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Trinity Burial Ground & Prisoners Burial GroundPrint Page 
Hidden from the unsuspecting children who attend Campbell Street Primary School, near Hobart's CBD, are about 5,000 convicts buried beneath the grounds. The only evidence of what lies below is a plaque erected by Hobart historian Brian Rieusset 19 years ago.
Mr Rieusset said the site was formerly known as the Holy Trinity burial ground and was used for convicts who died at the Campbell Street Convict Penitentiary, located just a few hundred metres down the road.
"With more convicts arriving they needed somewhere to bury convicts away from the general population, so they set up the Campbell Street burial ground just for the convicts," he said.
Mr Rieusset believes there were less than 20 bodies exhumed and moved to the Cornelian Bay Cemetery, three years before the school was built in 1926. Many records were lost during the process, including those of Phillip Palmer who was the main chaplain at Trinity Church and Convict Penitentiary.
"His remains were there and they were removed from Cornelian Bay but no record was ever kept of where they are," Mr Rieusset said.
Excerpt from ABC News, 18th April 2019.
Location
| Address: | 220 Campbell Street, Campbell Street Primary School, Hobart, 7000 |
|---|---|
| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -42.872948 Long: 147.321891 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1831 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 1872 |
| Designer: | Brian Rieusset |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | April-2000 |
|---|
Trinity Burial Ground
Prisoners Burial Ground
Dedicated to the memory of over 5000 Free Settlers and Bond Convicts buried in these grounds between 1831 & 1872
I sought the grave of my friend,
Amid the slumb`ring dead ;
In the yard wgere outcast men,
Are doom`d to lay their head.
Where the wrong`d and injur`d lie -
Neglected, and forgot :
And the raven`s mournful cry -
Alone bewails their lot.
Where the felon finds at last ,
An end to sin and crime ;
His weary pilgrimage pass`d,
And sorrow heal`d in time.
Where the free and bond both sleep,
In earth`s cold dismal cell :
And the gaoler death will keep,
And tend his pris`ners well.
I sought in vain for the place -
Where they had made his bed :
The sexton had left no trace
Of the forgotten dead !
Stranger ! would`st thou wish to hear -
Why I thus sought that grave ?
To mingle a comrade`s tear,
With ashes of the brave.
`T was to bid him sweetly rest,
Though in a foreign land ;
And plant a rose upon his breast -
Cull`d by a comrade`s hand.
To erect a humble stone -
In honor of the brave, -
With this inscription thereon,
"This is a patriot`s grave."
Poetry by Linus W Miller State Prisoner from Canada
Published in the Colonial Times Hobart Town, June 26, 1844
This humble stone monument designed by Brian Rieusset was erected by the State Government of Tasmania in April 2000
