Wolvercote Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a bu ...

in the parish of

Wolvercote Wolvercote is a village that is part of the City of Oxford, England. It is about northwest of the city centre, on the northern edge of Wolvercote Common, which is itself north of Port Meadow and adjoins the River Thames. History The Domesd ...

and district of

Cutteslowe Cutteslowe is a suburb of north Oxford, England, between Sunnymead and Water Eaton. Archaeology and toponym The toponym "Cutteslowe" is derived from Old English. The earliest known record of it is from AD 1004 as ''Cuðues hlaye'', which seems ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, England. Its main entrance is on

Banbury Road Banbury Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, running from St Giles' at the south end, north towards Banbury through the leafy suburb of North Oxford and Summertown, with its local shopping centre. Parallel and to the west is the ...

and it has a side entrance in Five Mile Drive. It has a funeral

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

, public toilets and a small amount of car parking. It was awarded plaques as a category winner of 'Cemetery of the Year' in 1999 and 2001. The cemetery was opened in 1889 and now contains more than 15,000 burials. Along with the other Oxford public cemeteries it was expected to be full before 2021.

Sections

The cemetery has a number of sections for individual religions or ethnicities, including Baháʼí,

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

(first section dedicated 1894; extension 2000),

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous ( ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the population ...

, Polish Roman Catholic and other

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

(the section in which the Tolkiens are buried) and

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

. There is an area for the burial of

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...

remains, one for green burials and another for the burial of

stillborn Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The ter ...

s and infants.

Notable internments

Many notable people are buried in Wolvercote Cemetery, including many former academics of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. * Charles Umpherston Aitchison (1832–1896), Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab *

Michael Argyle Michael Argyle may refer to: * Michael Argyle (judge) (1915–1999), British judge *Michael Argyle (psychologist) Michael Argyle (11 August 1925, Nottingham – 6 September 2002) was one of the best known English social psychologists of the twe ...

(1925–2002), social psychologist, and his wife Sonia * Sir

Roger Bannister Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister (23 March 1929 – 3 March 2018) was an English neurologist and middle-distance athlete who ran the first sub-4-minute mile. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres an ...

(1929–2018), middle-distance runner and neurologist who ran the first sub-4-minute mile * Sir Ernest Bennett (1865–1947), Oxford fellow, politician, explorer and writer * Sir

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

(1909–1997), Latvian-born

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, and his wife Aline *

Benjamin Henry Blackwell Benjamin Henry Blackwell (10 January 1849 – 26 October 1924) was an English bookseller and politician who founded the Blackwell's chain of bookshops in Oxford. Blackwell was born at 46 High Street, St Clement's, Oxford, the son of librarian B ...

(1849–1924), bookseller * E. J. Bowen (1898–1980), chemist *

Włodzimierz Brus Włodzimierz Brus (; ; born Beniamin Zylberberg, 23 August 1921 – 31 August 2007) was an economist and party functionary in communist Poland. He emigrated from Poland in 1972, removed from power after the 1968 Polish political crisis. Brus spen ...

(1921–2007), economist, with his wife Lieutenant-Colonel

Helena Wolińska-Brus Helena Wolińska-Brus (born Fajga Mindla Danielak; 28 February 1919 – 26 November 2008) was a military prosecutor in postwar communist Poland with the rank of lieutenant-colonel (podpułkownik), involved in Stalinist regime show trials of the ...

(1919–2008), military prosecutor at

show trial A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt or innocence of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal the presentation of both the accusation and the verdict to the public so ...

s in

Stalinist Poland Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theor ...

in the 1950s *

John Burdon-Sanderson Sir John Scott Burdon-Sanderson, 1st Baronet, FRS, HFRSE D.Sc. (21 December 182823 November 1905) was an English physiologist born near Newcastle upon Tyne, and a member of a well known Northumbrian family. Biography He was born at Jesmond ...

(1828–1905), physiologist *

Humphrey Carpenter Humphrey William Bouverie Carpenter (29 April 1946 – 4 January 2005) was an English biographer, writer, and radio broadcaster. He is known especially for his biographies of J. R. R. Tolkien and other members of the literary society the Inkl ...

(1946–2005), biographer and writer * Jaroslav Černý (1898–1970), Czech Egyptologist *

Sir Thomas Chapman, 7th Baronet Sir Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman, 7th Baronet (6 November 1846 – 8 April 1919), was an Anglo-Irish landowner, the last of the Chapman baronets of Killua Castle in County Westmeath, Ireland. For many years he lived under the name of Thomas Ro ...

(1846–1919) and Sarah Junner (1861–1959), with inscriptions to the memory of their sons Frank, Will and T. E. Lawrence * Robert Bellamy Clifton (1836–1921), physicist * L. Jonathan Cohen (1923–2006), philosopher * Frank Cooper (1844–1927) and his wife Sarah Cooper (1848–1932), marmalade manufacturers * T. Lawrence Dale (1884–1959), architect and Oxford Diocesan Surveyor * John Louis Emil Dreyer (1852–1926), Danish-born astronomer *

Edward Gordon Duff Edward Gordon Duff (16 February 1863 – 28 September 1924), known as Gordon Duff, was a British bibliographer and librarian known for his works on early English printing. Career Duff was born in Liverpool on 16 February 1863. He was educated a ...

(1861–1924), bibliographer * Sir

Michael Dummett Sir Michael Anthony Eardley Dummett (27 June 1925 – 27 December 2011) was an English academic described as "among the most significant British philosophers of the last century and a leading campaigner for racial tolerance and equality." He ...

