The Strangers' Burying Ground, also known as Potter's Field, was the first
non-denominational cemetery in
York, Upper Canada
York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for the capital of ...
(now
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
). It was established in 1826 as the York General Burying Ground,
and it was later known as the Toronto General Burying Ground after the town of York became the city of Toronto in 1834.
The cemetery was located on the northwest corner of what is now the intersection of
Yonge Street
Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes.
Once the southernmost leg of provincial H ...
and
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Park ...
. It operated from 1826 to 1855, with an initial £75 land purchase and 300 subscriptions for £1.
History
The cemetery was founded in 1826 by the Trustees of the General Burying Ground for residents who were not Anglican or Catholic – and thus effectively banned from burial in the town's established cemeteries as undesirables.
The cemetery was located beyond the legal boundaries of the then-town of York, and within large wooded lots north of Bloor Street.
When the 6-acre cemetery closed in 1855 after 6,685 interments, the families of the deceased were invited to arrange for moving the graves to another cemetery. During the subsequent twenty years, many of the graves were gradually relocated to
Toronto Necropolis
Toronto Necropolis is a non-denominational cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the west side of the Don River valley, to the north of Riverdale Farm in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood.
The cemetery was opened during the 1850s to ...
in the
Cabbagetown neighbourhood.
The remainder (approximately 3,000) were moved between 1876 and 1881 to
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, which opened in November 1876 near the
Deer Park neighbourhood.
As Toronto grew, the lands that were once part of the cemetery were acquired and developed for residential use.
The area later transformed into the upscale mixed-use (but now mainly commercial) neighbourhood of
Yorkville.
Notable interments
*
Samuel Lount
Samuel Lount (September 24, 1791 – April 12, 1838) was a blacksmith, farmer, magistrate and member of the Legislative Assembly in the province of Upper Canada for Simcoe County from 1834 to 1836. He was an organizer of the failed Upper Can ...
, who was executed for participating in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837
*
Peter Matthews, who was executed for participating in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837
*
James Worts
James Worts (c. 1792 – February 18, 1834) was one of the co-founders of the Gooderham and Worts partnership which, after his death, evolved from a simple mill into a prosperous distilling company which eventual become the largest in the worl ...
, co-founder of
Gooderham and Worts
Gooderham and Worts, also known as Gooderham & Worts Limited, was a Canadian distiller of alcoholic beverages. It was once one of the largest distillers in Canada. The company was merged in 1926 with Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., and the merged fir ...
, along with his wife and daughter (all died in 1834)
See also
*
List of cemeteries in Toronto
*
Victoria Memorial Square
Victoria Memorial Square is a park and former cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1793 as the burial place for those affiliated with the nearby Toronto Garrison (Fort York). It was the first cemetery to be used by European settlers ...
References
{{reflist
Cemeteries in Toronto
1826 establishments