Holywell Cemetery lies behind St Cross Church in St Cross Road, Oxford, England, south of Holywell Manor on Manor Road and north of Longwall Street, in the parish of Holywell.
History In the mid-19th century, the graveyards of the six parishes in central Oxford became full, so Merton College made some of its land available to form the cemetery in 1847. The cemetery was established along with Osney Cemetery and St Sepulchre's Cemetery. In 1855, new burials were forbidden at all Oxford city churches, apart from existing vaults.
The cemetery is now a wildlife refuge with many birds (including pheasants that nest there), butterflies, and small and larger mammals, including muntjac deer and foxes. Hedgehogs are also known to live there.
Notable interments and memorials
A number of well-known people are buried in the cemetery, including: Sir Henry Acland,Lack, 2010, p. 39 physician and educator, and Sarah, Lady Acland, after whom the Acland Home is named James Blish, the American expatriate author Sir Reader Bullard and his sons Sir Giles Bullard and Sir Julian Bullard, all diplomats Sir Maurice Bowra, Warden of Wadham College, Oxford and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University John William Burgon, Dean of Chichester Cathedral Theophilus Carter, said to be the model for the Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland George Claridge Druce, botanist and Mayor of Oxford Hugo Dyson, member of the Inklings Francis Edgeworth, statistician and economist Austin Farrer, Warden of Keble College, Oxford Kenneth Grahame, author of The Wind in the Willows Abel Hendy Jones Greenidge, classical historian formerly of Balliol, Hertford and Brasenose Francis Llewellyn Griffith, Egyptologist and founder of the Griffith InstituteR. S. Simpson, Francis Llewellyn Griffith (1862–1934) – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB) – Oxford University Press – Published in print: 23 September 2004 Published online: 23 September 2004 Nora Griffith, Egyptologist and founder of the Griffith Institute Charles Buller Heberden, Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University Andrew John Herbertson, geographer William West Jones, Archbishop of Cape Town Sir Richard Lodge, historian Agnes Catherine Maitland, educationist, principal at Somerville College Max Müller, philologist and Orientalist, Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford Walter Pater, essayist and critic Bartholomew Price, Master of Pembroke College, Oxford Lord Redcliffe-Maud, civil servant and Master of University College, Oxford, and his wife Jean Redcliffe-Maud Sir John Rhys, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford George Rolleston, physician and zoologist John Stainer, composer and organist Kenneth Tynan, theatre critic and author Sir Paul Vinogradoff, historian Sir Herbert Warren, President of Magdalen College, Oxford Charles Williams, novelist, poet, and member of the Inklings William Wallace, Scottish philosopher F. H. Bradley, British idealist philosopher A. C. Bradley, British literary scholar Henry George Woods, President of Trinity College, Oxford Margaret Louisa Woods, poet and novelist
A wooden grave marker that was used to mark the grave of the England Rugby captain Ronald Poulton-Palmer at Ploegsteert Wood is affixed to a wall in the cemetery.
The cemetery contains three war graves that are maintained and registered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission – two British Army officers from the First World War and a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer from the Second World War.Date accessed 9 September 2012.
Friends Friends of Holywell Cemetery has been established to raise funds and manage the cemetery.
See also Osney Cemetery St Sepulchre's Cemetery Wolvercote Cemetery
References
Sources
External links This is Oxfordshire information Friends of Holywell Cemetery Holywell Cemetery: An Oxford Secret by Janet Keene Holywell Cemetery, Oxford: Famous people