morning, when they should arise,
To ev’ry meal it gives the warning cries,
Chimes them to pray’ers, which twice a day the tend
Tolls them to bed, and then its ringings end.
Despite his prominence and influence, Bristow proved a divisive figure in the public sphere. He was instrumental in shutting down a Presbyterian Sunday School opened by political radicals such as Henry Joy McCracken. Later, Bristow actively pursued the arrest of McCracken in 1798 following the failed United Irishmen movement. Sympathiser of the United Irishmen and renowned social critic Martha McTier also disliked Bristow greatly and described him as a ‘Pomposo’. This is thought to be on account of his instance on wearing his mayoral chains on regular, non-state occasions.
Despite considerable ill-feeling towards Bristow, following his death on 22ndDecember 1808 a large turned crowd turned out for his grand funeral. He is, however, now a largely forgotten figure of Belfast’s past. Whilst divisive in his public life, his obituary in the Belfast Commercial Chronicle paints a warm picture of the man:
“We announced…the much lamented death of Rev. William Bristow, Vicar General of the Dioceses of Down and Connor, and 33 years Minister of this Parish… In all relations of private life, his manners and deportment were peculiarly engaging and amiable. He was a good father, an affectionate husband, a kind neighbour and a sincere friend; cheerful in his domestic intercourse, and benevolently attentive to the wants of the poor. His private charities were limited only by his ability to bestow. To his persevering and indefatigable exertions the charitable institutions of this town, and particularly the Poor-House, are much indebted.”
Belfast Commercial Chronicle- 28th December 1808.
