Wolfenden Tomb, Lambeg Parish Churchyard, Church Hill, Lambeg North, Lisburn, Co.Antrim, BT27 4SB

The Wolfenden Tomb is a free-standing classical stone mausoleum dated 1693, located in the grounds of Lambeg Parish Church on the south side of Church Hill Road in Lambeg North. It stands as one of the earliest and most important examples of classical architecture in Northern Ireland.

The mausoleum is constructed of sandstone ashlar and faces west. Its principal architectural features include three inscribed memorial plaques flanked by engaged Doric columns with Portland limestone carved bases and capitals. These columns rest on large corbels at ground level and support a lintel architrave and segmental pediment above. The pediment is inscribed "WOLFENDEN, 1693", though the three plaques bear inscriptions that are now indecipherable. The stonework demonstrates a high degree of masonry skill for so early a date, with well-executed Doric proportions and an impressive pediment.

The mausoleum is mounted on a rubble sandstone wall constructed in the form of a shaped gable with concrete coping. This wall returns as a low enclosure featuring a wrought-iron gate. The enclosure contains two open table tombs and a further tomb at its centre.

The Wolfenden family is recorded as having been of Dutch origin, settling in Lambeg after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. They became highly influential in establishing the linen and woollen cloth manufacture in the area. Early records describe them as "linen drapers" on their tombs. The first Wolfenden buried at the mausoleum was Jean Wolfenden, wife of Abraham Wolfendon, who died on 15 September 1693, aged 43 years. Subsequent burials documented on the tomb include members of the family spanning from 1693 to 1832.

The family's commercial enterprises included extensive bleach greens in Lambeg, a blanket factory established on the River Road in the early 18th century, and the Lambeg Tuck Mill for thickening woollen blankets, which was owned by Thomas Wolfenden in 1787. The goods produced were of superior quality and found ready sale in English markets and Dublin. The works employed around one hundred persons at their height, but closed around 1825 following the death of the proprietor and the removal of junior family members to Dublin.

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs record the tomb among "several handsome tombs and headstones" in the churchyard, noting it as being "enclosed partly by a wall and partly by neat wrought iron railing." The tomb also bears historical significance in documenting varying spellings of the family name on different stones—"Wolfendon" for male family members and "Wolfenden" for female members.

The mausoleum is set within a fine collection of mausolea and grave markers in the parish churchyard and represents a rare and important example of early classical architectural design in Northern Ireland.