75-574: Bunhill Fields is a former burial ground in central London, in the London Borough of Islington , just north of the City of London . What remains is about 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres) in extent and the bulk of the site is a public garden maintained by the City of London Corporation . It was first in devoted use as a burial ground from 1665 until 1854, in which period approximately 123,000 interments were estimated to have taken place. Over 2,000 monuments remain, for
150-399: A car or van, 6.0%; train, 3.7%; work mainly at or from home, 3.6%. In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 65,721. This rose steadily throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; exceeding 200,000 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased—reaching nearly 400,000 by the turn of
225-403: A copy – one guinea was paid as a deposit and two guineas when the map was received. Much of the earlier surveying work needed to be repeated and by 1742 the scheme was close to collapse. There were 246 subscribers, one being Frederick, Prince of Wales , who later was to appoint Rocque as the royal cartographer. The Court of Aldermen of the City of London subsidised the undertaking and
300-522: A further six volumes are held in the College of Arms . Notable burials include: London Borough of Islington The London Borough of Islington ( / ˈ ɪ z l ɪ ŋ t ə n / IZ -ling-tən ) is a London borough which forms part of Inner London , England. Islington has an estimated population of 215,667. It was formed in 1965, under the London Government Act 1963 , by
375-501: A list of the legible monument/headstone inscriptions in 1869, are held at London Metropolitan Archives . Baptist minister John Rippon —who was himself buried at the site in 1836—made transcripts of its monumental inscriptions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, some copied while "laying on his side". In 1803 he issued a prospectus for a six-volume publication on Bunhill Fields, but this never came to fruition. The British Library now holds 14 manuscript volumes of his transcripts;
450-645: A unique nondenominational chapel, designed by William Hosking . Upon closure of the Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, its future was uncertain as its lessee, the City of London Corporation, was close to expiry of its lease, scheduled for Christmas 1867. To prevent the land from being redeveloped by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (who controlled the freehold) at this expiry, the Corporation formed
525-639: Is Islington Council . The borough is home to football club Arsenal , one of the Premier League clubs in England, and its home Emirates Stadium . Islington was originally named by the Saxons Giseldone (1005), then Gislandune (1062). The name means 'Gīsla's hill' from the Old English personal name Gīsla and dun ' hill ', 'down'. The name then later mutated to Isledon , which remained in use well into
600-576: Is a British television series set in Georgian London. To link between the various narrative scenes, Rocque's map is shown from above, then becomes three dimensional, and finally merges into the next film sequence. A high resolution copy of the map can be downloaded from the Library of Congress . In addition to the map of central London, a separate map of the Country Near Ten Miles Round
675-405: Is a map of Georgian London to a scale of 26 inches to a mile (i.e. 1:2437), surveyed by John Rocque , engraved by John Pine , and published in 1746. It consists of 24 sheets and measures 3.84 m × 2.01 m (12 ft 7 in × 6 ft 7 in). Taking nearly ten years to survey, engrave and publish, it has been described as "a magnificent example of cartography ... one of
750-547: Is represented by Jeremy Corbyn , elected in 2024 as an independent . He was formerly a member of the Labour Party , and was its leader and the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition between 2015 and 2020. Islington South and Finsbury is represented by Emily Thornberry , former Shadow First Secretary of State and Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and current Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade of
825-400: The 2001 census Islington had a population of 175,797. It was 75% White, including 5% White Irish, 6% Black African, 5% Black Caribbean and 2% Bangladeshi. Thirty-two per cent of the borough's residents were owner–occupiers. According to the 2011 census , Islington has the highest population density of local authorities in England and Wales—13,875 people per square kilometre. Islington has
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#1732852501536900-643: The Burial Act was passed which enabled grounds to be closed once they became full. An Order for Closure for Bunhill Fields was made in December 1853, and the final burial (that of Elizabeth Howell Oliver) took place on 5 January 1854. Occasional interments continued to be permitted in existing vaults or graves: the final burial of this kind is believed to have been that of a Mrs. Gabriel of Brixton in February 1860. By this date approximately 123,000 interments had taken place in
975-646: The Freedom of the Borough of Islington. 51°32′N 0°08′W / 51.533°N 0.133°W / 51.533; -0.133 John Rocque%27s Map of London, 1746 In 1746, the French-born British surveyor and cartographer John Rocque produced two maps of London and the surrounding area. The better known of these has the full name A Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster, and Borough of Southwark : it
