Walter LawryPrint Page 
The Walter Lawry Methodist Memorial Park was designated by the Parramatta City Council to commemorate the life and work of Walter Lawry (1793 - 1859), a Methodist missionary.
The cemetery was established as a Wesleyan Cemetery in the 1830s, the earliest burial recorded being in 1836. It continued in use until early in the 20th century, only a few burials taking place after World War One. The Parramatta Methodist Cemetery Act No 44 of 1961 authorised its conversion to a public park and it now known as the Walter Lawry Methodist Memorial Park, in the care of Parramatta City Council.The cemetery's conversion to a park resulted in the removal of most of the headstones but a small number have been preserved and remounted on beams in a corner of the park.
The park features a memorial behind which is a wall listing the names of those who were buried in the cemetery.
Walter Lawry was stationed in Parramatta from 1818. He built the first Methodist church in Parramatta at his own expense of £300, and it was dedicated on 20 April 1821. The following month he established a Sunday school, where he was able to gather regularly together some fifty young children, despite opposition from local clergy and church attendants. In 1825 he returned to England, where he continued his ministry until 1843 when he was appointed general superintendent of the missions in New Zealand for eleven years. In 1854 he retired because of ill health and returned to Parramatta, where he lived until his death, and was buried in this cemetery on 30 March 1859.
Location
| Address: | 2 Buller Street, Walter Lawry Methodist Memorial Park , North Parramatta, 2151 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.808294 Long: 151.012444 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Religion |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
Plaque :
Here lie the mortal remains of the Rev. Walter Lawry
Wesleyan Minister who departed this life at Parramatta on 30th March 1859 in the 66th year of his age and the 42nd of his Ministry.
He arrived from England on 1st May 1818 being the second Minister sent out to New South Wales by the British Conference.
"This mortal shall put on immortality."
Plaque :
This plaque commemorates the memory of the Reverend Walter Lawry who sailed from England as Chaplain on the convict ship Lady Castlereagh 23 December 1817 and landed in Sydney 1 May 1818.
He built at his own expense the first Wesleyan Methodist Church at Parramatta in 1821.
He was the General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Methodist Missions in Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand.
He died at Parramatta and was buried 30 March 1859 in this Cemetery.
Plaque on Wall:
Walter Lawry Methodist Memorial Park
This land was granted by the Crown in 1843 for use as " Wesleyan Burial Ground" and managed by the Church until 1961.
Many pioneers and public figures of early Parramatta are buried at this site. They include James Richard Parker, John W Pass, Francis and George Oakes, James and Jane Watsford and NSW Parliamentarian Joseph Wearne.
Wesleyan Ministers known to buried at this site include Walter Lawry, John Manton and Richard Amos.
The cemetery was converted to a public park by an Act of Parliament in 1961. Most headstones were removed around this time and those remaining have now been re-erected after laying flat on the ground since 1965.
A total of 570 burials are known to have taken place here with the first being in 1841 and the last in 1946.
The names of those interred here are listed together with age and date of burial.
[ Names ]
