Old English Cemetery, Livorno
Encyclopedia
The Old English Cemetery is a cemetery in Livorno
, central Italy
, located in a plot of land near the Via Verdi, close to the Waldensian Church and to the formerly Anglican church of St. George. It is one of the oldest non-Roman-Catholic cemeteries in Italy.
, thereby attracting to the city a large Anglo-Saxon community.
Soon the community, essentially consisting of Anglicans (and non-Roman Catholics in general), needed a burial place for its dead. Some historians argue that the cemetery was founded before 1609, although the oldest graves are dated around the 1640s. Some sources say that in 1594 the burial ground was opened by authorization of the Grand Duke Ferdinando I, who had recently completed a commercial agreement with Queen Elizabeth I. The cemetery was erected outside the city walls, in an area called "Fondo Magno". It was for a long time the only English and Protestant cemetery of Italy and probably of the entire Mediterranean area.
Initially the cemetery was unenclosed, which was rectified by having railings erected in 1745, thanks to a substantial bequest from the wealthy merchant Robert Bateman. In 1838, during the construction of the new Anglican church of St. George, the cemetery was closed and replaced with a new one in the northern part of the city, close to the San Marco gate.
Despite the important historical value of the cemetery, and against the advice of art historians, in 2007 the construction of a huge multi-level parking lot was started just a few yards from the cemetery walls, replacing the historical Odeon cinema. In 2009 a restoration and study project was started by few volountaries and is still ongoing (June 2010).
, which also damaged the adjoining Waldensian and St. George's churches. It remains one of the most charming and interesting places in Livorno.
After the Second World War the cemetery was to be found hidden behind a large six-story apartment-block, showing the distinct lack of sensitivity of the local administration of the time.
The entrance is located in a small square, accessible through the property of the Arciconfraternita della Misericordia. The cemetery is a large quadrangle, characterized by dense arboreal vegetation, with century-old cypress trees and various Mediterranean plants. A notable feature is the presence of some Virginia secular elms which are said to have been planted by American sailors visiting the graves of their loved ones.
Among the most ancient graves is that of Leonardo Digges, son of Dudley Digges
, whose grave, dated 1646, is decorated with by bas-relief, which served as a model for many other monuments in the cemetery. Also notable are some graves from the 18th century, such as Robert Bateman's grave, which have convex and concave shapes. At the end of the 18th century and in the 19th century the Neoclassical style
of decoration became evident in the monuments, which often contained citations from the works of Bertel Thorvaldsen, who lived in Livorno.
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, located in a plot of land near the Via Verdi, close to the Waldensian Church and to the formerly Anglican church of St. George. It is one of the oldest non-Roman-Catholic cemeteries in Italy.
History
In the late 16th century Livorno became an English Navy base for patrolling shipping routes in the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, thereby attracting to the city a large Anglo-Saxon community.
Soon the community, essentially consisting of Anglicans (and non-Roman Catholics in general), needed a burial place for its dead. Some historians argue that the cemetery was founded before 1609, although the oldest graves are dated around the 1640s. Some sources say that in 1594 the burial ground was opened by authorization of the Grand Duke Ferdinando I, who had recently completed a commercial agreement with Queen Elizabeth I. The cemetery was erected outside the city walls, in an area called "Fondo Magno". It was for a long time the only English and Protestant cemetery of Italy and probably of the entire Mediterranean area.
Initially the cemetery was unenclosed, which was rectified by having railings erected in 1745, thanks to a substantial bequest from the wealthy merchant Robert Bateman. In 1838, during the construction of the new Anglican church of St. George, the cemetery was closed and replaced with a new one in the northern part of the city, close to the San Marco gate.
Despite the important historical value of the cemetery, and against the advice of art historians, in 2007 the construction of a huge multi-level parking lot was started just a few yards from the cemetery walls, replacing the historical Odeon cinema. In 2009 a restoration and study project was started by few volountaries and is still ongoing (June 2010).
Description
The cemetery survived great damage caused by bombing during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, which also damaged the adjoining Waldensian and St. George's churches. It remains one of the most charming and interesting places in Livorno.
After the Second World War the cemetery was to be found hidden behind a large six-story apartment-block, showing the distinct lack of sensitivity of the local administration of the time.
