The English Cemetery in Málaga ( es, Cementerio Inglés de Málaga), or Anglican Cemetery, or Cemetery of St George, is the oldest non-Roman Catholic Christian

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 buri ...

established on mainland Spain.

History and description

The English Cemetery in Málaga, where St George's Anglican Church stands, is the result of the inspiration and concern of William Mark, who was

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

in Málaga from 1824 until 1836. In the eight years he had lived in Málaga before his appointment as Consul, he had looked “with great disgust” on the way Protestants had to be buried on the sea shore at dead of night, because those who professed a creed other than

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

could not be buried in consecrated ground, namely in the parish churches, monasteries and cemeteries of Málaga. Due to his persistent efforts, Mark was finally given permission to create a permanent cemetery on the Vélez road outside the walls of the city, thanks to the Royal Order of

Ferdinand VII , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Charles IV of Spain , mother = Maria Luisa of Parma , birth_date = 14 October 1784 , birth_place = El Escorial, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Madrid, Spain , burial_plac ...

, issued on 11 April 1830. The adjoining mortuary is now the church library. During the years immediately after 1830, the cemetery was greatly extended, and in 1839–40 a “lodge temple” was built in classical style with a small chapel and incorporating the cemetery guard's dwelling. With its fine Doric columns, this structure was adapted and enlarged in 1890–91 to become the present St George's Anglican Church. In 1856, a gatehouse was constructed in

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at the entrance to the cemetery. The cemetery covers over and contains more than 1,000 graves. The cemetery is also a

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with a number of unusual specimens of trees and plants. With several well-known people buried there, it has become one of Málaga's historical sites. In 2005 the cemetery gatehouse, for many years the home of the cemetery gardener, was renovated and now houses a small Visitors' Centre and gift shop as well as providing space for St George's Church lunches and other activities. The Gatehouse is staffed by volunteers, mainly from the church, and is providing a modest but steady income for both the church and the cemetery.

Ownership and management

From its inception, the cemetery was the property of the British Government. However, no funds had been provided for its upkeep for many years. After several years' work, formal registration of the English Cemetery in Málaga Foundation was granted on 13 July 2010. The Foundation is now responsible for the management of the cemetery. Its Board comprises three Spaniards, three Britons, one German and one Italian, and includes three members of St George's Church. (The church is administered by the

Chaplaincy A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intel ...

). The President of the Board is a former British Consul in Málaga.

Notable interments

Among the notables buried here are: * Robert Boyd (1805–31), revolutionary, executed with General Torrijos in a failed attempt to overthrow King

Gerald Brenan Edward FitzGerald "Gerald" Brenan, CBE, MC (7 April 1894 – 19 January 1987) was a British writer and hispanist who spent much of his life in Spain. Brenan is best known for ''The Spanish Labyrinth'', a historical work on the background t ...

(1894–1987),

writer * Geoffrey Beyts (1908-2000), British Brigadier who informed

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

she was the Queen on her father's death. *

Marjorie Grice-Hutchinson Marjorie Grice-Hutchinson MBE (26 May 1909 – 12 April 2003) was an English economist. Early life and education Marjorie Eileen Henrietta Grice-Hutchinson was born in 1909, in Eastbourne, Sussex, the daughter of George Grice-Hutchinson a ...

(1908–2003), English economist *

John Goodnow John Goodnow (June 29, 1858 – December 7, 1907) was a businessman and American diplomat who served for eight years as United States Consul General in Shanghai. Early life Goodnow was born June 29, 1858, in Greensburg, Indiana, the son of Lt ...

(1868–1907), United States Consul General, Shanghai *

Jorge Guillén Jorge Guillén Álvarez (; 18 January 18936 February 1984) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27, a university teacher, a scholar and a literary critic. In 1957-1958, he delivered the Charles Eliot Norton lectures at Harvard Un ...

(1893–1984),

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

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, a member of the

Generation of '27 The Generation of '27 ( es, Generación del 27) was an influential group of poets that arose in Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927, essentially out of a shared desire to experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. ...

* Aarne Haapakoski (1904–1961),

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writer * Henry Hamilton Bailey (1894–1961), influential author of surgical textbooks. *

Gamel Woolsey Gamel Woolsey (born Elizabeth Gammell Woolsey; May 28, 1897 – January 18, 1968) was an American poet, novelist and translator. Early life and education Woolsey was born on the Breeze Hill plantation in Aiken, South Carolina as Elizabeth Ga ...

(1895–1968), American poet and novelist and the Captain and some crew of the German corvette SMS ''Gneisenau'', wrecked off Málaga in 1900.

Gallery

File:Entrada cementerio inglés.jpg, Cemetery entrance File:Saint George Málaga.jpg, Saint George cemetery chapel File:Anglican Cemetery, Málaga 02.jpg, Grave decorated with scallops File:Vidriera Saint George.jpg, Stained glass of St. George at the cemetery File:Cementerio inglés Málaga5.jpg, Grave of Mary Ann (Annie) Plews

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:English Cemetery, Malaga Cemeteries in Spain Anglican cemeteries in Europe Buildings and structures in Málaga Tourist attractions in Andalusia