Malmsbury Cemetery: In God's country

With thanks to Malmsbury Historical Society.

Surrounded by paddocks and overlooking the reservoir, Malmsbury Cemetery is a most picturesque and peaceful resting place.

The original cemetery was in the northern section of Barker St. No records of the cemetery appear to have survived, however, and with no visual evidence of the site, the exact location is unknown.

The current cemetery was established in November 1859 but was not formally gazetted until 1861. The first known burial, in January 1860, was that of Harriett Low, wife of the Rev John Stanley Low, Malmsbury’s first Anglican minister.

✍️ Christine Barker, Secretary and Editor of Malmsbury Historical Society.

📘 History of Malmsbury, by Roslyn Stevens, can be purchased for $10 (plus postage) by emailing Malmsbury Historical Society. Alternatively, copies are available at Malmsbury Bakery and Malmsbury General Store.

*The entrance gates from the main cemetery drive. Inside the cemetery, the drive terminates at a large circular lawn originally used as a turning circle for the horse-drawn hearse.*

Early burials can be found in the corners of the southern and western boundaries. These sloping areas were closed for burial in 1906 because of their proximity to the reservoir.

Harriett Low, wife of the Rev John Stanley Low, “fell asleep in Jesus” on January 14, 1860. Her grave is the oldest known in the cemetery. The surviving register only records burials from 1863.

The cemetery lodge is built of Malmsbury bluestone. It was designed in 1930 by Kyneton monumental masons L. Jones and W. T. Jones.

An endowment from Elizabeth Stringer of £500 enabled the lodge to be built. *Miss Stringer died in August 1930, aged 64.* The inscription on the front wall reads: “In Memory of Elizabeth Frances Stringer, Eldest daughter of the late John Stringer, Esq. J.P., And Frances Stringer. Handed over to Trustees on 30th May 1931.”

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