Biographical Database of Australia

Cemeteries

Index

Camperdown – Monumental Inscriptions

Camperdown Internment Register 1849-1853

Frenchs Forest NSW 1940-c.2008

Mona Vale NSW 1914-c.2008

Sydney Burial Ground – Licences to Bury 1867-1888

Sydney Burial Ground – Re-interment Register 1901

Sydney Burial Ground – Monumental Inscriptions – Transcribed in 1969

 

* these items are not included in database as yet

 

Cemetery records

 

BDA has received donations of monumental inscriptions for several cemeteries, including Launceston (Tas) and Mona Vale and Frenchs Forest (NSW). Transcripts of scores of others are held under copyright, ready for data entry by volunteers whose assistance would be welcomed.

 

The centrepiece of the collection, central Sydney’s main burial ground, functioning as a cemetery from 1819-1888, is now online.

 

Between 1819 and 1888 over 30,000 persons were interred in the Sydney Burial Ground (also known as the Sandhills Cemetery) between Devonshire and Elizabeth Streets, Sydney.

 

In 1900, when the cemetery was about to be removed to make way for the city’s new Central Station, hundreds of relatives or representatives of the deceased applied to have the remains and monuments moved to other cemeteries, creating a unique record of inter-generational connections. Most remains and memorials went to Bunnerong, near the shores of Botany Bay.

 

Records of burial and family applications for reinterment, along with nearly 3000 transcripts of monumental inscriptions (1819-1888), appeared in a book published by the Library of Australian History in Sydney in 2001:

Sydney Burial Ground 1819-1901 (Elizabeth and Devonshire Streets) and History of Sydney’s Early Cemeteries from 1788 by Keith A. Johnson and Malcolm R. Sainty.

 

The book includes the main series of records relating to the cemetery, being the Licences to Bury 1867-1888, the Re-interment Register 1900-1901(when the remains were exhumed) and details of the monumental inscriptions of 2825 monuments moved to Bunnerong Cemetery around 1901 and transcribed by the authors in 1969-1970. The text also contains an introduction and extensive history of the cemetery and, as the sub-title indicates, of earlier Sydney cemeteries.

 

 

 

Guide to cemeteries in the Sydney Metropolitan Area.

 

As part of the book Sydney Burial Ground 1819-1901, Keith Johnson compiled in two appendices reproduced here, two listings of all the greater Sydney Metropolitan Cemeteries from 1788 to 1966: Appendix 4 in chronological order of year of commencement and Appendix 5 in alphabetical order of place.

 

These Appendices are strictly copyrighted.

 

Appendix 4 Cemeteries Chronology : Greater Sydney Region

 

For more details refer to Appendix 5.

 

Year          Modern Place name

1788           Sydney City – Dawes Point

1790           Sydney City – Clarence Street.

1790           Parramatta – St.Johns.

1792           Sydney City – George Street.

1806           Cranebrook – McCarthy’s.

1810           Windsor – C of E.

1814           Castlereagh – C of E.

1814           Richmond –C of E.

1814           Wilberforce – C of E. (Reg. 1826).

1818           Liverpool –C of E.

1819           Sydney City – Sydney Burial Ground.

1821           Campbelltown – C of E.

c1821         Wisemans Ferry – C of E.

c1822         Windsor – Catholic.

c1823         Campbelltown – Catholic.

c1823         Pitt Town – C of E. (Reg. 1826).

1824           Parramatta North – St.Patricks, Catholic

1825           Ebenezer – Presbyterian.

1826           Ryde – St.Anne – C of E.

1828           Sackville Reach –C of E.

1830           Cobbitty – C of E.

1832           Parramatta North -All Saints C of E.

c1832         Manly – Quarantine Station, N. Head.

1834           Regentville – Catholic.

1836           Upper Castlereagh – Wesleyan.

1837           Camden – General.

1838           Parramatta – Methodist.

1838           Penrith – C of E.

1838           St.Peters Cooks River – C of E.

1839           Appin –C of E. & Catholic.

1839           Mulgoa – C of E.

1839           Parramatta – Mays Hill – Presbyterian & others.

1839           Windsor – Presbyterian.

1840           Rossmore – C of E.

c1840         Lower Portland Head – Catholic.

c1840         Denham Court – C of E.

