British Cemetery, Golaghat is a historic Christian cemetery in Golaghat, Assam, India.Established in 1876, it contains 28 graves associated principally with British officials, tea-planters and their families who lived in the region during the late 19th and 20th centuries.
The earliest recorded burial is that of Captain John Butler, political agent of the Naga Hills, who died on 7 January 1876. The cemetery also contains graves of people connected with Assam's tea industry, reflecting Golaghat's development during the colonial period.
History
The cemetery was established in 1876. A surviving memorial board records names transcribed from inscriptions on the graves and includes political officers, tea-planters and members of their families.
Among the early burials is Charles Henry Parish, another political agent of the Naga Hills, who died in 1886 aged 27. Other recorded burials include tea-planter Adolphus Wallace, who died in 1894, and Barbara Maxwell McCormac, wife of William Hutchison, who died at Dooria in 1908 aged 29.
Notable burials
Captain John Butler (died 1876), political agent of the Naga Hills and one of the early British officers involved in expeditions into the Naga and Manipur hills. Charles Henry Parish (died 1886), political agent of the Naga Hills. John Gordon McIntosh (died 1957), manager of Bukhial Tea Estate, who died in an aircraft crash. He owned and flew an Aeronca Chief light aircraft.
Maintenance
Responsibility for tending the cemetery was entrusted in the 1880s to Abdul Aziz. His descendants continued to care for the grounds for several generations. By 2013, his great-great-grandson Jalal Ahmed was acting as caretaker and had maintained the site since 1968.
The Golaghat municipal authorities constructed a boundary wall around the cemetery and acted to remove encroachments near the site. These actions demonstrate municipal involvement in its preservation, although available sources do not clearly establish formal ownership of the cemetery.
See also
Golaghat Golaghat district Assam tea British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia
References
External links
British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia