Gorbals Southern Necropolis
Encyclopedia
The Southern Necropolis is a cemetery
in the Gorbals
district of southern Glasgow
, Scotland
. It was opened in the year 1840 to provide an affordable and respectable place of burial
for the people of Gorbals and the surrounding areas of the city of Glasgow. There are over 250,000 burials within the many lairs.
. The first burial, that of a 16-month-old child, took place on 21st July 1840. There are three sections to the cemetery: Central opened in 1840; Eastern opened in 1846; and the larger Western section opened in 1850. The entrance to the cemetery is at Caledonia Road, via the grand gatehouse
which was built in 1848 to designs by the Glasgow architect Charles Wilson
.
In 1954 the cemetery played host to a large group of child "vampire hunters" searching for the purported "Gorbals Vampire". The incident, sparked by an urban myth that a vampire had killed two local children, was blamed on American horror comics such as Tales from the Crypt
, despite none of the comics referring to the creature in question, and the ensuing moral panic
led to an increase in comic censorship.
The Southern Necropolis was taken over by the Glasgow Corporation in 1952, and is now operated by Glasgow City Council. The cemetery is protected as a Category B listed building, while the gate lodge is listed at Category A.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in the Gorbals
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...
district of southern Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It was opened in the year 1840 to provide an affordable and respectable place of burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
for the people of Gorbals and the surrounding areas of the city of Glasgow. There are over 250,000 burials within the many lairs.
History
The cemetery was established in response to the crowded state of the Old Gorbals Burial Ground, on Rutherglen Road. Proposals for a new cemetery were put forward in 1839, and the following year land was purchased from William Gilmour of OatlandsOatlands
Oatlands is a village and small district near Weybridge in Surrey which has acquired its name from the Royal Tudor and Stuart Oatlands Palace, the site of which is now a luxury hotel...
. The first burial, that of a 16-month-old child, took place on 21st July 1840. There are three sections to the cemetery: Central opened in 1840; Eastern opened in 1846; and the larger Western section opened in 1850. The entrance to the cemetery is at Caledonia Road, via the grand gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
which was built in 1848 to designs by the Glasgow architect Charles Wilson
Charles Wilson (architect)
Charles Wilson was a Scottish architect from Glasgow.-Biography:Charles Wilson was the younger son of a Glasgow-based master mason and builder. After working for his father, he was articled to the architect David Hamilton in 1827...
.
In 1954 the cemetery played host to a large group of child "vampire hunters" searching for the purported "Gorbals Vampire". The incident, sparked by an urban myth that a vampire had killed two local children, was blamed on American horror comics such as Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (comic)
Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror are three bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s...
, despite none of the comics referring to the creature in question, and the ensuing moral panic
Moral panic
A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when "[a] condition, episode, person or group of...
led to an increase in comic censorship.
The Southern Necropolis was taken over by the Glasgow Corporation in 1952, and is now operated by Glasgow City Council. The cemetery is protected as a Category B listed building, while the gate lodge is listed at Category A.
Notable interments
- Sir Thomas Lipton (d.1931), tea merchant
- Agnes RestonAgnes RestonAgnes Reston was a Scottish wartime nurse during the Peninsular War. She has become known as the Heroine of Matagorda, for her outstanding bravery.-Wartime actions:...
(d.1856), wartime nurse - John RobertsonJohn Robertson (Scottish Labour Party founder)John Robertson was a British politician, who sat as a Labour Member of Parliament before co-founding the Scottish Labour Party in 1976....
(d.1987), Labour politician - George RodgersGeorge RodgersGeorge Rodgers VC was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
(d.1870), Victoria Cross recipient - Alexander "Greek" ThomsonAlexander ThomsonAlexander "Greek" Thomson was an eminent Scottish architect and architectural theorist who was a pioneer in sustainable building. Although his work was published in the architectural press of his day, it was little appreciated outwith Glasgow during his lifetime...
(d.1875), architect - Charles Wilson (d.1863), architect
See also
- Burials at the Southern Necropolis
- Glasgow NecropolisGlasgow NecropolisThe Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of Glasgow Cathedral . Fifty thousand individuals have been buried here. Typically for the period only a small percentage are named on monuments and not every grave has a stone...
, another large cemetery in the city centre
External links
- Southern Necropolis Research
- Southern Necropolis Heritage Trail, Glasgow City Council