The entrance lodge, Newington Cemetery, Edinburgh

Newington Cemetery, Edinburgh, typical condition

Newington Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland. Technically it lies beyond Newington itself, standing on an awkward elongated kite-shaped site between a railway line and

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...

Road, between Prestonfield and Peffermill.

History

Designed in 1848 by

David Cousin David Cousin (19 May 1809 – 14 August 1878) was a Scottish architect, landscape architect and planner, closely associated with early cemetery design and many prominent buildings in Edinburgh. From 1841 to 1872 he operated as Edinburgh’s C ...

and originally named the Edinburgh Metropolitan Cemetery, but also sometimes called Echobank Cemetery, but is far less successful in layout than his earlier work at

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

and

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

. The original lodge house was smaller than the one seen today and was also designed by Cousin, however it was extended in 1883, by Kinnear & Peddie . It contains a section of vaults to the north-west, laid out on a north–south axis. It was intended to be larger but was curtailed by the building of the railway line. Many areas of Newington have been reclaimed by nature and have become an important haven for some of the city's wild life, however the sections closest to the entrance are best kept and the Friends of Newington help keep the cemetery in good order. Due to potential dangers of falling, many of the stones are no longer standing. Of particular note are the enclosed area for Jewish burials (against the east boundary wall) and the high number of war graves (mainly in the southern half). The cemetery contains 156 Commonwealth service war graves, 142 from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and 14 from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, mainly dead from wartime military hospitals. Those whose graves are not marked by headstones are listed by name on the Screen Wall Memorial in the main War Plot (Section A1). The raised section to the south-west, with no stones at all, contains paupers graves. Its northern sections, having been abandoned for over thirty years, are now an important wildlife habitat within the city.

Graves of note

* James Anderson (died 1913) sculpted by John Stevenson Rhind * John Cairns (1818-1892) * William Campbell (died 1902) organist, sculpted by

William Grant Stevenson William Grant Stevenson, (7 March 1849 – 6 May 1919) was a Scottish sculptor and portrait painter. Life and work Stevenson was born in Ratho in Midlothian on 7 March 1849. His elder brother, David Watson Stevenson (1842–1904), was also ...

* Sir James Caw (1864-1950) art historian * Sir

Charles Gibson Connell Sir Charles Gibson Connell WS FRSE LLD FRZSS (11 March 1899 – 26 February 1985) was a Scottish advocate and ornithologist. He was founder and President of the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Life He was born in Edinburgh at 13 Cameron Park, on 11 M ...

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1899–1986) ornithologist *

David Craigie David Craigie FRSE (6 June 1793 – 17 May 1866) was a Scottish physician, known as a medical author. Life Craigie was born in Leith, Edinburgh's harbour town, on 6 June 1793, and took his Doctor of Medicine, MD degree in the University of Edinb ...

(1793–1866), medical author *

Arthur Lloyd Arthur Lloyd may refer to: * Arthur Lloyd (rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1930s for Wales, and York * Arthur Lloyd (musician) (1839–1904), Scottish singer, songwriter, comedian and stage producer * Arthur Lloyd (bishop) (1844–19 ...

(1839–1904), music hall entertainer (grave lost) *

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir Gordon MacMillan (1897−1986),

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

who fought in

and

William McTaggart William McTaggart (25 October 1835 – 2 April 1910) was a Scottish landscape and marine painter who was influenced by Impressionism. Life and work The son of a crofter, William McTaggart was born in the small village of Aros, near Camp ...

(1835–1910) artist *

Arnaud Massy Arnaud George Watson Massy (; 6 July 1877 – 16 April 1950) was one of France's most successful professional golfers, most notable for winning the 1907 Open Championship. Early life Massy was born in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. Th ...

(1877–1950) golfer (grave lost) *

Sir John Melville Sir John Melville FRSE Writer to the Signet, WS (1802 – 5 May 1860) was a Scottish lawyer and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1854 to 1859. Melville Drive in Edinburgh is named after him. Life He was born in Kirkcaldy in ...

(1803–1860)

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is the convener of the City of Edinburgh local authority, who is elected by City_of_Edinburgh_Council, the city council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the e ...

1854 to 1859 * Rev

John Ross (missionary) John Ross (1842–1915), (his Chinese name: ) was a Scottish Protestant missionary to Northeast China who established Dongguan Church in Shenyang. He is also known for translating the first Korean Bible. Life John Ross was born at Rarichie in Ea ...

(1842–1915) *

Edward Sang Edward Sang FRSE FRSSA LLD (30 January 1805 – 23 December 1890) was a Scottish mathematician and civil engineer, best known for having computed large tables of logarithms, with the help of two of his daughters. These tables went beyond the tab ...

(1805–1890) mathematician * Gilbert Kerr (1870–1919) Ships Piper with the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition 1902–1904 *

Jean Thomson Harris Jean Thomson Harris (6 November 1881 – 9 November 1963) was the wife of Paul P. Harris, Paul Harris, a lawyer who founded the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. She supported the organisation but was never allowed to join because she was a wo ...

(1881-1963) wife of founder of Rotary * G.S. McLennan (1883–1927) Highland piper and composer * John Traill (1835–1897), Scottish coffee house owner

External links

Friends of Newington Cemetery

References

{{Cemeteries in Scotland Cemeteries in Edinburgh Category B listed buildings in Edinburgh Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Scotland 1848 establishments in Scotland