The Cemetery of the Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre was created in 1799, and is now recognised as the oldest Catholic cemetery in continuous use in England.
HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH COMMUNITY of Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre:
In 1642, Susan Hawley (1622–1706) founded the English Convent of the Holy Sepulchre in the Belgian city of Liège. By the end of the sixteenth century, religious and legal changes in England since 1534 had made Catholicism illegal, forcing many Catholics to move abroad in order to be able to openly practise their faith. Several other English religious communities were established in exile on the continent in this period.
The Community and their school remained a central part of religious life in Liège for nearly 150 years. In the 1790s, the sudden political shift brought about by the French Revolution forced many exiled English religious orders to seek refuge in Britain. Religious conditions in England were still tense at this point, but Catholicism would be made legal again some thirty years later by the Emancipation Act in 1829.
The Community arrived in London in August 1794, and after brief stays in London, Yorkshire and Wiltshire they finally settled at New Hall near Chelmsford in March 1799. After extensive building work and repairs, the chapel and other necessary changes were completed by 29 May 1800, six years to the day since they had left Liège. The Community remained at New Hall until 2005, at which point they handed the school over to a Lay Trust. They moved to new locations in the Diocese of Brentwood, serving their local community in new ways. Members of the Community continue to be buried in the cemetery.
HISTORY OF THE CEMETERY
Five members of the Community died between 1794 and 1799, during the Community’s search for a permanent home in England, and were buried in local Anglican churches, for the lack of any other options. A memorial plaque in the Community cemetery records their names and places of burial. After arriving at New Hall in March 1799, the problem of burial in their new permanent home had to be addressed quite soon, as Mary Marshall, S. Mary Cleophae (1723-99), an elderly member of the Community, died within weeks of their arrival.
She was buried in a discrete corner of the garden, and was soon followed by another two members of the Community who died in June of the same year. Specifically Catholic burial grounds were illegal until 1847, whether as part of a churchyard, or as a separate burial ground, and the Community had to keep their new cemetery hidden from public view.
The cemetery is now the final resting place of approximately 320 people, including members of the Community, lay people with a special connection to the Community (particularly deceased school children and members of staff), and a number of priests who served the Community during their time at New Hall.
SITE MAP AND CEMETERY DEVELOPMENT
1) First burials in 1799, within months of the Community’s arrival. None of the physical structures you can see today had been built, including the wall and the path. A further 21 burials took place within the first decade, all grouped around the first three.
2) Original boundary wall of the convent, constructed in the 1840s. Extended around the cemetery itself by 1875, it added a more formal shape and structure to the site.
3) Small number of burials on this side by 1845; the whole space begins to develop into a more distinct cemetery.
4) All burials between 1845 and 1875 take place in this newly developed side. Landscaping developments such as a path, walls and an entrance porch give the space a more formal structure.
5) Original entrance porch and front wall demolished in 1885 when the current arched entranceway was constructed. Note the different brick patterns used in the front wall compared to the other cemetery walls.
6) Additional land purchased from the neighbouring farmer, Mr Hodge, in 1930 to allow an extension to the cemetery when required. In the meantime, burials between 1930 and 1956 were slotted in to available gaps in the original cemetery. Look at the dates on the headstones to see where the gaps were found.
7) More space was needed by the 1950s, and an entrance was knocked through the boundary wall to create an extension. The original boundary wall is still visible on either side of the path through to the extended cemetery.
8) First burial in the extension in 1956; all burials have been in the extended cemetery since that date.
9) Extension to the cemetery is divided into two discrete sections, with Community burials on the left and lay people on the right.
10) Plans showing the positions of the graves and information about the people who have been buried there.