Grave concerns: Exploring the history of the British cemetery and its uncertain future

The cemetery – defined as a burial ground without an attached primary church or chapel – is a place where artistic, architectural, horticultural, historical, and literary interests are combined. Many were planned as places of botanical and geological instruction, while the epitaphs, extolling the moral virtues of the deceased, were intended to encourage emulation by the living. Appreciating their great value is a vital step towards ensuring that these spaces do not succumb to neglect and decline, as Chris Catling reports.

Historic England’s newly published history of the British cemetery (covering England, Scotland, and Wales, but touching only lightly on Northern Ireland; see ‘Further reading’ below) begins with an impassioned statement by the authors – Brent Elliott, former Librarian at the Royal Horticultural Society, and Roger Bowdler, former Director of Listing at English Heritage/Historic England – saying that cemeteries matter: they tell us about ‘life, society, taste, custom, religious attitudes, geology, patterns of consumption, cultural inspiration, and much else besides’.

Many British towns and cities had cemeteries even before they had public parks, providing places for promenading against the backdrop of horticultural display and the moral uplift of tomb sculpture and epitaphs. These realms of the dead exemplify all the competing schools of thought about garden design that raged during the 19th century, from naturalistic parks and informal arboretums to the strictest of geometrical designs. They often contain the town’s main tree collection, and they are home to many of the nations’ champion trees – exceptional examples of their species.

The tomb of John St John Long (d. 1842) in Kensal Green Cemetery, London, features a domed canopy sheltering a statue of Hygeia, goddess of health. The epitaph speaks admiringly of his medical work, though his claim to be able to cure tuberculosis led to the deaths of two patients for which he was twice tried for manslaughter. The coroner at the second trial called him ‘a dishonest and tricking nave’.

All this is augmented by the theatricality of the tombs and memorials, their masonry and sculpture, their geology, design, artistry, lettering, symbolism, and poetry. Their inscriptions clamour for our attention, calling out to the visitor in the form of appeals for remembrance and messages for future generations. As anyone who has visited Highgate Cemetery will confirm, the visual effect of myriad eclectic memorials jostling for attention has its own allure.

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