1841           Prospect- C of E.

1842           Camden – C of E.

1843           Ashfield – C of E.

1843           Leets Vale – Methodist.

1844           Greendale – Catholic.

1845           Crows Nest – St.Thomas – North Sydney.

1845           Upper Colo- Comleroy Road.

1846           Pennant Hills West – Methodist.

c1845         St.Marys (South Creek) – C of E.

c1848         Campbelltown – Presbyterian.

1849           Enfield – C of E.

1849           Newtown – Camperdown C of E.

1849           Riverstone – C of E.

1850           Baulkham Hills – Pearce family.

1851           Greendale – C of E.

1851           Londonderry.

1851           McGraths Hill.

1852           Ryde – St.Charles – Catholic.

1854           Cawdor – Methodist.

1855           Lakemba – Moorfields – Wesleyan.

1855           Randwick – St.Judes – C of E.

1856           Bankstown – St.Felix – Catholic.

1856           Sackville Reach – Methodist.

c1856         Camden – Catholic.

1857           Carlingford – C of E.

1859           Emu Plains – General.

1860           Canterbury –C of E.

1860           Haberfield – Presbyterian.

1860           Smithfield – C of E.

c1862         Spencer- General.

1863           Castle Hill –C of E.

1863           Concord – Longbottom – Catholic.

1863           Lewisham – Petersham – Catholic.

1863           Rouse Hill – C of E.

1865           Balgowlah – Manly General.

1865           Dural – Methodist.

1865           Ryde – Baptist.

c1865         Richmond – Presbyterian.

c1865         Rockdale – Methodist.

1867           Gordon – C of E.

1868           Leichhardt – Balmain General.

1868           Rookwood – Necropolis. General.

1869           Smithfield – Baptist.

1869           Vaucluse – South Head General.

c1869         Campbelltown – Congregational & Methodist.

c1870         Church Point- Pittwater.

c1871         Chatswood South – Methodist.

c1871         Mona Vale – C of E.

1872           Luddenham –C of E.

1875           St.Leonards – Gore Hill General.

1876           Dural – C of E.

1877           Smithfield – General.

1877           Waverley – General.

1878           Punchbowl – C of E.

1879           Old Man Valley, Hornsby – C of E.

1881           Little Bay -Prince Henry Hospital.

1883           St.Marys – South Creek General.

1883           Smithfield – Methodist.

1888           Coogee – Randwick General.

1888           Matraville – Botany General.

1889           Luddenham – Methodist.

1889           Ryde – Field of Mars General.

c1890         Chatswood – Catholic.

c1890         Hurstville – C of E.

1893           Blacktown – Catholic.

1894           Carlingford – North Rocks Catholic.

1894           Helensburgh – General.

1894           Liverpool – General.

1895           Sutherland – Woronora General.

1898           Riverstone – General.

1899           Luddenham – Catholic.

1901           Pitt Town – General.

c1901         Brooklyn – General.

c1910         Penrith – General.

1914           Mona Vale – General.

1919           Castle Hill – General.

1922           North Ryde – Northern Suburbs. General.

1940           Frenchs Forest – General.

1962           Minchinbury – Pine Grove General.

1963           Rouse Hill – Castlebrook Lawn General.

1964           Leppington – Forest Lawn General.

1966           Kemps Creek – Catholic Lawn.

 

Note: The word General can imply that the cemetery is either not denominational or contains separate denominational sections.

 

Appendix 5  Cemeteries : Greater Sydney Region by Modern Placename

Location           Name & Location                            Start                        Remarks

Appin               St.Marks C of E, Church St.            1839            Adjoining church.

Appin               St.Bedes Catholic, King St.            1839

Ashfield            St.Johns C of E., Alt Street            1843            Adjoining church.

Balgowlah         Manly Cemetery.                            1865            Still in use with occasional burials.

Griffiths & Hill Streets,                                       Separate denominations.

