East Perth Cemeteries
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

East Perth Cemeteries was the first cemetery established for the Swan River Colony in 1829 in
East Perth East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...
,
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. It is estimated that as many as 10,000 people were buried there between 1829 and 1919 in seven independently administered denominations or sections which is why the place is known as 'East Perth Cemeteries'. Only around 800 gravesites have been identified. A large section of the original site has since been built over, leaving about 5 hectares (12.5 acres) remaining. The site, which is a short distance from Gloucester Park and the
WACA Ground The WACA Ground () is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA). The WACA has been referred to as Western Australia' ...
, is now bounded by Plain Street, East Perth, Wittenoom Street, Bronte Street and Waterloo Crescent.


History

The cemetery site was surveyed by
John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in ...
on 24 December 1829 soon after the central portions of the Perth townsite had been surveyed. The area was originally known as ''Cemetery Hill'' and was established in 1830. The first burial was of Private John Mitchell from the 63rd regiment. Mitchell died on 6 January 1830; the exact location of his grave site is unknown. A public notice from
Peter Broun Peter Nicholas Broun (17 August 1797 – 5 November 1846), known for most of his life as Peter Nicholas Brown, was the first Colonial Secretary of Western Australia, and a member of Western Australia's first Legislative Council. Early life Pet ...
, the Colonial Secretary on 13 February 1830 said: "to prevent indiscriminate Burials and unpleasant consequences arising therefrom in a warm climate, a Burial Ground will be set apart in Every Township or Parish ... burials will take place in them only and a Register will be kept ... all Burials by the Chaplain will be restricted to times as soon after sunrise as possible, or an hour precisely before sunset..." As it happened, both Broun and Roe were buried in the cemetery and their tombstones are still visible. The Trustees of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
were granted Perth Town Lot R1 as a general cemetery in 1842. The cemetery was
consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
in 1848, and over the following decades sections of this were granted to various other denominations and ethnic groups with each cemetery being owned and controlled separately. The subsequent grants were:
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
(1848); "
Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...
ism" (i.e.
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
; 1854);
Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...
(1854); "
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
" (i.e.
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish 1867);
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
(1881); and
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
(1888). Each of the grants were administered independently, with the exception of the Chinese section. In 1899,
Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...
became the main burial ground in close proximity to Perth, and from July that year burials officially ceased at East Perth, except where special applications were made to use family graves. The cemetery was used intermittently from then until the last burial in 1919. Throughout most of the 1900s, the grounds, which adjoined an industrial area, were subject to vandalism and neglect. Appeals from individuals and the
Royal Western Australian Historical Society Royal Western Australian Historical Society has for many decades been the main association for Western Australians to collectively work for adequate understanding and protection of the cultural heritage of Perth and Western Australia. History T ...
for it to be refurbished given its historical significance continued over some time. In 1931, ''
the Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' reported: In the 1930s, the various church authorities relinquished control of the individual grants and the entire site was then re-vested as
Crown land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...
and declared a disused burial ground. From the mid-1930s, control and responsibility for the grounds moved between various government departments and numerous projects were undertaken to refurbish the historic site. Much of the area devoted to the Chinese, Jewish and Presbyterian sections was originally located west of Plain Street, and an unused Anglican section was located south of Bronte Street. In the late 1940s, these sections were excised and existing headstones removed. Some land west of Plain Street was used by the former Perth Girls' School. Fences separating the individual cemeteries were removed and those areas are now roadways, carparks and commercial and residential buildings. An access road called ''Forrest Avenue'' (previously ''Cemetery Road'') crossed diagonally over the block which now houses the multi-storey Don Aitken Centre. Extensions of Wickham and Horatio Streets have been incorporated into the grounds. A major redevelopment project in the late 1980s provided for landscaping and perimeter fencing to protect the church and remaining monuments from vandalism. In 1994, the
National Trust of Western Australia The National Trust of Western Australia, officially the National Trust of Australia (W.A.), is a statutory authority that delivers heritage services, including conservation and interpretation, on behalf of the Western Australian government and co ...
became responsible for the management and conservation of the East Perth Cemeteries after being approached by the
Department of Conservation and Land Management The Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) was a department of the Government of Western Australia that was responsible for implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations. It was created by the ...
. The East Perth Cemeteries are significant for the following reasons: * the place is a rare surviving group of colonial cemeteries which have retained a high degree of integrity and authenticity within the central business district of an Australian capital city * the place is associated with the growth of Perth from a small colonial community to a thriving metropolis and contains the graves from a cross-section of its first colonists from the 1830s–1890s. The place is also associated with a number of public servants and religious leaders who were important to the development of colonial Perth * the place displays the changes in headstone and cemetery design between 1830–1899 and holds important genealogical information on many Western Australian families * the place contains the only mortuary chapel, constructed in Western Australia, which was later converted to function as a parish church and, * the place offers a landscape setting and experience of isolation, tranquility and simplicity that provides a rare contrast to the more verdant, intensely developed public landscapes within the City of Perth. The National Trust of Australia (WA) is responsible for conservation works, landscape maintenance and education and learning programs for local schools. The Trust is reliant on grants for ongoing conservation works and also has the support of valued volunteers who act as guides and assist with conservation, maintenance and managing burial records. Much of the retained burial ground lacks visible signs of graves or markers, partly because perishable timber crosses and monuments were used for burials of the poor.