1050-486: The Guildhall Library , with a superimposed grid, full place-name index, and introductory notes by Ralph Hyde , under the title The A to Z of Georgian London . Rocque's map forms the basis of a 21st-century project, Locating London's Past , to provide a GIS interface for researchers to map and visualise data concerning texts and artefacts that relate to the 17th and 18th centuries. To correct for distortions in
1125-464: The Labour Party . In the Victorian Age , some parts of Islington such as Clerkenwell were known for their poverty , which George Gissing describes in his naturalist novel, The Nether World (1889). Since this time, Islington has been a subject of gentrification and with the median house price rising rapidly since the 2020 pandemic . With new headquarters for Facebook and Google close to
1200-564: The Musical Theatre Academy are both based in Islington. The borough currently maintains 47 primary schools, 10 secondary schools, three special schools and five Pupil Referral Units. In 2000, Cambridge Education Associates, a private firm, took over the management of the Islington's state schools from the local education authority . The Islington Gazette is a local newspaper. The following people and military units have received
1275-490: The River Thames and the gallows at Tyburn . The map was engraved on copper plates by John Pine. Each sheet is 27 × 19 inches (77 × 57 cm) and the scale is 1 inch to 200 feet (1:2400), about 26 inches to the mile. Although the survey covered the whole area as a unity, the sheets of the map were produced individually and were not separated from a master drawing. After being drawn, each paper sheet
1350-577: The "Mother of Methodism" through her education of sons John and Charles ; Thomas Bayes (died 1761), statistician and philosopher; Isaac Watts (died 1748), the "Father of English Hymnody "; and Thomas Newcomen (died 1729), steam engine pioneer. Bunhill Fields Burial Ground is listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens . It is now maintained by the Friends of the City Gardens. Nearby, on
1425-498: The 17th century when the modern form arose. In medieval times, Islington was just one of many small manors in the area, along with Bernersbury , Neweton Berewe or Hey-bury , and Canonesbury (Barnsbury, Highbury and Canonbury – names first recorded in the 13th and 14th centuries). "Islington" came to be applied as the name for the parish covering these villages, which became the Metropolitan Borough of Islington in 1900. On
1500-498: The 1960s, Blake's grave lay in the area that was to be cleared of monuments. The headstone was therefore moved approximately 20 metres (yards) to its present location, next to the monument to Daniel Defoe. It was also rotated through 90°, so that it now faces south rather than west. Joseph Swain 's headstone was added to the grouping at the same time, although that faces west. Flowers, coins and other tokens are regularly left by visitors to Blake's headstone. In 2006–07, members of
1575-624: The Borough: The Piccadilly line carries passengers to key London destinations, including the West End and Heathrow Airport . The Northern and Victoria lines also link the borough to the West End, whilst the Northern line (Bank branch) also passes through the City of London . Just beyond the borough's boundaries are King's Cross St Pancras (in the London Borough of Camden ) and Moorgate (in
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#17328525015361650-407: The City of London Corporation decided to use some of the land as a common burial ground for the interment of bodies of inhabitants who had died of the plague and could not be accommodated in the churchyards. Outer walls were completed but Church of England officials never consecrated the ground nor used it for burials. A Mr. Tindal took over the lease. He allowed extramural graveyard burials in what
1725-851: The City). There are also several London Overground stations in the borough, all but one of which are in London fare zone 2: There are several other National Rail stations in Islington, which offer direct services to destinations across London, East Anglia and South East England : Farringdon and Finsbury Park are served by Thameslink services, with some trains travelling direct to Gatwick Airport , as well as destinations including Cambridge , Peterborough , Brighton and Sevenoaks . Other stations, including Finsbury Park, are served by Great Northern trains which normally operate between Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City or Stevenage via Hertford North . The Elizabeth line calls at Farringdon. Moorgate lies just to
1800-532: The Corporation decided to take over management of the burial ground. So many historically important Protestant nonconformists chose this as their place of interment that the 19th-century poet and writer Robert Southey characterised Bunhill Fields in 1830 as the ground "which the Dissenters regard as their Campo Santo ". This term was applied to its "daughter", Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington . In 1852
1875-630: The Easternmost Parts of Mile-End and Lime-House, cross the River Thames to Deptford Road; from whence the Southern Side will extend Westerly, by Newington and Vaux-Hall, to that Part of Surrey which is opposite to Chelsea-College; which Building, together with some Part of Knights-Bridge and Hyde-Park, will be included in the Western Limit ... The map was financed by people subscribing to obtain
