Old Cemetery Site

Parent Place or Precinct

02864 Blandstown Heritage Precinct

Statement of Significance

The site of St John’s Anglican Church and Cemetery (1845-1874) is significant as the original cemetery in York and the burial ground for early colonial pioneers of all denominations; individuals who contributed to the development of York and the region, from prominent families such as the Burges, Clifton, Cowan, Gregory, Meares, Parker and Wittenoom, and many others across a wide social strata, some of whose descendants still live in the region. It is also significant as the site of the original Anglican Church in York (1842), and the pioneering associations with that church. It retains some aesthetic value as the memorial setting on the landmark entry into Avon Terrace that contributes to the town’s historic character.

Physical Description

Headstones have been relocated and laid out to form the footprint of the c.1842 St John's Church, which was relocated in 1901 to Holy Trinity Anglican Church, York (1854) as that church's hall. Despite their relocation of headstones, the original burials remain in situ.

History

Many of the European settlers in the York district were deeply religious Anglicans who built the first church in York, a mud brick church, St John the Evangelist, in c.1840, capable of seating 100 people central within a 1 acre designated graveyard in Blandstown. Many of the names of those buried there are those of prominent European pioneers of the district, and less prominent. It served as a general burial ground for all denominations until 1874 when cemetery land was allocated on Mount Brown.
In 1947 the Anglican Church requested that York Municipal Council’s Cemetery Board take over St John Anglican Cemetery. At which time it was stated to have been unused for at least 65 years and in a deplorable state. It was proposed that headstones should be removed and a commemorative plaque put in place. It was also recognised that it was the only cemetery in the early days and that although it was an Anglican church, burials were in the respective denominations.
After much deliberation and consultation including with decedents and connections with those who were interred in the cemetery, in 1952, the land was transferred.
In 1963, about 25 headstones remained upright over part of the area. The earliest dated monument remaining at that time was that of Ellen Seymour Meares 1854, although it was known that the oldest burial was Eliza Wittenoom, née Waters, mother of the colonial chaplain was buried there in 1845.
In the 1960s, when the Council decided to build new shire offices on nearby land, they tidied up the site, gathered up the grave markers, with the wooden ones going into storage until the Residency Museum opened, and the remaining stone monuments (28) were inserted into a cruciform form concrete slab approximating the site of the first St John’s Church.
Today, only two graves remain; marked by cast iron surrounds. One of these being for a prominent European pioneer, Richard Goldsmith Meares and his wife Ellen Seymour. She died in 1854, and he in 1862.
Despite the relocation of headstones, the original burials remain in situ. In 2010, human remains were found when contractors were digging a service trench beside Balladong Street in land that had been part of the former cemetery site. The remains were identified as historical, and the local police cleared them for removed to allow construction work to proceed. The remains were reburied in a small ceremony held by The York Society.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low
Authenticity: Low

Condition

Fair/good

Uses

Creation Date

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Last Update

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