Limavady Union Workhouse, Pauper’s Graveyard, Scroggy Road, Limavady, Co Londonderry BT49 ONA

This is a pauper’s graveyard, created between 1841 and 1931, associated with the Limavady Union Workhouse. It is a long, narrow plot of land situated perpendicular to the Scroggy Road, bordered on three sides by tall trees and a timber fence, and along the road itself by a concrete block wall and wire fence. A small slate plaque affixed to a rough-hewn piece of sandstone, set into a rectangular stone base and concreted into the ground, is located in the centre of the plot near the road, bearing the inscription: ‘Limavady Union Graveyard, This consecrated plot was used as a workhouse burial ground between the years 1841-1931. The public are earnestly requested to refrain from trespassing or dumping rubbish.’

This represents the third burial ground for the Limavady Union Workhouse; the previous two were located closer to the main workhouse buildings. This graveyard's location, as far as possible from the workhouse, was a deliberate measure taken to mitigate the risk of cholera and other infectious diseases spreading to the inmates. A significant number of those interred here were victims of the famine. The site was no longer required when the workhouse was converted into a hospital in the early 1930s. The original workhouse and earlier graveyards are described in more detail in HB02/15/006. The workhouse itself is just visible over rooftops to the southwest.