Francis GreenwayPrint Page

The sign at the George Street entry to Glebe Cemetery was erected to commemorate architect Francis Greenway who was known to be buried in an unmarked grave in the Anglican Parish of Maitland in 1837. 

The installation was undertaken by Maitland City Council. A grant of $5500 was awarded to this project under the Commonwealth Commemoration of Historic Events and Famous Persons Grant in Aid Program Programme

Francis Howard Greenway was born in England on November 20th, 1777, near Bristol, into a family of builders and stonemasons. Here he became an architect. Disaster struck in 1809 when he became bankrupt. In 1812 he was found guilty of forgery, when he forged a solicitor`s signature on a document and thus altered it to his advantage, and was sentenced to death. This sentence was commuted to Transportation and he arrived in Sydney on the General Hewitt in February 1814 to serve his 14 year sentence. Because of his qualifications he was given his ticket o` leave soon after his arrival and set up an architectural practice in George Street.

Governor Macquarie took a shine to Greenway and by March 1816 he had become Sydney`s first civil architect, with his first commission being the building of a lighthouse at South Head. Greenway, who easily made enemies, soon fell into disrepute when Macquarie berated him for charging high fees whilst on a government retainer. Greenway was later dismissed by Governor Brisbane in 1822 when he presented a large bill claiming commission for several years` work. He then returned to private practice but never had the same success again. Settling on a 320 hectare property near Raymond Terrace, in the lower Hunter Valley, Greenway lived in virtual obscurity until his death in September, 1837. His grave has never been located but it was known that he was buried in an unmarked grave in the Angican Parish of Maitland in 1837.

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