This very early pioneer and convict cemetery is now only a shadow of its former self. The first Anglican Church on this site is believed to have operated from c. 1812 and the cemetery from around then or perhaps even earlier according to some sources.
Originally a general cemetery, burials continued at this site until c.1880 when the new general cemetery at Sandgate came into operation. There are believed to have been over 3,000 burials.
In 1967 it was bulldozed by Newcastle Council, almost all of the headstones were removed and turned into rubble. About 100 were salvaged and mounted or laid on the ground in three rows near the upper boundary of the cemetery. That was the situation when we visited the cemetery in 1995 and there appears to have been no change since then.
The images, from which the attached list of inscriptions has been prepared by Jean McDonell, were taken by Robert Tozer in October 2001. They may be viewed and downloaded from the list of inscriptions for this cemetery.
For a more comprehensive list of all known burials compiled from various sources, check out the Hunter Valley Genealogy website (address below).
Newcastle Family History Society has transcribed the registers for the cemetery and this research is available by contacting NFHS.
Historical photo below is from the collection of William H. McNeice, copyright Wendy E. Nunan, used with permission.