St Andrew`s Cathedral Close IntermentsPrint Page

The monument has been erected over the remains of those who were originally interred in St Andrew`s Cathedral Close in George Street Sydney which was used as a cemetery prior to 1822.

In 1865 the City of Sydney applied for a grant of a portion of the old burial ground. The colonial government agreed and part of the cemetery was formally transferred to the City in 1869 for the construction of the Sydney Town Hall. The remains from the former cemetery were removed in 1869 to the Church of England cemetery's new Necropolis at Haslem’s Creek – now known as the Rookwood Necropolis.

A notification was published to the effect that persons who had had relations buried in St Andrews Cathedral Close were at liberty to have the remains removed to some other cemetery. The publication of this notification was followed by the late Mr. Robert Stewart, father of Mr. Walter Stewart, of Bathurst-street, receiving a commission to remove to the Necropolis at Rookwood as many of the bodies as could be found in the George-street burial place. As so little trouble had been taken in connection with the registration of interments, all idea of distinguishing the remains of various people who had been buried there had of necessity to be given up . There was only one case in which a coffin was identified, and that was the coffin of Captain  Gavin Hamilton, identification being rendered easy by the fact that the tombstone was in such an excellent state of preservation as to leave no doubt as to whose it was.

As there was virtually nothing to indicate where coffins might be found, all that the late Mr. Stewart and those acting under his instructions could do in the circumstances was to make as careful an exploration of the place as was possible, and this was done, with the result that from time to time bodies were discovered and removed to the Church of England portion of the cemetery at Rookwood. Mr Stewart was engaged at this work during the months of April,July, August, and September, of the year 1869. For the re-interment of the remains so recovered the trustees of the Church portion of the Necropolis set apart a group of 24 graves, and in respect of the remains so dealt with the city corporation erected a monument which has an inscription as follows -" Erected by the "Municipal   Council of the City of Sydney over the remains removal from St. Andrew's Cathedral Close, George and Druitt streets, Sydney, used as a cemetery prior to the year 1822 ." 
Excerpt from Old Sydney Cemeteries, Sydney Morning Herald (NSW),
21 January 1897. 

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