Data was last added to this page on the 08 May 2023
GENERAL CEMETERY INFORMATION
(Information to be added when found)
The term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, but primarily referred to a burial ground within a churchyard (482).
While churchyards can be any patch of land on church grounds, historically, they were often used as graveyards (burial places) (482).
This was the situation with the current General Cemetery on Steele Street, it had its beginnings as the Church of England Church graveyard.
This could also be the case with the Roman Catholic Cemetery, the location of the first Catholic Church is still unknown but may have been in the vicinity of the Catholic Cemetery.
If the Church of England graveyard was only for the deceased of that faith up until 1871 when the C of E Church moved, one must consider the fact that there must have been other cemeteries or a general cemetery to accommodate those of other faith's pre 1871.
Until recently only three cemeteries were known to exist, the catholic cemetery, the Chinese cemetery and the general cemetery formerly the Church of England graveyard. It has since been found that a cemetery preceding these cemeteries existed, in 1852 reference was made to a burial ground, possibly for the C of E faith thou not confirmed which had 10 interments. Its location is currently under investigation.
Town charting plans of the early 1860's give measurements to two cemeteries south east of the town, one being a catholic burial ground and the other a general cemetery. Both these measurements refer to a general cemetery surveyed in 1861, the reference to the Roman Catholic burial ground was a measurement to a corner of the catholic burial ground within the general cemetery, see General Cemetery - 1859 South East for more detail and diagrams. This cemetery was dedicated in 1863. At the very least it is known that one grave exists within the cemetery, this maybe more coincidence than deliberate, when the first survey was undertaken this grave was included so in all probability the grave preceded the survey. (506).
The fact that the survey undertaken in 1859 and 1861 to establish a general cemetery confirms that the current general cemetery on Steele Street was a Church of England graveyard only.
In 1897 for some unknown reason a survey was undertaken for a general cemetery to be located in the western part of Tambaroora approximately 1 mile west of the township, the cemetery was dedicated in 1898 with the appointments of trustee's for two of the denominations being gazetted.
Both the Catholic and Church of England cemeteries were not officially recognised until many years after their inception, the catholic cemetery was not gazetted until 1915 and the C of E cemetery until 1951.