1950-511: The Manor of Finsbury (originally Fensbury), which has its origins as the prebend of Halliwell and Finsbury, belonging to St Paul's Cathedral and established in 1104. In 1315 the prebendary manor was granted by Archdeacon Robert Baldock to the Mayor and commonalty of London. This enabled more general public access to the semi- fen or moor stretching from the City of London's boundary ( London Wall ), to
2025-633: The Special Bunhill Fields Burial Ground Committee in 1865. This became formally known as the Bunhill Fields Preservation Committee. Appointed by the corporation, it consisted of twelve advisors under the chairmanship of Charles Reed , FSA (son of the Congregational philanthropist Dr. Andrew Reed). He later rose to prominence as the first Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney and chairman of
2100-443: The amalgamation of the metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury . The new entity remains the second smallest borough in London and the third-smallest district in England . The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies ; Islington North , represented by former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn , and Islington South & Finsbury represented by Labour MP Emily Thornberry . The local authority
2175-623: The area to the west bordering the London Borough of Camden . The central London area includes Farringdon and Old Street stations both in Zone 1. Areas in the borough include: The local authority is Islington Council, based at Islington Town Hall on Upper Street. Since 2000, for elections to the London Assembly , the borough forms part of the North East constituency. Islington is represented by two parliamentary constituencies. Islington North
2250-539: The borough's residents identified as Christian, 12.8% Muslim, 1.7% Jewish and 42.7% had no religion. Christians and Muslims live throughout the borough, while the Jewish population is most concentrated in the north of the borough in the Hillrise and Junction wards (bordering Highgate and Crouch End ). The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001, 2011 and 2021 censuses in Islington. The following shows
2325-467: The broadwalk's southern end, and that to Defoe at its northern end, while Blake's headstone was moved from the site of his grave and repositioned next to Defoe, alongside the headstone to the lesser-known Joseph Swain (died 1796). This arrangement survives, but in 2018 a second monument to Blake was placed on the actual site of his grave. John Bunyan , author of Pilgrim's Progress , died in August 1688. He
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2400-520: The burial ground. Two decades before, a group of City nonconformists led by George Collison bought a site for a new landscaped alternative, at part of Abney Park in Stoke Newington. This was named Abney Park Cemetery and opened in 1840. All parts were available for the burial of any person, regardless of religious creed. It preceded Brookwood Cemetery as the prototype of many cemeteries to come nationally with "no invidious dividing lines". It has
2475-495: The century; with the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury particularly suffering deprivation, poverty and severe overcrowding. The increase in population peaked before World War I , falling slowly in the aftermath until World War II began an exodus from London towards the new towns under the Abercrombie Plan for London (1944). The decline in population reversed in the 1980s, but it remains below its 1951 level. According to
2550-416: The detail on the map is variable over the various parts of London – in the inner city there was not room for minor roadways to be included. Churches, grand buildings and streets receive close attention but industrial buildings are neglected. Hatching and broken lines are used to distinguish buildings, gardens, fields and woods. Apart from the cartouches , pictorial detail is limited to trees, boats on
2625-524: The early 20th century was used to hold many suffragettes . The Borough boasts a large transport network for rail, bus, cycles and road users. There are ten London Underground stations in the borough across London fare zones 1, 2 and 3. These stations are principally served by the Northern , Piccadilly and Victoria lines, although the Circle , Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines also pass through
2700-427: The edge of the borough, along with Lawyer offices Slaughter & May on the edge of the borough, near the City of London , the borough has seen a steady house prices, with median incomes rising significantly. Inmarsat has its head office in the borough. There is one prison in Islington, a men's prison, HM Prison Pentonville . Until it closed in 2016 there was also a women's prison HM Prison Holloway , which in
2775-519: The effigy's face). Daniel Defoe , author of Robinson Crusoe , died in April 1731 and was buried in Bunhill Fields: his wife, Mary, died in December 1732 and was laid to rest beside him. His daughter-in-law was also buried in the same grave. Defoe died in poverty, and the grave was marked with a simple headstone. In the winter of 1857/8 – at a time when the burial ground was closed and neglected—the grave
2850-429: The end, some 1,700 subscriptions raised a total of about £200. A design for a marble obelisk (or "Cleopatric pillar") was commissioned from C. C. Creeke; and the sculptor Samuel Horner of Bournemouth was commissioned to execute it. In late 1869, when the foundations were being dug, skeletons were disinterred, and there was an unseemly rush for souvenirs by the crowd of onlookers: the police had to be called before calm
2925-651: The first School Board for London before being knighted. Along with his interest in making it into a parkland landscape, he was similarly interested in the wider educational and public benefits of Abney Park Cemetery , of which he was a prominent director. To corroborate the committee's work, the Corporation obtained an Act of Parliament, the Bunhill Fields Burial Ground Act 1867, "for the Preservation of Bunhill Fields Burial Ground ... as an open space". The legislation enabled them to continue to maintain
3000-484: The greatest and most handsome plans of any city". Also in 1746, Rocque published another, smaller-scale, map of London, Westminster, Southwark, and their environs in sixteen sheets: its full name is An Exact Survey of the city's of London Westminster ye Borough of Southwark and the Country near ten miles round / begun in 1741 & ended in 1745 by John Rocque Land Surveyor; & Engrav'd by Richard Parr . Although it lacks
3075-410: The greatest and most handsome plans of any city". The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states it was "the outstanding plan of the capital in the eighteenth century". Roque and Pine's index consisted of a series of sections such as Alleys or Ditches or Churches – nineteen in all – each section containing locations listed alphabetically. For each location the index specified
Bunhill Fields - Misplaced Pages Continue
3150-418: The grounds. Landscaping was designed and overseen by the architect and landscape architect Peter Shepheard in 1964–65. The best-known monuments are those to the three literary and artistic figures, John Bunyan , Daniel Defoe and William Blake . Their graves have long been sites of cultural pilgrimage: Isabella Holmes stated in 1896 that the "most frequented paths" in the burial ground were those leading to
3225-529: The group The Friends of William Blake established the original location of his grave, and proposed placing a new memorial there. In the form of a ledger stone , with lettering by Lida Cardozo Kindersley , this was finally unveiled on 12 August 2018 by Philip Pullman , President of the Blake Society. Burial ground registers, from 1713 to 1854, are held at The National Archives at Kew . Other records, including interment order books dating from 1789 to 1854, and
3300-676: The high definition of its better-known counterpart, it covers a much larger area. A prospectus for the map was published in 1740, stating: This Plan will be contained in 24 Sheets of the best Imperial Paper, being near 13 Feet in Length, and 6 Feet and an Half in Depth, and will extend from West to East, on the North Side, from beyond Mary-bone Turnpike, by Tottenham-Court, the New-River-Head, Hoxton and Part of Hackney to near Bow: From thence, Southerly, by
3375-434: The lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards . In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs , two of which were called Islington and Finsbury , the latter covering the combined area of the parishes of Clerkenwell , St Luke and St Sepulchre , and the extra-parochial areas of Charterhouse and Glasshouse Yard . The modern borough
3450-510: The map was dedicated to them and to the Lord Mayor . After planning and agreeing the project with George Vertue , Rocque started surveying in March 1738 ( old style 1737). The survey was complete by 1744, even though Rocque was also busy mapping various other English towns. Rocque combined two surveying techniques: he made a ground-level survey with a compass and a physical metal chain –
3525-610: The merger with Finsbury to form the modern borough, the Islington name was used for the whole borough. The area of the modern borough had historically been part of the county of Middlesex . From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works , which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London . From 1856 until 1900
3600-430: The monument, undertaken by the sculptor Edgar George Papworth Senior (1809–1866). Although Papworth retained the basic form of the tomb-chest, he added a recumbent effigy of Bunyan to the top of it, and two relief panels to its sides depicting scenes from Pilgrim's Progress . The monument was further restored in 1928 (the tercentenary of Bunyan's birth), and again after World War II (following serious wartime damage to
3675-411: The monuments of Bunyan and Defoe. In their present form, all these monuments post-date the closure of the burial ground. Their settings were further radically modified by the landscaping of 1964–65, when a paved north–south "broadwalk" was created in the middle of the burial ground to display them—outside the railed-off areas, accessible to visitors, and cleared of other monuments. Bunyan's monument lies at
3750-475: The most part in concentrated blocks. It was a prototype of land-use protected, nondenominational grounds, and was particularly favoured by nonconformists who passed their final years in the region. It contains the graves of many notable people, including John Bunyan (died 1688), author of The Pilgrim's Progress ; Daniel Defoe (died 1731), author of Robinson Crusoe ; William Blake (died 1827), artist, poet, and mystic; Susanna Wesley (died 1742), known as
3825-462: The public had been able to see the drafts and suggest corrections prior to publication. In his catalogues the map was generally described as "His large Survey of London in 24 Sheets" . In the Annals of London (2000) the map is described as a "massive achievement"; and according to Chetham's Library it is "a magnificent example of cartography and an indispensable reference tool for historians: one of
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#17328525015363900-474: The religious identity of residents residing in Islington according to the 2001, 2011 and the 2021 censuses. The London Borough of Islington is home to two higher education institutions: Moorfields Eye Hospital is a major centre for postgraduate training of ophthalmologists , orthoptists , optometrists , and nurses . The borough also currently contains three colleges of further education : There are two performing arts colleges. The Urdang Academy and
3975-544: The second highest proportion of Irish people in the country, behind London Borough of Brent . A 2017 study by Trust for London and the New Policy Institute found that a third of Islington residents lived in poverty. This is above the London average of 27%. It also found that 14% of local employees were in jobs which pay below the London Living Wage – the fourth lowest figure of any London borough. 39% of
4050-450: The sheet as the numeric row followed by the alphabetic column. Each sheet was notionally divided into nine rectangles as illustrated in their diagram. This number came last. So, the bottom right of the whole map was 3 H 9. The map has been described as the most detailed and accurate map of 18th-century London ever produced. In 1981 a reduced facsimile edition of the map was published in volume format by Harry Margary in association with
4125-416: The site when possession would have otherwise reverted to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners , provided it was laid out as a public open space with seating, gardens, and some of its most worthy monuments were restored. The improvements, which included the laying out of walks and paths, cost an estimated £3,500. The new park was opened by the Lord Mayor , James Clarke Lawrence , on 14 October 1869. The ground
4200-431: The south of the borough, in the City of London, whilst King's Cross lies to the borough's immediate west, with destinations including Sheffield , Leeds , Newcastle , Edinburgh and Inverness . In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: underground, metro, light rail, tram, 19.4% of all residents aged 16–74; bus, minibus or coach, 10.3%; on foot, 10.3%; bicycle, 6.2%; driving
4275-494: The survey proceeded and double checked these by comparing their names with those on earlier maps. For the City of London the Court of Aldermen ordered the ward beadles to assist with this aspect and so the map includes ward boundaries whereas in other areas only parish boundaries are shown. The map shows internal details for some buildings, such as St Paul's Cathedral , and in less densely populated areas gardens are shown. However,
4350-495: The surveying and in the original paper sheets, a transformation of the map was required to rectify the images for georeferencing – Rauxloh provides an illustration of the requirement. The high resolution digital images of the 1746 map were supplied from the now-defunct Motco image database. In 2014, an example of the map made over £85,000 in a sale at Christie's in London, with most examples making over £50,000 at auction. A 2008 historical crime drama, City of Vice ,
4425-410: The unit of length also being the chain . Compass bearings were taken of the lines measured. He also created a triangulation network over the entire area to be covered by taking readings from church towers and similar high places using a theodolite made by Jonathan Sisson (inventor of the telescopic-sighted theodolite) to measure the observed angle between two other prominent locations. The process
4500-448: The use for mass-deposit for human bones—amounting to over 1,000 cartloads—brought from St Paul's charnel house in 1549 (when that building was demolished). The dried bones were deposited on the moor and capped with a thin layer of soil. This built up a hill across the otherwise damp, flat fens, such that three windmills could safely be erected in a spot that came to be one of the many windmill hills. In keeping with this tradition, in 1665
4575-409: The village of Hoxton . In 1498 part of the otherwise unenclosed landscape was set aside to form a large field for military exercises of archers and others. This part of the manor has sports and occasional military use: Artillery Ground . Next to this lies Bunhill Fields. The name derives from "Bone hill", likely linked to occasional burials from at least Saxon times, but more probably derives from
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#17328525015364650-461: The west side of Bunhill Row and behind the residential tower Braithwaite House, is a former Quaker burial ground, in use from 1661 to 1855, at times also known as Bunhill Fields. George Fox (died 1691), one of the founders of the movement, is among those buried there. Its remains are also a public garden, Quaker Gardens , managed by the London Borough of Islington. Bunhill Fields was part of
4725-538: Was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 . It was a merger of the old Islington and Finsbury metropolitan boroughs. The southern part of the borough, south of the A501 Pentonville Road and City Road, forms part of the central London congestion charging zone and the Ultra Low Emission Zone . A significant part of the southern section of the borough borders the City of London , with
