Headstones -- St Davids Parks

[xenith]

I think St David's Park is easily the most interesting cemetery I visit regularly. Not that it's a cemetery now, because most of the headstones were removed and placed in walls.



The area they once occupied is now a rather nice city park. I have photos of the headstones & monuments still in place on my website.


The memorial walls, with the moved headstones, are down a level from the park. As a, let's call it a collection of gravestones stones, it must be one of the oldest in the country, certainly in the state. Some of the burials date back to the earliest days of British occupation of the island. Most headstones from then have either disappeared, or occur in here and there, often unreadable, among newer graves.


If you stop and read them, or even glance at the names and numbers as you hurry past, there's a story being told here. This is only a small selection of the stones, from part of the wall between the steps and the gate to Salamance place. They were chosen just on the basis of readability (most the letters have been painted black) so it's good representation even if it doesn't offer much of the story. Maybe I'll get more next time.

-------- MEMORY of ELIZABETH RATCLIFF WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE FEB. 7th 1835 AGED 11 MONTHS Sarah Margaret Whittaker who Departed this life February 1831 Aged 5 Months Also John George Hance Whittaker who Departed this life 1st June 1836 Aged 2 Years 2 Months

Harriet Ann eldest Daughter of Thos & Harriet Cruttendon late of Hawkhurst in the County of Kent. She Landed in this Colony on the 21st Dec. 1833 and died on the 31st of the same month Aged 35 years.

TO THE Memory of CAPTAIN JOHN LAUGHTON Aged 33 Years who was unfortunately Drowned off Maria Island 1827 leaving behind him a Wife and 3 Children to deplore his loss. This Stone is erected by his Eldest Son ALSO TO THE MEMORY of ELIZABETH Wife of the above who died Oct 11 1869 Aged 75 Years

TO THE MEMORY OF RICHARD UNDERWOOD DIED JULY 29TH 1830 AGED 28 YEARS

MARYANN PRIEST Died 25 Decr 1829 Aged 4 Months and ten days ALSO THOMAS WILLIAM PRIEST Died the 9 Janry 1831 Aged Seven Weeks and 3 days

THE MEMORY OF WILLIAM SPENCER HAN-- DIED Dec. 25th 1829 Aged 3 Months

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF RICHARD PITT WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE MAY 14 1826 AGED 61 YEARS ARRIVED IN THIS COLONY IN THE YEAR 1804 WITH HIS HONOR GOVERNOR COLLINS ALSO OF FREDERICK FRANCIS Youngest Son of M Francis and Maria Pitt and grandson of the above Richard Pitt who died April 12 1837 Aged 1? M---

Departed this life December the 14 1819 Aged 12 Years George Weston a native Boy which has been 8 Years under the protec tion of Mr Charles Connelly who has Erected this Stone to his memory

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF LACHLAN M. SORELL THE INFANT SON OF LT GOVERNOR SORELL WHO DIED OCTOBER 20th 1822 AGED FOUR WEEKS AND FOUR DAYS SLEEP ON FAIR FORM THE ALMIGHTYS' WILL BE DONE THEN RISE UNCHANGED AND BE AN ANGEL STILL to the memory of JACOB BELLETT a Free Settler who depd this Life on the 2nd Dec. 1815 aged 27 years

in memory of T. HEATH who was drowned on the 15th of Sep. 1814 Aged 25 Years SACRED to the memory of Mr H HAYES

George Kearly was Born July the 9 1804 and died the 15th Joseph Kearly was Born May the 30th 1805 And died 5th of Aug George Kearly the first white male child born in Tasmania