(1925–2011), philosopher *

Elizabeth Edmondson Elizabeth Mary Edmondson PLY (born 1 July 1950) is an Australian Paralympic competitor and current Australian Masters competitor in swimming. She became a paraplegic after contracting polio as a small child. She won several medals in the 196 ...

(1948–2016), author * Bill Ferrar (1893–1990), mathematician * Grace Eleanor Hadow (1875–1940), promoter of women's higher education *

H. L. A. Hart Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart (18 July 190719 December 1992), known simply as H. L. A. Hart, was an English legal philosopher. He was Professor of Jurisprudence (University of Oxford), Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University an ...

(1907–1992), legal philosopher and professor of

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning ...

* Sir Thomas Erskine Holland (1835–1926), professor of international law * Albert Hourani (1915–1993), scholar of

Middle Eastern history The Middle East, interchangeable with the Near East, is home to one of the Cradles of Civilization and has seen many of the world's oldest cultures and civilizations. The region's history started from the earliest human settlements and continue ...

* Elizabeth Jennings (1926–2001), poet *

Sir Francis Knowles, 5th Baronet Sir Francis Howe Seymour Knowles, 5th Baronet (13 January 1886 – 4 April 1953) was an English anthropologist and the fifth of the Knowles baronets. Francis Knowles and technology at the Pitt Rivers Museum Alison Petch, Researcher 'The Other Wit ...

(1886–1953), anthropologist *

Adam Koc Adam Ignacy Koc (31 August 1891 – 3 February 1969) was a Polish politician, MP, soldier, journalist and Freemason. Koc, who had several ''noms de guerre'' (Witold, Szlachetny, Adam Krajewski, Adam Warmiński and Witold Warmiński), fought ...

(1891–1969), politician, colonel and journalist of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...

* Peter Laslett (1915–2001), social historian *

James Legge James Legge (; 20 December 181529 November 1897) was a Scottish linguist, missionary, sinologist, and translator who was best known as an early translator of Classical Chinese texts into English. Legge served as a representative of the Londo ...

(1815–1897), Scottish

sinologist Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...

and first Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford * Eleanor Constance Lodge (1869–1936), historian and promoter of women's higher education * Paul Maas (1880–1964), Classical and Byzantine scholar * Michael Francis Madelin (1931–2007),

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as ...

* James McCann (1897–1983),

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

and Primate of All Ireland * Sir

Henry Christopher Mance Sir Henry Christopher Mance, (6 September 1840 – 21 April 1926) was a British electrical engineer and a former president of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He was knighted for developing the heliograph. Career Born in Exeter, he was ...

(1840–1926), electrical engineer, developer of the heliograph * Bruce Mitchell (1920–2010), Australian scholar of Old English * James Murray (1837–1915), Scottish

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoretica ...

and

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined ...

, primary editor of the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...

'' * Dimitri Obolensky (1918–2001), Russian prince and professor of Russian and

Balkan history The Balkans and parts of this area are alternatively situated in Southeast, Southern, Eastern Europe and Central Europe. The distinct identity and fragmentation of the Balkans owes much to its common and often turbulent history regarding centurie ...

* Daphne Park (1921–2010), spy * Professor David Patterson (1922–2005),

Hebraist A Hebraist is a specialist in Jewish, Hebrew and Hebraic studies. Specifically, British and German scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries who were involved in the study of Hebrew language and literature were commonly known by this designation, a ...

* William Henry Perkin Jr. (1860–1929), organic chemist * Sir William Schlich (1840–1925), forester *

James Allen Shuffrey James Allen Shuffrey (1858–1939) was a British Victorian and Edwardian watercolour artist particularly associated with Oxford and Oxfordshire. Early life and family James Allen Shuffrey was born in 1859 in Wood Green, Witney, Oxfordshire, ...

(1858–1939), Victorian and Edwardian watercolour artist * Franz Baermann Steiner (1909–1952),

ethnologist Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropolog ...

* John Stokes (1915–1990), Principal of

Queen's College, Hong Kong Queen's College () is a sixth form college for boys with a secondary school and the first public secondary school founded in Hong Kong by the British colonial government. It was initially named The Government Central School () in 1862 and l ...

* P. F. Strawson (1919–2006), philosopher * J. R. R. Tolkien ("Beren", 1892–1973), author and academic, with his wife

Edith Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

("Lúthien", 1889–1971) and eldest son John Francis Reuel Tolkien (1917–2003) * Dino Toso (1969–2008), automotive engineer *

Brian Tovey Sir Brian John Maynard Tovey (15 April 1926 – 23 December 2015) was a British intelligence analyst who was director of the British signals intelligence agency, GCHQ, a post he held from 1978 to 1983. Career Born in London, Tovey was educated a ...

(1926–2015), head of

GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the Uni ...

* Francis Fortescue Urquhart (1868–1934), first Roman Catholic fellow of

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

in modern times *

Mike Woodin Michael Edward Woodin (6 November 1965 – 9 July 2004) was the Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales and a city councillor for Oxford from 1994 to 2004. He was Principal Speaker for six of the eight years between 1998 and 2 ...

(1965–2004),

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

politician * E. M. Wright (1906–2005), mathematician

War graves

The cemetery includes the graves of 44

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

service personnel: 21 from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and 23 from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Breakdown of figures obtained from casualties record

References

External links

* {{Cemeteries in England 1889 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1889 Cemeteries in Oxford Christianity in Oxford Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in England J. R. R. Tolkien

Sections

Notable internments

War graves

See also

References

External links