Rosary Cemetery was the first
non-denominational
A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination.
The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...
burial ground in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Its entrance lies on Rosary Road in
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
,
Norfolk
Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
. It is a haven for wildlife and won a Community Biodiversity Award in 2008.
History
The cemetery was established in 1819 by Thomas Drummond, a
non-conformist minister. The land was formerly in use as a
market garden
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to s ...
, and presents a broad green open space between the housing areas to the south and the playing fields of the Telegraph Lane schools to the north. The of the cemetery came under the control of the Norwich Corporation in 1954 and it is estimated that about 18,500 people have been buried there since 1821. It was announced in January 2010 that the cemetery had been granted
Grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
status.
Notable burials
Among them are train driver John Prior and fireman James Light, killed in the 1874
Thorpe rail accident. The surgeon Emanuel Cooper (1802–1878) is also buried in the cemetery in a large
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
. His daughter
Ada
Ada may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov
Film and television
* Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor''
* '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...
married the novelist
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He is best known for his trilogy of novels collectively called '' The Forsyte Saga'', and two later trilogies, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of th ...
.
The cemetery contains war graves of 31 Commonwealth service personnel, 19 from
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and 12 from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
CWGC Cemetery Report.
Painters
Leslie Davenport (1905–1973) (one of the
Norwich Twenty Group
The Norwich Twenty Group (N20G) is a group of artists in Norfolk, England. Stimulated by contemporary art movements, the original group of 14 artists, met in November 1944, they intended to raise standards of local professional art to something ...
),
James Stark,
John Thirtle and
John Berney Ladbrooke are also buried here.
Jeremiah Colman
Jeremiah Colman (1777–1851) was an English miller who founded Colman's Mustard, a business which merged into the conglomerate Reckitt & Colman, and is now owned by Unilever.
Life
He was born in Norfolk in 1777 to Robert Colman (1749-1807) an ...
and other members of the Colman family, known for manufacturing mustard, are buried here.
Gallery
File:Emanuel Cooper mausoleum Rosary Cemetery Norwich.jpg, The mausoleum of surgeon Emanuel Cooper
File:Leslie Davenport Rosary Cemetery Norwich.jpg, The grave of artist Leslie Davenport
File:John Prior and James Light Rosary Cemetery Norwich.jpg, The graves of John Prior and James Light
See also
*
Gildencroft Quaker Cemetery, Norwich
References
External links
Photographs of the cemetery*
{{Cemeteries in England
Cemeteries in Norwich
Religion in Norfolk