St Michael's Cemetery, Sheffield
Encyclopedia
St Michael’s Cemetery is a Catholic burial ground in the Rivelin Valley area of Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, England. The cemetery stands on a steep hillside on the south side of Rivelin Valley Road at its junction with Rivelin Road and Hollins Lane.
of the 16th century. Father Burke of St Vincent‘s Church
on Solly Street in the city, being quite concerned about this began a search for a suitable burial ground and finally purchased an eight acre site on a sloping hillside in Rivelin Glen. The plot of land was bought for £600 in the Spring of 1862 from Mr. Wilson of Loxley
, a member of the famous Wilson family
of snuff
manufacturers. The site was quickly enclosed and walled off at a further cost of £250 and received official Government approval as a burial ground on 25 August 1862.
On 29 September 1862 (Michaelmas
day) Robert Cornthwaite
, Bishop of Beverly
laid and consecrated the cornerstone
of the original St Michael’s chapel. When later writing about the laying of the cornerstone, Father Burke revealed the names of some of the benefactors who helped pay for the cemetery. He wrote, “a few humble Irish Catholics who had by good conduct and honest industry, realised a little property, offered to supply £500 or £600 to purchase a graveyard”. They were Michael Monaghan, Lawrence Brown and James Callaghan. A further £200 was donated by a Mr. Hodgkinson “a worthy English gentleman” and these four along with Father Burke and Arnold Sutton of Revell Grange were named as trustees of the cemetery.
It is believed that the first interments in the new cemetery took place on 23 September 1862 when two young children Mary Mulvey, aged three and Catherine Hopkins, aged seven were buried at St Michael’s. By the summer of 1863 the work on the cemetery and its chapel were complete with the final cost coming to £1,400. On 26 October 1863 the chapel was blessed by Father Burke and dedicated to St Michael The Archangel
. In December of that year the St Vincent Catholic Young Men’s Society donated a statue of Saint Patrick
and a set of bas relief Stations of the Cross
which were erected in the chapel.
The original chapel was always meant to a temporary building and in 1877 a new permanent building was erected at a cost of £2,000, which was donated by George Harvey Foster, a local businessman in the tailoring trade, and his wife Mary Ann. This gift is marked by a marble plaque on the right (epistle) side of the chapel. The new chapel was opened and blessed, again by Robert Cornthwaite (now Bishop of Leeds), on 11 December 1877.
with Mr. M.J. Dowling used as the contractor. It is built of dressed Greenmoor wallstone with Worrall stone dressing, internally it is 22 feet wide and 72 feet long, the roof is covered by Staffordshire tiles. At the chapel’s western end is a sixty foot high bell turret in which hangs a five cwt
bell by Mears of London. The chapel was designated a Grade II listed building in December 1984. The cemetery’s most notable grave is the Walsh monument which is a Grade II listed structure. This is a vault and memorial constructed for the Walsh family, it consist of mostly granite
and marble
with decorative cast iron railings and a 1.5 metre high figure on top.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England. The cemetery stands on a steep hillside on the south side of Rivelin Valley Road at its junction with Rivelin Road and Hollins Lane.
History
In the early 1860s there was no consecrated ground for the burial of Catholic people within the boundaries of Sheffield. This came about largely because of past persecution resulting from the English ReformationEnglish Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
of the 16th century. Father Burke of St Vincent‘s Church
St Vincent's Church, Sheffield
St Vincent’s Church is a disused Roman Catholic church situated on Solly Street at its junction with Hollis Croft in the centre of the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.-Irish emigration to Sheffield:...
on Solly Street in the city, being quite concerned about this began a search for a suitable burial ground and finally purchased an eight acre site on a sloping hillside in Rivelin Glen. The plot of land was bought for £600 in the Spring of 1862 from Mr. Wilson of Loxley
Loxley, South Yorkshire
Loxley is a village and a suburb of the city of Sheffield. It is a long linear community which stretches by the side of the River Loxley and along the B6077 for almost four kilometres. Loxley extends from its borders with the suburbs of Malin Bridge and Wisewood westward to the hamlet of Stacey...
, a member of the famous Wilson family
Wilsons of Sharrow
Wilsons of Sharrow, now named Wilsons & Company Ltd, based in the Sharrow district of Sheffield, United Kingdom, is the world’s oldest manufacturer of snuff. The company was founded 1737...
of snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
manufacturers. The site was quickly enclosed and walled off at a further cost of £250 and received official Government approval as a burial ground on 25 August 1862.
On 29 September 1862 (Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
day) Robert Cornthwaite
Robert Cornthwaite (bishop)
Robert Cornthwaite was an English prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was last Bishop of Beverley and the first Bishop of Leeds.-Early life and ministry:...
, Bishop of Beverly
Beverly
Beverly or Beverley was a surname deriving from a place name meaning "beaver stream" in Old English which is now more commonly a female name...
laid and consecrated the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
of the original St Michael’s chapel. When later writing about the laying of the cornerstone, Father Burke revealed the names of some of the benefactors who helped pay for the cemetery. He wrote, “a few humble Irish Catholics who had by good conduct and honest industry, realised a little property, offered to supply £500 or £600 to purchase a graveyard”. They were Michael Monaghan, Lawrence Brown and James Callaghan. A further £200 was donated by a Mr. Hodgkinson “a worthy English gentleman” and these four along with Father Burke and Arnold Sutton of Revell Grange were named as trustees of the cemetery.
It is believed that the first interments in the new cemetery took place on 23 September 1862 when two young children Mary Mulvey, aged three and Catherine Hopkins, aged seven were buried at St Michael’s. By the summer of 1863 the work on the cemetery and its chapel were complete with the final cost coming to £1,400. On 26 October 1863 the chapel was blessed by Father Burke and dedicated to St Michael The Archangel
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
. In December of that year the St Vincent Catholic Young Men’s Society donated a statue of Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
and a set of bas relief Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
which were erected in the chapel.
The original chapel was always meant to a temporary building and in 1877 a new permanent building was erected at a cost of £2,000, which was donated by George Harvey Foster, a local businessman in the tailoring trade, and his wife Mary Ann. This gift is marked by a marble plaque on the right (epistle) side of the chapel. The new chapel was opened and blessed, again by Robert Cornthwaite (now Bishop of Leeds), on 11 December 1877.
Chapel architecture
The chapel is in the Early English style and was designed by the architects Messrs Hadfield and SonMatthew Ellison Hadfield
Matthew Ellison Hadfield was an English architect of the Victorian Gothic revival. He is chiefly known for his work on Roman Catholic churches, including the cathedral churches of Salford and Sheffield.-Training:...
with Mr. M.J. Dowling used as the contractor. It is built of dressed Greenmoor wallstone with Worrall stone dressing, internally it is 22 feet wide and 72 feet long, the roof is covered by Staffordshire tiles. At the chapel’s western end is a sixty foot high bell turret in which hangs a five cwt
Hundredweight
The hundredweight or centum weight is a unit of mass defined in terms of the pound . The definition used in Britain differs from that used in North America. The two are distinguished by the terms long hundredweight and short hundredweight:* The long hundredweight is defined as 112 lb, which...
bell by Mears of London. The chapel was designated a Grade II listed building in December 1984. The cemetery’s most notable grave is the Walsh monument which is a Grade II listed structure. This is a vault and memorial constructed for the Walsh family, it consist of mostly granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
with decorative cast iron railings and a 1.5 metre high figure on top.