St John's Cemetery, Parramatta

St John's Cemetery, Parramatta
Location1 O'Connell Street, Parramatta, City of Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates33°49′01″S 150°59′54″E / 33.8169°S 150.9984°E / -33.8169; 150.9984
Built1790–
Websitestjohnsonline.org
Official nameSt. John's Anglican Cemetery; First Fleet Cemetery; Saint Johns Cemetery; St Johns Cemetery
TypeState heritage (complex / group)
Designated2 April 1999
Reference no.49
TypeCemetery/Graveyard/Burial Ground
CategoryCemeteries and Burial Sites
St John's Cemetery, Parramatta is located in Sydney
St John's Cemetery, Parramatta
Location of St John's Cemetery, Parramatta in Sydney

St John's Cemetery, Parramatta, also known as St John's Anglican Cemetery, Saint John's Cemetery, and First Fleet Cemetery, is a heritage-listed cemetery at 1 O'Connell Street, Parramatta, City of Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.[1]

The cemetery is highly significant as it was established in 1790 as a general burial ground for all religious denominations making it the oldest surviving European cemetery in Australia.[2] It is also significant for being the final resting place of many notables, including over 50 First Fleet graves and well known early European settlers, such as the Reverend Samuel Marsden, his wife Elizabeth, land holder D'Arcy Wentworth and family, land holders and farmers the Blaxland family, Charles Fraser, soldier and colonial botanist, who was appointed the first superintendent of the Sydney Botanic Garden by Governor Macquarie in 1816,[3][4] and colonial bridge builder David Lennox, to name just a few.[1]

It was only when cemeteries dedicated to specific religious denominations were progressively established in Parramatta in the mid-nineteenth century that St John's finally became an Anglican burial ground specifically.[2] The historic cemetery was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[4]

  1. ^ a b "The Significance of St John's Cemetery, Parramatta". St. John's Cemetery Project. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b "History of St. John's Cemetery, Parramatta". St. John's Cemetery Project. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  3. ^ Davies, G., 2004, paraphrased by Stuart Read, 9/8/2013
  4. ^ a b "St. John's Anglican Cemetery". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00049. Retrieved 1 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence.