The English Cemetery, ''Il Cimitero degli Inglesi'', or more correctly, ''Il Cimitero acattolico di Santa Maria delle Fede'', is located near Piazza Garibaldi,

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Italy. It was the final resting place of many

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

, Americans,

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, Scottish and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

who lived in Naples, were passing through on the

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

, or were merchants or seamen.

History

The cemetery was the burial place of the (mainly foreign)

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

who died in Naples, although people of other religions ended up here as well. It was a unique memorial to the foreigners who formed part of the commercial elite of Naples at that time. The cemetery was closed for burials in 1893 and its maintenance given over to the British consulate. Over the following half-century what was once a romantic memory of the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

of 18th-century Naples was scandalously allowed to fall into disrepair. Statues were vandalized and stolen and the entire cemetery became overgrown with weeds and vegetation. At the end of the 1950s the cemetery was donated to the Comune of Naples and a plan was drawn up for the re-utilization of the area. This foresaw the conversion of the cemetery into a public park, retaining some of the memorials as a reminder of the history of the cemetery and those interred in it. However, while most of the remaining land area of the cemetery was retained, only a fraction of the memorials were renovated and preserved, and the original ambience was almost obliterated in the construction of the public park. Since its re-opening as a park in the early 1990s, some of the remaining memorials have been vandalized.

Burials and inscriptions

In 1980 the land was returned by the British Consulate to the comune of Naples, and was made into a park. Almost all the graves were moved to the Cemetery of Poggioreale. However, records remain of those who were buried here in the 19th century, along with some inscriptions.

Notable burials

Mary Somerville Mary Somerville (; , formerly Greig; 26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872) was a Scottish scientist, writer, and polymath. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and in 1835 she and Caroline Herschel were elected as the first female Honorary ...

(née Fairfax), Scottish mathematician and theoretical astronomer *

Dionysius Lardner Professor Dionysius Lardner FRS FRSE (3 April 179329 April 1859) was an Irish scientific writer who popularised science and technology, and edited the 133-volume '' Cabinet Cyclopædia''. Early life in Dublin He was born in Dublin on 3 Apri ...

Irish scientific writer * Anton Sminck van Pitloo (1790–1837), Dutch painter *

William Gell Sir William Gell FRS (29 March 17774 February 1836) was a British classical archaeologist and illustrator. He published topographical illustrations of Troy and the surrounding area in 1804. He also published illustrations showing the results ...

(1777–1836), English archaeologist, traveller and writer *

Keppel Richard Craven The Honourable Richard Keppel Craven (14 April 1779 – 24 June 1851) was a British traveller and author. Life Craven was the third and youngest son of William Craven, 6th Baron Craven and his wife née Lady Elizabeth Berkeley, daughter of the 4 ...

(1779–1851), English traveller and dilettante *

Elizabeth Craven Elizabeth, Princess Berkeley, sometimes unofficially styled Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach (''née'' Lady Elizabeth Berkeley; —), previously Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven, of Hamstead Marshall, was an author and playwright, perhaps be ...

, Princess Berkeley and Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1750–1828), English socialite, playwright and travel writer *

Friedrich Dehnhardt Friedrich Dehnhardt (22 September 1787, Buhle nr Göttingen - 1 May 1870, Naples) was chief gardener of " L'Hortus Camaldulensis di Napoli", or the Camaldoli gardens in Naples belonging to Francesco Ricciardi, Count of Camaldoli. It was from these ...

, German botanist Among others buried here were seven members of the crew of HMS ''Hannibal'', which was used to transport Garibaldi's soldiers. The ship arrived in Naples in July 1860. In November a smallpox epidemic broke out, and in ten days the British admiral reported that ninety men had caught the disease, including himself. A memorial was erected by the crew of HMS ''Hannibal'' in memory of their shipmates.

Notes

References

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External links

Naples: Life, Death & Miracles website
* {{Find a Grave cemetery Cemeteries in Naples Anglican cemeteries in Europe Protestant Reformed cemeteries Parks in Naples