Blayney Cemetery, Blayney, New South Wales

Date: 22 May 2019 [unknown]
Location: Blayney, New South Wales, Australia
Surnames/tags: Cemetery Burial New_South_Wales

This is part of the Australian Cemeteries Project.

Please contact Julie Rourke with any updates/ collaboration with this table. I have uploaded from a spreadsheet so it may be easier to update the spreadsheet and reupload.

See also

• Blayney Cemetery Category for people buried in this cemetery.
• Blayney New Memorials Table
• Extended Research List of Blayney Memorials A - H
• Extended Research List of Blayney Memorials I-Z
• Upload photos here for transcribing.
• More Photos for transcribing
• Find a Grave (free registration required)
• Billion Graves (free registration required)
• Australian Cemetery Index (with some linked trees)
• Australian Cemeteries
• Blayney Shire Council - Interactive Grave Site Map

Cemetery name: Blayney Cemetery

• Blayney Shire Cemetery Records

Address: 1 Memorial Drive, Blayney, New South Wales

GPS Coordinates: -33.5244200, 149.2338720 OpenStreetMap Google Maps

Information: The Blayney Cemetery was originally called Limekilns Cemetery due to the close proximity and train line going to the Limekilns. It was donated by the Clements family who previously owned the land. The Clements family were also part of securing the Presbyterian Church, the first Church building in the district where other denominations held their services.

The cemetery is divided into sections. You will find reference in older newspapers referring to the sections as cemeteries. e. g. Catholic Cemetery Blayney. The oldest graves are at far ends of the cemetery. The Presbyterian section is on the left of the entrance on Eastern side with a dedicated section for the Clements family. The church of England starts in the top corner, the Southern side.

Each section of the cemetery had its own trustees. In 1898 George Pile, William Chambers, and James Matthews were appointed trustees of the Church of England portion of the Blayney cemetery (in lieu of Messrs. F. Stacey, resigned, and R. Glasson and M. B. Gillkrest, deceased).^[1]

The earliest born person in the cemetery is Joseph Clements who was born in 1783. The earliest death was George Clements, son of Joseph and Catherine Clements who died in 1860. The greatest age at death was Patrick Foley, who was 100 years old when he died in 1902.

The cemetery has had various times of disrepair and rabbit infestation. In Sep 1887 Blayney Cemetery was in a very neglected position.^[2] In Jul 1899 the cemetery was in a state of disrepair and attracted rabbits. ^[3] In Oct 1899 a working bee was held to clean up the cemetery. ^[4]

On the 28 July 1902 the Council was given £50 grant for fencing the Blayney Cemetery.^[5]

ON 25 Sep 1902 at the BIayney Municipal Council meeting a letter was tabled from the Department of Lands, having reference as to whether the council could expand the; £50 grant towards repairing the Blayney Cemetery.^[6]

Mr R. Knott, Katoomba, stating that he would resign his position as one of the trustees of the Blayney cemetery in 1902, as he always thought the cemetery should be under the control of the council^[7]

Rev W. Wall, re trustees of the Wesleyan portion of the cemetery wrote to council and the letter was held over on 19 Nov 1902 to the next meeting.^[8]

In Jan 1903 the £50 was placed to the,credi t of the trustees (Messrs H. Pigott, J. Glassoii, and J. Matthews) of the Blayney cemetery for its improvement by the Department of Lands.^[9] In April 1904 a letter from the Lands Department acknowledged £59 10s was spent but the council was asking for a detailed account in what way the money was spent.^[10]

The Mayor of the town, Alderman D Reed got quite a shock in Dec 1930 when a brown snake bit him him on the boot. He was walking through the grass when the snake raised his head and attacked him. The ophidian sank its fangs into his boot as he raised his foot, and its teeth penetrated to his sock, but no puncture was made in the flesh of the foot, the reptile expending its poison on the outside of the boot. Mayor Beed had a narrow escape and, in his excitement, the reptile was allowed to get away.^[11]

In 1950 the following story was told. "Many years ago they were pulling down the Blayney cemetery fence and putting netting around it. Whilst the men were at work a very short, fat and slightly eccentric, but very witty old lad came along and said to me: 'Why are they putting the netting around?' I replied: 'To keep the rabbits out.' "Why, spare me days!" he said, "a rabbit will go through that like a grain of wheat in a thunderstorm." No doubt, he was right. In after years you would get more rabbits inside than out." ^[12] In 1951 the cemetery was heavily infested with rabbits and some graves are undermined with rabbits.^[13] In 2018 it was invested with rabbits again burrowing under the graves and destroying them.

There are now over 1986 resting places in this cemetery.