Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Monday 10 September 1934, page 6


HISTORIC CHURCHYARD.

' St. John's, Ashfield.

DEDICATED BY ARCHBISHOP

' MOWLL.

Links with the pi3t weic forged anew on Saturday when at the 34th anniversary cele brations of St Johns chuich of Enghnri Ashfield the Archbishop of Sydney (Di

Mowll) after an Impie slve sei vic" pcifonned the act of dedication of the cluircli ccmcton Although the foundation stone of the church was laid on Scptcmbci 9 1840 and the lim inteimcnt took place on May 1 1845 the cemeteiy lnd not been dedicated until Saturdny Ihe service was conducted bv the rector (the Rev H S Cocks)

The Ven Archdeacon Johnstone -/ho took as his text the words from the Book of Ruth beginning Whither thou gocst I v;lll go said that people In this colinby were not as concerned about the sacicdness ol the last resting places of the dead as were the folk in other lands i ox example he men tloncd that the Sydney Town Ilnll and the Central Railway Station and its npproache

occupied ground that foimcrly was used as burial-places

Mr P W Gledhill on behalf of the lils

toi leal societies delivered an addicss in which he briefly referred to the hlstoiy of the church and the churchyard

Mr Gledhill snld thnt the land for the church and the cemetery was given by Mr' Joseph Underwood and the flist interment was that of Tredeiick Underwood on May 1

1845 Another eaily interment was tint ni John Llmebouinei who arrived m Australis. with the rirst rlcct and was burled In the churchyard on Scptcmbci 4 1847 íged 104 years The cemeteiy also contained the graves of the Rev T H Wilkinson who vvas lectm of the palish from 1854 to 18G0 the Rev W11 Ham Lumsdalne (rector from 18G0 to 1B61))

Canon J C Corlette (roctoi dom 1SG7 to 1000 and whose daughter Mis- Corlette was piesent that day) and the Rev r Rogers a pioneer clergyman To date 1180 persons lind been laid to rest there The foundation stone of the church had been laid on Scptcm ber D 1840 by Bishop W G Broughton (t Bishop of Austialia)

The lertoi mentioned thnt imnn» tho e present was Mr S G Boj dell who was a giandson of Bishop Broughton and lint otlipr members of the bishops famtlv, also were pie

sent An aoologv foi non-attendnnce lind been received fiom Miss riiznbcth Betts a relative of the Rev Samuel Marsden

The rcctoi then on behalf of himself nnd

the parishioneis presented the humble pell

tion to the Aichbiihop praying His Grace to set apart the aica containing 4 acies and 4 perches as a burial-place foi the bodies ol Christian people Irving In and about /^fifield

Archbishop Mow 11 said he wos usine; for the dedication service a book that lnd b"cn ti ed by the Rev Samuel Marsden when dedlcatlm; the first rhinchyard in Australia He then performed the consecration ceicmonj

Among those present weir the Mavor (Aldeimon W E Grainger) and Aldermen Cavell Allum and Laplsli of Ashfield and

Majoi Jai vie MIA_