4800-406: Was in disrepair; and in 1927, for the centenary of his death and at a time when his reputation was on the rise, a new headstone was commissioned. As it had been decided to commemorate both William and Catherine, despite the fact that the headstone would stand at some distance from Catherine's grave, the inscription was phrased as "Near by lie the remains of ...". When Bunhill Fields was relandscaped in
4875-471: Was inclosed with a brick wall at the sole charges of the City of London, in the mayoralty of Sir John Lawrence , Knt. , Anno Domini 1665; and afterwards the gates thereof were built and finished in the mayoralty of Sir Thomas Bloudworth , Knt., Anno Domini, 1666." The present gates and inscription date from 1868, but the wording follows that of an original 17th-century inscription at the western entrance, now lost. The earliest recorded monumental inscription
4950-405: Was initially buried in the " Baptist Corner" at the back of the burial ground, on the understanding that his remains would be moved into the family vault of his friend John Strudwick when that was next opened for a burial. There is no certain evidence as to when (or even if) this was done: the probability, however, is that it occurred when Strudwick himself died in 1695, and certainly Bunyan's name
5025-453: Was inscribed on the side of the monument. The Strudwick monument took the form of a large Baroque stone chest. By the 19th century, this had fallen into decay, but in the period following the closure of the burial ground a public appeal for its restoration was launched under the presidency of the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury . This work was completed in May 1862, and comprised a complete reconstruction of
5100-543: Was placed over a waxed copper plate and the lines were traced manually to produce the engraving. The plate was inked and damp paper pressed on to it to pick up the ink. As they dried, the sheets distorted to some extent so they did not line up perfectly with each other. The map was published in October 1746 by John Pine and John Tinney and advertised for sale on 27 June 1747 as a set of twenty-four sheets covering adjacent areas of London – three rows of eight sheets each. It
5175-527: Was repeated from point to point. The two methods needed to be reconciled and at the start of his work Rocque relied too much on his ground surveys, only to find they were not in agreement with triangulation. This meant the earlier ground surveying needed to be repeated. Triangulation tends to be more accurate on the larger scale and in the City the dual approach was very successful but in rural areas there were too few prominent landmarks for triangulation to be effective. Rocque recorded street and place names as
5250-415: Was restored. The monument was unveiled at a ceremony attended by three of Defoe's great-granddaughters on 16 September 1870. William Blake —painter, poet, printmaker and visionary—died in August 1827 and was buried in the northern part of the burial ground. His wife, Catherine Sophia , died in October 1831 and was buried in a separate grave on the south side of the ground. By the 20th century, Blake's grave
5325-496: Was severely damaged by German bombing during World War II; it is believed to have hosted an anti-aircraft gun during the Blitz . In the 1950s, after some debate, the City ordered: to clear the northern third (the projection) of the site of most of its monuments to open it as a public garden; and to preserve and protect the rest behind railings. Legislation in 1960 gave the freehold to the city (the corporation), which continues to maintain
5400-497: Was struck by lightning and the headstone broken. In 1869, James Clarke, editor of the Christian World children's newspaper, launched an appeal for subscriptions to place a more suitable memorial on the grave. He encouraged his readers to make donations of sixpence each; and to stimulate enthusiasm opened two lists, one for boys and one for girls, to encourage a spirit of competition between them. Many adults also made donations. In
5475-418: Was that to "Grace, daughter of T. Cloudesly, of Leeds. February 1666". The earliest surviving monument is believed to be the headstone to Theophilus Gale : the inscription reads "Theophilus Gale MA / Born 1628 / Died 1678". In 1769 an Act of Parliament gave the corporation the right to continue the lease for 99 years. The City authorities continued to let the ground to their tenant as a burial ground; in 1781
5550-490: Was titled A Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster and Borough of Southwark; with the Contiguous Buildings; From an actual Survey taken by John Rocque Land-Surveyor, and Engraved by John Pine, Bluemantle Pursuivant at Arms and Chief Engraver of Seals, &c. to His Majesty . An alphabetical list of over 5,500 locations was published in 1748. Rocque had a shop in "Hide Park Road" (a section of Piccadilly ), and
5625-474: Was unconsecrated soil, thus popular with nonconformists —those Protestant Christians who practised their faiths outside the Church of England ; unlike Anglican churchyards it was open for interment to anyone who could afford the fees. It appears on Rocque's Map of London of 1746, and elsewhere, as "Tindal's Burying Ground". An inscription at the eastern entrance gate to the burial ground reads: "This church-yard
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