St Bartholomew's Church

The Anglican St Bartholomew's Church is the sole building still standing within the grounds. It was built as a mortuary chapel in 1848. In about 1870 an extension designed by colonial architect
Richard Roach Jewell Richard Roach Jewell (1810 in Barnstaple, Devon, England – 1891 in Perth, Western Australia) was an architect who designed many of the important public buildings in Perth during the latter half of the nineteenth century. He was employed to sup ...
was incorporated and the enlarged building was consecrated as a parish church by the first Bishop of Perth,
Mathew Blagden Hale Mathew Blagden Hale (18 June 1811 – 3 April 1895), very frequently spelled "Matthew", was the first Anglican bishop of Perth and then the Anglican bishop of Brisbane. Hale is recognised for seeking to empower the South Australian Aborigina ...
on 16 February 1871. The church was further extended in 1900 with the enlargement of the
sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
and
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
. These extensions were consecrated on 22 March 1900 by
Charles Owen Leaver Riley Charles Owen Leaver Riley (26 May 1854 – 23 June 1929) was the first Anglican Archbishop of Perth, Western Australia. Early years Riley was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, the eldest child of the Reverend Lawrence William Riley, ...
, the third Bishop of Perth. St Batholomew's became a popular place of worship for many of the wealthier and predominantly Anglican households in the city which typically lived on
Adelaide Terrace Adelaide Terrace is a major arterial road through the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River, linking St Georges Terrace with The Causeway. Route description Adelaide Terrace's eastern end is ...
and overlooked the Swan River. Attendances declined, however, from about the 1930s when many of Perth and East Perth residents moved to West Perth and other more socially acceptable areas. It was refurbished in 1954 but ceased to function as a parish church in 1963 and for a period operated as a refuge for homeless men from nearby St Bartholomew's House. In November 2002 the Perth Diocese recommenced services at the church and these continue to be held on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays of each month. The church and the East Perth Cemeteries were Classified by the National Trust of Australia (WA) in 1973; entered on the
Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...
in 1978 and added to the State Register of Heritage Places in 1992.


Timeline

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


See also

*
Burials at East Perth Cemeteries Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objects ...


References


Further reading

* Bodycoat, Ronald. (1992) ''The East Perth Cemeteries conservation plan: prepared for the National Trust of Australia (WA)'' Perth, W.A: National Trust of Australia * Easton, Leonard A., and Shardlow, R.H.(1980) ''The East Perth cemetery and Saint Bartholomew's Church'' Perth: National Trust of Australia (W.A.) * Oldham, Ray, (1988) ''The old East Perth Cemetery, 1829–1988'' in. Early days, Vol. 9, pt. 6 (1988), p. 89–97, * Richardson, James A. and Davies, David (1986) ''East Perth Cemetery : resting place of Western Australian pioneers'' Perth, W.A: Royal Western Australian Historical Society, Based on Surveys 1983–1986 for the Royal Western Australian Historical Society, Inc.".


External links


Friends of Battye Library / National Trust of Australia

National Trust of Australia


{{subject bar , auto=y , portal1=Western Australia , portal2=Modern history Cemeteries in Western Australia State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Perth East Perth, Western Australia National Trust of Western Australia Western Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate 1829 establishments in Australia