Cornelian Bay Cemetery
Jun. 25th, 2011 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xenithThis is Cornelian Bay Cemetery in Hobart. I went up there last year, January it seems, so I'm a bit slow... Anyway, I went up to take a photo of the French flag.
Doesn't every Australian cemetery of any size have a French flag? More about the flag later.
There are other interesting things in here, so I took photos of some of them too so you can have a look.
As usual, italics are used for transcriptions of information provided at the site.
Background first. Like any respectable city, the many cemeteries in central Hobart were closed down years ago (I say central, because I know there's at least one small cemetery on the eastern shore, so I assume others small cemeteries in other outlying suburbs). Some were converted to parks (including one where I often walked my dog past the headstone of an ancestor's second wife/step-mother without realising. Johnson is a common name.), some to school grounds, some to housing developments.
The new cemetery, at Cornelian Bay, was opened in 1872, bordering the river on what was sometime previously the Government farms. The area was divided up among the various religious denominations, the space allocated decided from the previous census. Headstones from other cemeteries were relocated here, which is where the French flag comes in.
At various points, there are signs pointing to graves of interest. Of course, it wasn't always obvious where the relevant grave was, and I didn't go searching them out, but I did note the ones I saw.
I will resist the obvious pun about the view, but it's hard.
St Johns Park Headstones and Queenborough Memorial
St Johns Park, in New Town, had a large cemetery near the church and old orphanage buildings, which today is cleared ground except for one monument.
The wall at the back says
Sacred to the memory of those who were reinterred at Cornelian Bay from the Queenborough Cemetery 1960-1963
Queenborough was down south, in the Sandy Bay. It operated as a cemetery from 1873 until the early-20th century which is about as much as I know but for more information the Oval has a Wikipedia page
The relocated headstones have been arranged by type. I'm sure that was a good idea at the time.
There are a lot of graves in this area. Seriously. About 5000 I think.
I think my mother great-grandfather was buried here. OK I know the man in question was, but I can't be sure he's same man who fathered her grandfather.
In memory of all those interred in the pauper burial area -- the grave sites are unknown.
November 1872 - March 1935
Like the aforementioned mystery man, many of those buried here were probably residents of the New Town Charitable Institution. One side effect of dumping thousands of men on the far side of the world is breaking family ties which weren't always renewed, so when the men become too old to work, they have no one to support them, and ended up here. (Women generally seemed to fare better in that regard, I guess because there were less of them and they were more like to have children about.)
John Lord Vault
Designed by William Henry Lord, Colonial architect
Constructed 1876
The big, white one. I guess he was a son of David Lord, because he is buried there (the name on the right face). Major land owner, the "richest man in the colony", who seemed to do a good imitation of a squatter.
I missed the foremost sign, or it was something routine, like "Toilets --->".
I forgot to take a photo of the sign for this "brave but unfortunate Irishman".
Something made me think some of these had been relocated. Oh yeah, the dates :)
The tall monument is for Judah Solomon, died 1856, brother and business partner of Joseph, and donator of land for the Hobart synagogue
Hobart War Cemetery
The Cornelian Bay Public Cemetery contains the graves of the Australian Military Forces who died during the Second World War. They include 9 RAN, 56 Australian Army and 10 RAAF personnel. Forty-two of these are buried in the War Cemetery which also contains the graves of 9 World War I veterans who died during the Second World War.
The monument, along with a list of names, says
In memory of the Rabaul Garrison who made the supreme sacrifice in 1924.
"They Shall Not Grow Old"
The panel on the gate, about the war cemetery, says
A second memorial in the cemetery, the Rabaul Memorial is dedicated to 39 Tasmanian soldiers of "Lark Force", the Australian Army contingent charged with the defence of Rabaul, New Britain, against the Japanese in 1942
Blacksmith's Forge
Constructed circa 1830 as part of the former government farms.
And back to the flag.
The French Monument
An expedition commanded by Dumont d'Urville of the L'Astrolabe put ashore in Hobart Town in 1839. 20 sailors and 4 lieutenants had died en route from Suva and were buried at sea. On arrival 2 more died in Hobart Town and were given a full Naval funeral. They were buried at the Catholic Cemetery, Barrack Street (now St. Virgil's College).
