York Cemetery is a cemetery located in the city of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Founded in 1837, it now encompasses 24 acres (97,000 m²) and is owned and administered by The York Cemetery Trust with support of the Friends of York Cemetery. It is situated on Cemetery Road in the

Fishergate Fishergate is a street and surrounding area of York, England. History Fishergate runs along a strip of slightly raised ground, east of the River Ouse. Archaeological investigations have found evidence of prehistoric occupation, before the ...

area of York. It has approximately 28,000 graves and over 17,000 monuments, six of which are

Grade II-listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The chapel is a Grade II* listed building, while the gatehouse, gate and railings are Grade II. The architect of these buildings and the grounds was

James Pigott Pritchett James Pigott Pritchett (14 October 1789 – 23 May 1868) was an English architect. He lived in London and York and his practice stretched from Lincolnshire to the Scottish borders. Personal life Pritchett was born on 14 October 1789 to Char ...

History

The York Public Cemetery Company was formed in 1837 to provide better burial facilities for the citizens of York – whatever their station in life – than those offered by the overcrowded parish and non-conformist graveyards in the city. Initially, it had to compete with the other graveyards in the city, but, because of their unsatisfactory condition, they were all closed by an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

in December 1854. From 1855 then, until the 1940s, the cemetery expanded to its present size of by buying all the adjacent land that was available. As a result, it prospered and paid good dividends to its shareholders. By the 1960s, however, with the cemetery nearly full, it became clear that it was no longer financially viable and that the high returns previously enjoyed by the shareholders could not be sustained. With prospects of very little income to pay wages and cover the maintenance of the site the company, in June 1966, went into voluntary liquidation. When the process was completed in 1979, there was nothing of commercial value left, only the land containing over 28,000 graves, 17,000 monuments and two listed buildings in an advanced state of disrepair. The abandoned site devolved to

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

. The Cemetery became an overgrown and derelict wilderness. Then in June 1984, the roof of the chapel gave up its unequal struggle against the elements and collapsed bringing down part of the rear wall with it. This single event stimulated a group of local people to take the action, which led to the formation of York Cemetery Trust, a registered charity. After two and a half years of planning, negotiation and fund-raising, the Crown Commissioners sold York Cemetery to the Trust for a nominal sum. On 13 February 1987, the Trust became the owners of the new

freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England * Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

of the whole site with the responsibility of continuing the burial business, using the site for educational purposes and restoring the chapel and gatehouse. Now a small staff of permanent employees, assisted by many volunteers who contribute in many ways, help to maintain and develop the wild and beautiful site, rich in local history, genealogy and ecology as well as ensuring that it can still continue its original purpose as a burial place for the citizens of York.

Notable interments

* Thomas Cooke (1807–1868), optical instrument manufacturer * John Phillips (1800–1874), geologist * John Kenrick (1788–1877), classical historian * William Hewson (1806–1870), theological writer *

(1789–1868), architect *

Joseph Terry Sir Joseph Terry (7 January 182812 January 1898) was a British confectioner, industrialist and Conservative politician who served as Lord Mayor of York on three occasions. He had previously served as a deputy mayor through his role as town s ...

(1828–1898), confectioner * John Petty (1807–1868), Primitive Methodist minister * Lord Roy Sutcliffe (1929–2001). * Lady Elizabeth Sutcliffe (1933–1998). The cemetery contains the graves of 236 Commonwealth service personnel from both

world war A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

References

External links

York Cemetery Main WebsiteYork Cemetery Genealogy Website
{{Cemeteries in England Cemeteries in North Yorkshire Geography of York 1837 establishments in England Grade II listed buildings in York Grade II* listed buildings in York Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in England