VPRS 9583 Alphabetical Record of Burials - Old Melbourne Cemetery

The first burial at the Old Melbourne Cemetery occurred in 1837. The cemetery was divided into sections for each religious denomination. In 1851, due to lack of available space, the cemetery was closed to burials apart from people who already had claims on plots. The last burial at the cemetery took place in 1917. The cemetery closed in 1922.The gradual encroachment of what is now known as the Queen Victoria Market saw cemetery land being taken over by the market. In 1877 the sections allocated to Aboriginals and Quakers and the unused part of the Jewish section were taken over by the market.In 1917 the Melbourne General Markets Land Act (No:2913) was passed by parliament allowing the Melbourne City Council to reclaim cemetery land for the use of the market. The council had the responsibility of overseeing the operations of the cemetery through the appointing of trustees. The Melbourne City Council were co- trustees of the cemetery with the Board of Land and Works (VA 669).Exhumation of bodies began in 1920. Only marked graves were exhumed. George Simms of the Melbourne City Council had the responsibility for the exhumations and he identified 525 marked graves. Human remains were found in the early 1990s during excavation work for the market car park, the site of the major part of the Old Cemetery grounds. As part of the exhumation process 70 significant memorials were identified and relocated to the Fawkner Park Old Pioneers Section. Other bodies were reinterred at cemeteries around Melbourne.No burial records exist prior to 1866. A letter from the then Secretary of the Trustees of the Old Melbourne Cemetery in 1895 (Outward Letterbook p 180) apologises for records not being available due to them having been destroyed in a fire at the gatekeepers lodge in 1865.This series constitutes the most complete record of burials that took place at the Old Melbourne Cemetery from 1866. Records of burials prior to 1866 were destroyed by fire in 1865.The List of Burials contains information on date permission for burial granted, name of deceased, religious denomination of deceased, age at death, occupation of deceased, residence of deceased,.deceaseds place of birth, date of funeral, Minister to officiate (sometimes the name of the Minister officiating is given, sometimes just yes or no is written), cause of death and to whom permission to bury was granted.Related RecordsResearchers interested in the Melbourne City Councils role in the closure of the Old Melbourne Cemetery should consult the Minutes of Council Meetings (VPRS 8910) from around 1916 to 1922. The minutes of the Market Committee (VPRS 8945) contain many references to the Old Melbourne Cemetery between 1916 and 1922.Town Clerk's Correspondence Series II (VPRS 3183) may also contain files pertaining to the closure of the Old Melbourne Cemetery.

墨尔本旧公墓（Old Melbourne Cemetery）的首座墓葬于1837年举行。该公墓按宗教教派划分了专属区域。1851年，因可用墓位耗尽，公墓仅向已拥有墓位使用权的人员开放下葬业务，直至1917年举办最后一场墓葬仪式。公墓最终于1922年正式关停。

如今的维多利亚女王市场（Queen Victoria Market）的逐步扩张，持续蚕食了公墓用地。1877年，公墓划归原住民与贵格会的区域，以及犹太区的闲置地块，被市场征用。1917年，澳大利亚议会通过《墨尔本综合市场土地法案（第2913号）》（Melbourne General Markets Land Act (No:2913)），授权墨尔本市政委员会收回公墓土地以供市场使用。

墨尔本市政委员会通过委任受托人的方式负责公墓运营，并与土地和工程委员会（Board of Land and Works，档案编号VA 669）共同担任公墓联合受托人。

遗体迁葬工作于1920年启动，仅对带有标识的墓葬开展迁葬作业。墨尔本市政委员会的乔治·西姆斯（George Simms）负责此次迁葬事宜，共确认了525处带标识的墓葬。1990年代初，在为市场停车场开展的挖掘工程中，于旧公墓核心场地内发现了人类遗骸。作为迁葬流程的一部分，共确认70处具有纪念意义的墓碑，并将其迁移至福克纳公园（Fawkner Park）旧拓荒者区域。其余遗体则被重新安葬于墨尔本周边的公墓中。

1866年之前的墓葬记录已全数损毁。1895年，时任墨尔本旧公墓受托人秘书的一封来信（收录于《外发书信簿》第180页）致歉称，相关记录已于1865年在门房火灾中焚毁。本数据集收录了1866年起墨尔本旧公墓墓葬的最完整档案记录。1866年之前的墓葬记录已在1865年的火灾中全部焚毁。

本次公开的墓葬清单包含以下信息：墓葬许可获批日期、逝者姓名、逝者宗教教派、去世时年龄、逝者职业、逝者常住地、逝者出生地、葬礼举办日期、主礼牧师（部分记录仅标注主礼牧师姓名，部分仅标注“是”或“否”）、死因，以及墓葬许可获批对象。

相关记录说明：若研究者希望了解墨尔本市政委员会在关停墨尔本旧公墓过程中所扮演的角色，可查阅1916年至1922年间的市政委员会会议纪要（档案编号VPRS 8910）。市场委员会会议纪要（档案编号VPRS 8945）中，1916年至1922年间存有大量涉及墨尔本旧公墓的相关记载。城镇秘书通信系列第二辑（档案编号VPRS 3183）或也包含与关停墨尔本旧公墓相关的档案文件。