Balmain            (see Leichhardt)

Bankstown        St.Felix Catholic, Chapel Road.       1856            Adjoining church.

Baulkham Hills  Pearce family, Old Northern Rd.      1850

Blacktown         Catholic, Patrick St.                        1893            Built over for Westpoint Centre.

Botany             (see Matraville).

Brooklyn           General.                                        c.1901           Still in use.

Camden            General. Southern Rd & Druitts Ln.  1837

Camden            St.Johns C of E, Menangle Rd.       1842            Adjoining church.

Camden            St.Pauls Catholic. Cawdor Rd.       c.1856

Camden            (see Cawdor).

Campbelltown   St.Peters C of E.                            1821            All denominations in earliest years.

Campbelltown   St.Johns Catholic.                          1823

Campbelltown   St.Davids Presbyterian.                 c.1848

Campbelltown   Congregational & Methodist.         c.1869

Camperdown    (see Newtown).

Canterbury        St.Pauls C of E, Church Street.       1860            Adjoining church.

Carlingford       St.Pauls C of E, Marsden Road.     1857            Adjoining Catts Nursery.

Carlingford       North Rocks Catholic Cemetery,      1894            Still in use.

Cnr. Parma & North Rocks Rd.

Castle Hill         St.Pauls C of E.                             1863            Adjoining church.

Old Northern Road.

Castle Hill         General, Gilbert Road.                    1919

Castlereagh      C of E, Church Street.                    1814

Castlereagh      Wesleyan, Lees property.               1836

Upper

Cawdor             Methodist.                                     1854            Adjoining church.

Chatswood       Catholic Cemetery, Archer St.        c.1890           Built over c.1925.

Chatswood Sth Methodist Cemetery,                     c.1871           Adjoining church.

Cnr. Pacific Hwy &Mowbray Road

Church Point     Pittwater Cemetery.                       c.1870           Small Anglican & Methodist.

Cobbitty           St.Pauls C of E.                             1830

Concord           Catholic Cemetery, Longbottom.     1863            Used until 1913. Now a park. Monuments

moved to Rookwood.

Coogee South  Randwick General Cemetery,           1888            Still in use.

Malabar Road & Roper Street.

Cooks River      (see St.Peters).

Cranebrook       McCarthy’s Private.                        1806            Became a small general cemetery.

Crows Nest       St.Thomas North Sydney                1845            Mainly C of E. Last burial 1950.

Denham Court   St.Mary the Virgin C of E.              c.1840

Dural                St.Judes C of E, Old Northern Rd.  1876            Still in use.

Dural                Methodist, Derriwong Road.           1865

Ebenezer          Presbyterian.                                  1825            Adjoining church.

Emu Plains       Nixon Street.                                  1859            Various denominations.

Enfield             St.Thomas C of E, King Street.       1849            Adjoining church.

Field of Mars    Wellington Road.                            1889            Still in use. Separate denominations.

Some monuments from Gladesville  Hospital

& St.Anne’s Ryde relocated here.

Frenchs Forest  Hakea & Ashworth Ave                   1940            General Cemetery. Still in use.

Gordon             St.Johns C of E, Pacific Hwy.         1867            Adjoining church.

Gore Hill           (see St.Leonards).

Greendale         Catholic.                                        1844

Greendale         St.Marks, C of E.                           1851

Haberfield         St.Davids Presbyterian,                  1860            Adjoining church. Small cemetery.

(the Ramsay family), Dalhousie St.

Half Moon Reach(see Lower Portland Head).

Haslems Crk.    (see Rookwood).

Helensburgh     General, off Park Street.                 1894

Hornsby           C of E, Old Man Valley.                  1879

Hurstville          St.Georges C of E, The Avenue.    c.1890           Adjoining church..

Kemps Creek    Lawn Cemetery, Western Road.       1966            Formerly Sydney Catholic Garden Cemetery –

now general. Still in use.

Kingswood       (see Penrith).

Lakemba          Moorfields Wesleyan Cemetery.      1855            Moorfields Road. Adjoining church.

Leets Vale        Methodist, Chaselings Road.          1843

Leichhardt         Balmain General Cemetery,             1868            In use to 1912. 10,900 burials. Converted to

Norton Street.                                                    Pioneer Park 1941 with no memorials.

