Southampton Old Cemetery
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Southampton Old Cemetery is a cemetery located in Southampton, England.
The cemetery has had various titles including The Cemetery by the Common, Hill Lane Cemetery and is currently known as Southampton Old Cemetery. An Act of Parliament was required in 1843 to acquire the land from Southampton Common. It covers an area of 27 acres and the total number of burials is estimated at 116.800. Currently there are 6 to 8 burials a year to existing family plots.
The town council approached John Claudius Loudon a well known landscaper, designer of arboretums and cemeteries including Histon at Cambridge and Bath Abbey. Loudon normally based in London had been staying on the Isle of Wight whilst his wife was writing a book. The damp sea air had a deliberating affect on his health and he moved to take temporary lodgings in Southampton. Southampton Town council had no previous experience of laying out a cemetery and was pleased that Loudon was conveniently available. They paid him £37 for his services but decided not to use his proposed layout. The Bishop of Winchester was not willing to concede that the proposed Anglican chapel would adjoin a non conformist chapel.
As was customary in the planning of early cemeteries, the council held a competition and asked for suggested lay outs to replace the one made by Loudon. The design of William Rogers a local nurseryman and councillor was accepted and he was awarded the contract. The cemetery opened in May 1846 as a 10 acre site, in the 1860's expanded by 5 acres and in the 1880's the third phase with a feature of an avenue of yew trees was added.
The cemetery has 45 headstones associated with the Titanic although no bodies were returned to Southampton. Edward Askew Sothern, Victorian comedy actor, famous as Lord Dundreary in the play Our American Cousin is buried here and General Rosas of Argentina has a tomb but his body was exhumed in 1989 and returned to his homeland.
The cemetery's ecology is managed by the wildlife team from Southampton City Council in conjunction with Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery, a voluntary group who also take guided tours and assist families to maintain graves.