The entrance is located in a small square, accessible through the property of the Arciconfraternita della Misericordia. The cemetery is a large quadrangle, characterized by dense arboreal vegetation, with century-old cypress trees and various Mediterranean plants. A notable feature is the presence of some Virginia secular elms which are said to have been planted by American sailors visiting the graves of their loved ones.
Among the most ancient graves is that of Leonardo Digges, son of Dudley Digges
Dudley Digges
Sir Dudley Digges , of Chilham Castle, Kent , was a Member of Parliament, elected to the Parliament of 1614 and that of 1621, and also a "Virginia adventurer," an investor who ventured his capital in the Virginia Company of London...
, whose grave, dated 1646, is decorated with by bas-relief, which served as a model for many other monuments in the cemetery. Also notable are some graves from the 18th century, such as Robert Bateman's grave, which have convex and concave shapes. At the end of the 18th century and in the 19th century the Neoclassical style
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
of decoration became evident in the monuments, which often contained citations from the works of Bertel Thorvaldsen, who lived in Livorno.
Notable burials
Notable people buried here include:- Tobias SmollettTobias SmollettTobias George Smollett was a Scottish poet and author. He was best known for his picaresque novels, such as The Adventures of Roderick Random and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle , which influenced later novelists such as Charles Dickens.-Life:Smollett was born at Dalquhurn, now part of Renton,...
(1721–1771), Scottish writer who died in Livorno, whose grave is surmounted with a fine obelisk. - Thomas HallThomas Hall (minister at Leghorn)Reverend Thomas Hall was born April 8, 1750 in the Township of Byberry, Pennsylvania, and was the second eldest son of Captain John Hall and Sarah Hall. He was a cousin of Dr...
(1750–1824), American chaplain of the British Factory at Leghorn. - Francis HornerFrancis HornerFrancis Horner was a Scottish Whig MP for St. Ives in 1806, Wendover in 1807, and St. Mawes in 1812 ....
(1778–1817), Scottish MP who died in Pisa. - Robert Bateman (d. 1743), the English merchant who donated money to have railings erected around the cemetery.
- Mary Lane (d. 1790); the epitaph on her tomb is said to have inspired Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
, when he visited the cemetery in 1828, to write his poem Suspiria. - William Robert BroughtonWilliam Robert BroughtonWilliam Robert Broughton was a British naval officer in the late 18th century. As a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he commanded HMS Chatham as part of the Vancouver Expedition, a voyage of exploration through the Pacific Ocean led by Captain George Vancouver in the early 1790s.-With Vancouver:In...
(1762–1821), Captain in the Royal Navy, Surveyor. - Richard Starke (c.1720-1794), father of the travel writer Mariana StarkeMariana StarkeMariana Starke was an English author. She is best known for her ground-breaking travel guide of France and Italy which served as an essential companion for British travellers to the Continent in the early nineteenth century. She also wrote plays and poetry early in her career but was discouraged...
, of the East India Co., Governor of Madras at Fort Saint George. - John Pollexfen BastardJohn Pollexfen BastardJohn Pollexfen Bastard was a British Tory politician, landowner and colonel of the East Devonshire Militia who lived at Kitley House, Yealmpton, Devon.He married Sarah Bruton about 1780 who died in April 1808...
(1756–1816), British Tory politician and colonel of the East Devonshire Militia, who died and was initially buried in Livorno then reburied in England. His monument, almost completely illegible, still stands here, recently found by researchers .
Sources
- G. Panessa, M.T. Lazzarini, La Livorno delle Nazioni. I luoghi della memoria, Livorno 2006.
- G. Piombanti, Guida storica ed artistica della città e dei dintorni di Livorno, Livorno 1903.
- B. Allegranti, Cimiteri monumentali di Livorno : guida ai beni storici e artistici : i cimiteri della nazione ebrea, inglese e olandese-alemanna, Pisa, Pacini, 1996.
- S. Villani, Alcune note sulle recinzioni dei cimiteri acattolici livornesi in Nuovi studi livornesi - Vol. 11 (2004), p. 35-51
- M. Carmichael, G. Milner-Gibson-Cullum, F. Campbell-Macauley, The inscriptions in the old British cemetery of Leghorn, Livorno, R. Giusti, 1906.
External links
- Site by an English resident of Livorno
- Complete list of burials, by Matteo Giunti at the Leghorn Merchant Networks Blog
- Complete list of burials for the New English Cemetery of Livorno (1838-), by Matteo Giunti at the Leghorn Merchant Networks Blog