Leppington       Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens.      1964            General cemetery, still in use.

Camden Valley Way.

Lewisham         St.Thomas, Petersham Catholic,      1863            Last plots sold 1884. Last burials 1925. Then Thomas St.                                                                         Lewisham Hospital. Monuments to Rookwood.

Lidcombe         (see Rookwood).

Little Bay          Prince Henry Hospital Cemetery      1881            Quarantine cemetery for hospital.

Liverpool          St.Lukes C of E,                            1818            All denominations in early years.

Lachlan St & Hume Highway.

Liverpool          Maclean St & Elizabeth Drive.         1894            Separate denominations, still in use.

Londonderry     Richmond Road.                            1851

Lower Portland  St.Roses Catholic,                        c.1840

Head    Half Moon Reach.

Luddenham       St.James C of E, Northern Rd.        1872

Luddenham       Methodist, Northern Road.              1889

Luddenham       Catholic.                                        1899

Manly               (see Balgowlah).

Manly               Quarantine Station, North Head      c.1832           3 distinct cemeteries.

Matraville          Botany Cemetery.                           1888            Originally 29.5 acres. In 1974 the 25 acres, containing remains from the Sydney Burial Ground in  1901 were added. Still in use.

(Now called Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park).Military & Bunnerong Roads.

Mays Hill          (see Parramatta).

McGraths Hill    High & Charles Streets.                   1851

Minchinbury      Pinegrove Memorial Park,               1962            General. Still in use.

Great Western Highway.

Mona Vale        St.Johns C of E, Pittwater Rd.        1871            Adjoining church.

Mona Vale        General Cemetery, Mona Vale Rd.   1914            Still in use.

Moorfields        (see Lakemba).

Mulgoa             St.Thomas C of E.                         1839

Narellan            St.Thomas C of E, Richardson St. c.1858

Newtown           Camperdown C of E. Cemetery,      1849            17,962 burials, last in 1950.

Church Street.                                                    Adjoining St.Stephens Church.

North Ryde       Macquarie Park Cemetery,              1922            Formerly Northern Suburbs, still in use.

Delhi Road.                                                       Separate denominations.

North Sydney    (see Crows Nest).

Northern Suburbs                                         (see North Ryde).

Parramatta        St.Johns, O’Connell Street.             1790            Mainly C of E., all denominations prior to 1825.

Parramatta        Methodist Cemetery,                      1838            Now a Memorial Park.

Cnr. Buller and Ross Streets.

Parramatta        Mays Hill Cemetery, Cnr.                 1839            Presbyterian from 1839. Baptist 1849.

Great Western Hwy & Steele Sts.                        Other Protestant denominations followed.

Parramatta        St.Patricks, Catholic                       1824            Now a Memorial park.

North          Cnr. Church St. & Pennant Hills Rd.

Parramatta        All Saints, C of E.                          1832            Small cemetery.

North                Cnr. Brickfield& Fennell Streets.

Pennant Hills     Methodist Cemetery.                      1846            Adjoining church. Small cemetery still in use.

West         New Line Road.

Penrith              St.Stephens C of E.                       1838

Penrith              Copeland Street.                           c.1910           Separate denominations.

Petersham        (see Lewisham).

Pitt Town          St.James C of E, Old Pitt Town Rd. c.1823          Registers commence 1826.

Pitt Town          Old Stock Route & Avondale Rd.    1901            General?

Pittwater           (see Church Point).

Portland Head   (see Ebenezer).

Prospect          St.Bartholomew C of E, Ponds Rd. 1841            Adjoining church.

Punchbowl        St.Saviour C of E,                          1878            Adjoining church.

Canterbury Road.

Randwick          St.Judes C of E, Avoca Street.       1855            Behind Church.

Randwick          (see Coogee – South).

Regentville        St.Johns Catholic.                          1834

Richmond         St.Peters C of E, Windsor St.         1814            All denominations in early years.

Richmond         St.Andrews Presbyterian.              c.1865

Riverstone        St.Philips C of E, Garfield Rd.        1849            Adjoining church.

