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 ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Italy. It was the final resting place of many

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, Americans, Irish,

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and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

who lived in Naples, were passing through on the Grand Tour, or were merchants or seamen.

History

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

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

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 ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

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 The Cemetery of Poggioreale is one of the major cemeteries in Naples, Italy. It is also known as Camposanto Nuovo, to distinguish it from Camposanto Vecchio, which is now known as Cemetery of the 366 Fossae. It is bordered by the Largo Santa Mari ...

. 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 Honorar ...

(née Fairfax),

mathematician and theoretical astronomer *

Dionysius Lardner 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 April 1793 th ...

Irish scientific writer *

Anton Sminck van Pitloo Antonie or Anton Sminck Pitloo (21 April or 8 May 1790 – 22 June 1837) was a Dutch painter. His surname was originally Pitlo, but he added the extra "o" because he was often mistaken for an Italian while resident in Italy. In Italian he is also ...

(1790–1837), Dutch painter *

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

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

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

(1779–1851), English traveller and dilettante * Elizabeth Craven, Princess Berkeley and Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1750–1828), English socialite, playwright and travel writer *

Friedrich Dehnhardt Friedrich Dehnhardt (22 September 1787, Buhle nr Göttingen1 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 ga ...

, 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

* * * * * * * {{citation, ref=none , last=Mercer , first=William , date=January–June 1908 , chapter=Inscriptions at Naples (follow-up) , title=Notes and Queries , volume=IX , series=Tenth , pages=17–18 , chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/s10notesqueries09londuoft#page/17/mode/1up

External links

Naples: Life, Death & Miracles website
Cemeteries in Naples Anglican cemeteries in Italy Protestant Reformed cemeteries in Italy Parks in Naples