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Bunhill Fields | Blake Memorial - Bunhill fields
Larger version | Bunhill Fields Cemetery is in the City of London, England. It is part of the manor of Finsbury, or Fensbury, which is of great antiquity, as appears by its being a prebend of St. Paul's Cathedral in 1104. In the year 1315, it was granted by Robert de Baldock to the mayor and commonalty of London. Part of it was, in 1498, converted into a large field for the use of archers and other military citizens to exercise in. This is now called The Artillery Ground. Bunhill originates with the term "Bone Hill" and the area was associated with burials from Saxon times. In 1685, it was set apart as a common cemetery, for the interment of such bodies as could not have room in their parochial burial-grounds in that dreadful year of pestilence. However, not being made use of on that occasion, a Mr. Tindal took a lease thereof, and converted it into a burial-place for the use of dissenters. Later, it was used for those who refused to compromise their beliefs and who practiced a religion outside of the Church of England. It was long called Tindal's Burial-place. Over the west gate of it was the following inscription:"This church-yard was inclosed with a brick wall at the sole charges of the city of London, in the mayoralty of Sir John Lawrence, Knt., Anno Domini 1665; and afterwards the gates thereof were built and finished in the mayoralty of Sir Thomas Bloudworth, Knt., Anno Domini, 1666." The fen or moor (in this neighbourhood), from whence the name Moorfields, reached from London-wall to Hoxton; the southern part of it, denominated Windmill Hill, began to be raised by above one-thousand cart-loads of human bones, brought from St. Paul's charnel-house in 1549, which being soon after covered with street dirt from the city, the ground became so elevated, that three windmills were erected on it; and the ground on the south side being also much raised, it obtained the name of The Upper Moorfield. The first monumental inscription in Bunhill-fields is, Grace, daughter of T. Cloudesly, of Leeds. Feb. 1666.Maitland's Hist. of London, p. 775. Dr. Goodwin was buried there in 1679; Dr. Owen in 1683; and John Bunyan in 1688http://www.sakoman.net/pg/html/10896.htm. The cemetery was used until 1855 for approximately 120,000 burials but was taken over by the City of London in 1867 and used as a green space; now about half the area is laid out as a park and the rest remains as fence-enclosed grave areas. The cemetery was damaged by German bombing during World War II and was reconstructed in 1960. Some of the notables buried here are: - Thomas Bayes, (1702-1761), clergyman and mathematician
- William Blake, (1757-1827), artist and poet
- John Bunyan, (1628-1688), author of The Pilgrim's Progress
- Daniel Defoe, (1661-1731), author of Robinson Crusoe
- John Gill, (1697-1771), theologian
- John Owen, (1616-1683), clergyman
- Dame Mary Page (1672-1728), wife of Sir Gregory Page
- John Rippon, (1751-1836), Baptist clergyman
- Isaac Watts, (1674-1748), composer
- Susanna Wesley, (1669-1742), mother of John Wesley, founder of Methodism
- George Fox, (1624-1691), founder of the Quaker movement is buried, along with thousands of other Quakers in the neighbouring Quaker Burying Ground (now known as Quaker Gardens, the other side of Bunhill Row) that was purchased as the burial place for London Quakers in 1661. This was the first freehold land held by Quakers in London. Like the dissenters ground, the Quaker Burying Ground was closed for burials in 1855 but is maintained by Quakers as a public open space around the Quaker Meeting House (the remnant of Bunhill Memorial Buildings erected in 1881 which remains after bombing damage in 1942).
See also: List of other famous cemeteries External link Corporation of London Bunhill Fields page
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