Riverstone        General. Marsden Park.                  1898

Rockdale          Methodist Cemetery, Bay St.         c.1865           Adjoining church.

Rookwood        Necropolis. Very large cemetery      1868            Originally known as Haslem’s Creek. Still

in use. Separate denominations.

Rossmore         C of E.                                          1840

Rouse Hill         Christ Church C of E.                      1863

Rouse Hill         Castlebrook Lawn – General,           1963            Still in use.

Windsor Road.

Ryde                St.Annes C of E                             1826            Adjoining church. Very few burials after 1890.

Cnr. Church St. & Victoria Road.

Ryde                St.Charles Catholic.                        1852            Adjoining church.

Ryde                Baptist. Dobson Crescent.              1865

Sackville Reach Methodist.                                     1856            Adjoining chapel erected c.1839.

Sackville Reach St.Thomas C of E.                         1828

Smithfield         St.James C of E, Horsley Drive.     1860

Smithfield         Baptist. Horsley Drive.                    1869

Smithfield         General. Victoria Street.                  1877

Smithfield         Methodist.                                     1883

South Head      (see Vaucluse).

Spencer            General.                                        c.1862

St Leonards      Gore Hill General Cemetery.            1875            Closed April 1976.

Pacific Highway.

St Marys           St.Mary Magdalene C of E.           c.1845           Adjoining church.

South Creek.     Great Western Highway.

St Marys           Great Western Hwy. & Sydney St.   1883            Separate denominations.

St Peters          St.Peters C of E, Cooks River.       1838            Adjoining church. 3,200 burials. Closed 1897.

Princes Highway.

Sutherland        Woronora Genera! Cemetery.          1895            Large Cemetery, still in use.

Linden Street.                                                    Crematorium opened 1934.

Sydney City      Dawes Point.                                 1788            Built over.

Sydney City      Cnr. Clarence Street & Lane.           1790            Built over.

Sydney City      Old Burial Ground. George St.        1792            In use until 1819. Removed 1868 for

construction of the Town Hall.

Sydney City     Sydney Burial Ground. Between      1819            Closed 1888. Removed in 1901 for

Elizabeth& Devonshire Streets.                          construction of the Sydney Central Railway.

(Sandhills Cemetery).                                         Station.

Upper Colo       Comleroy Road.                             1845

Vaucluse          South Head Cemetery.                    1869            Still in use.

Young & Burke Sts. & South Head Road.

Waverley          General Cemetery. St.Thomas,        1877            Still in use.

Trafalgar & Boundary Streets.

Wilberforce       St.Johns C of E.                            1814            Registers commence 1826.

Windsor            St.Matthews C of E, Moses St.       1810            All denominations in early years.

Windsor            St.Matthews Catholic                     c.1822

Cnr. Macquarie St.& Richmond Rd.

Windsor            Presbyterian.                                  1839

Windsor            (see McGraths Hill).

Wisemans Ferry C of E.                                        c.1821

Woronora         (see Sutherland).

 

Note:                         

Burials may have taken place in some church cemeteries before the parish burial registers commenced. There were earlier burials on private property and by the roadside, for example convict road workers buried near where they died. Many persons were buried without clergy and were not recorded in church registers. In addition, private cemeteries existed (for example Johnston at Annandale Farm, Rowley at Kingston Farm and Lord family at St.Matthews C of E, Botany). The Rodd family vault at Rodd Point dates from c1880. The 1878 grave of William Carss is located in Carwar Avenue, Blakehurst. There are graves for the Jenkins family at Collaroy (c1900) and the Meurant family at Parklea (c1844). Some institutions and hospitals have cemeteries within their grounds, for example Kincoppal Convent at Rose Bay in Sydney.

These lists have been drawn up from secondary sources and may not be complete. The date of the first burial may be earlier in some instances than that given. We acknowledge with thanks the assistance of Richard d’Apice AM who provided some useful data and also Dr Lisa Murray of the National Trust (NSW) for granting access to the Trust’s Cemetery Index to enable us to check and, in a few instances, amend our listing.