Witton Cermetery view towards Birmingham

Witton Cemetery (), which opened in Witton in 1863 as Birmingham City Cemetery, is the largest

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Covering an area of , it once had three chapels; however, two of these were demolished in 1980. The cemetery would perform up to 20 burials a day; however, it was declared "full to capacity" in December 2013, allowing burials only in existing family plots, or of babies or cremated remains. Extra capacity was therefore provided at the nearby New Hall Cemetery. The cemetery office was opened in 1999.

History

Started in May 1860 and consecrated by the

Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary (officer), head of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in the ...

on 23 May 1863, it was the only cemetery owned by the Corporation of Birmingham until 1911, when an expansion of the city boundary brought in others.''In The Midst of Life - A History of the Burial Grounds of Birmingham'', Joseph McKenna, Birmingham Library Services, 1992, Key Hill and Warstone Lane Cemetery were private concerns. It opened in 1863 with an area of . In 1869, were bought by the Jewish community for their interments, forming Birmingham Hebrew Congregation Cemetery, at the north of the site, across College Road. In 1882 an

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

was constructed to replace the monuments that were previously at The Old Meeting House chapel, which itself was demolished to make way for New Street railway station.Nicholson, Jean et al: ''The Obelisks of Warwickshire'', p. 46. Brewin Books, 2013

War graves

The cemetery contains 459 Commonwealth service war graves from

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, over 200 of whom form three denominational war graves plots marked by screen walls bearing names of those buried within the plots and elsewhere in the cemetery whose graves could not be marked by headstones.
CWGC Cemetery report. There are 224 Commonwealth war graves from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the highest concentration (31 burials) in a small war graves plot in Sections 55 and 56, and the rest are scattered individually in the rest of the cemetery. The names of 12 service personnel of that war whose graves could not be marked by

CWGC The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

headstones were added to the screen wall at the World War I plots.

Notable burials

* Private George Ravenhill (1872–1921), VC recipient

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

. Grave currently (2012) unmarked.
Burial Locations for VC Holders, city of Birmingham. * William Snook, athlete (1861–1916). Died in workhouse hospital, his funeral paid for by former running club

Birchfield Harriers Birchfield Harriers is an sport of athletics, athletics club, founded in 1877. Its home is at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, England. As well as welcoming recreational runners they cater for all levels of experience up to and including Olympi ...

. * Sergeant Arthur Vickers (1882–1944), VC recipient

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. *

John Cadbury John Cadbury (12 August 1801 – 11 May 1889) was an English Quaker and businessperson, who founded the Cadbury chocolate company in Birmingham, England. He was also involved in activism and philanthropy, championing workers' rights, environment ...

(1801–1889) was the proprietor of a small chocolate business in Birmingham, England, that later became

Cadbury plc Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...

. * James Guidney (1782–1866), former soldier and pedlar

References

External links

Birmingham City Council page
{{Cemeteries in England Cemeteries in Birmingham, West Midlands Anglican cemeteries in the United Kingdom 1863 establishments in the United Kingdom