There's a bit more to the story (disease and quarantine maybe) but I can't recall or find it.
Picture of original graves
Doesn't every Australian cemetery of any size have a French flag? More about the flag later.
There are other interesting things in here, so I took photos of some of them too so you can have a look.
As usual, italics are used for transcriptions of information provided at the site.
Background first. Like any respectable city, the many cemeteries in central Hobart were closed down years ago (I say central, because I know there's at least one small cemetery on the eastern shore, so I assume others small cemeteries in other outlying suburbs). Some were converted to parks (including one where I often walked my dog past the headstone of an ancestor's second wife/step-mother without realising. Johnson is a common name.), some to school grounds, some to housing developments.
The new cemetery, at Cornelian Bay, was opened in 1872, bordering the river on what was sometime previously the Government farms. The area was divided up among the various religious denominations, the space allocated decided from the previous census. Headstones from other cemeteries were relocated here, which is where the French flag comes in.
At various points, there are signs pointing to graves of interest. Of course, it wasn't always obvious where the relevant grave was, and I didn't go searching them out, but I did note the ones I saw.
I will resist the obvious pun about the view, but it's hard.
St Johns Park Headstones and Queenborough Memorial
St Johns Park, in New Town, had a large cemetery near the church and old orphanage buildings, which today is cleared ground except for one monument.
The wall at the back says
Sacred to the memory of those who were reinterred at Cornelian Bay from the Queenborough Cemetery 1960-1963
Queenborough was down south, in the Sandy Bay. It operated as a cemetery from 1873 until the early-20th century which is about as much as I know but for more information the Oval has a Wikipedia page
The relocated headstones have been arranged by type. I'm sure that was a good idea at the time.
There are a lot of graves in this area. Seriously. About 5000 I think.
I think my mother great-grandfather was buried here. OK I know the man in question was, but I can't be sure he's same man who fathered her grandfather.
In memory of all those interred in the pauper burial area -- the grave sites are unknown.
November 1872 - March 1935
Like the aforementioned mystery man, many of those buried here were probably residents of the New Town Charitable Institution. One side effect of dumping thousands of men on the far side of the world is breaking family ties which weren't always renewed, so when the men become too old to work, they have no one to support them, and ended up here. (Women generally seemed to fare better in that regard, I guess because there were less of them and they were more like to have children about.)
John Lord Vault
Designed by William Henry Lord, Colonial architect
Constructed 1876
The big, white one. I guess he was a son of David Lord, because he is buried there (the name on the right face). Major land owner, the "richest man in the colony", who seemed to do a good imitation of a squatter.
I missed the foremost sign, or it was something routine, like "Toilets --->".
I forgot to take a photo of the sign for this "brave but unfortunate Irishman".
Something made me think some of these had been relocated. Oh yeah, the dates :)
The tall monument is for Judah Solomon, died 1856, brother and business partner of Joseph, and donator of land for the Hobart synagogue
Hobart War Cemetery
The Cornelian Bay Public Cemetery contains the graves of the Australian Military Forces who died during the Second World War. They include 9 RAN, 56 Australian Army and 10 RAAF personnel. Forty-two of these are buried in the War Cemetery which also contains the graves of 9 World War I veterans who died during the Second World War.
The monument, along with a list of names, says
In memory of the Rabaul Garrison who made the supreme sacrifice in 1924.
"They Shall Not Grow Old"
The panel on the gate, about the war cemetery, says
A second memorial in the cemetery, the Rabaul Memorial is dedicated to 39 Tasmanian soldiers of "Lark Force", the Australian Army contingent charged with the defence of Rabaul, New Britain, against the Japanese in 1942
Blacksmith's Forge
Constructed circa 1830 as part of the former government farms.
And back to the flag.
The French Monument
An expedition commanded by Dumont d'Urville of the L'Astrolabe put ashore in Hobart Town in 1839. 20 sailors and 4 lieutenants had died en route from Suva and were buried at sea. On arrival 2 more died in Hobart Town and were given a full Naval funeral. They were buried at the Catholic Cemetery, Barrack Street (now St. Virgil's College).
There's a bit more to the story (disease and quarantine maybe) but I can't recall or find it.
Picture of original graves
