British Cemetery
Original title: Cemitério Britânico
History of the British (Protestant) cemeteries in Funchal, from the licence of 1761 and the first burial ground where the Largo do Conde do Ribeiro Real now stands, to the present cemetery built in 1808 and enlarged in 1852 and 1889.
The original British cemetery stood where the Largo do Conde do Ribeiro Real (‘Count of Ribeiro Real square’) now is, at the end of Rua 5 de Junho (‘5 June street’). The ministerial order (portaria) granting British subjects the necessary licence to build a cemetery for burying their dead is dated 3 January 1761, but it was not until 10 September 1767 that land was acquired for the purpose. Before this cemetery was built, the bodies of non-Catholic foreigners who died in Funchal were thrown into the sea. The present British cemetery was built in 1808 and enlarged in 1852 and 1889. The oldest part of this cemetery was acquired for the burial of British soldiers who died in Funchal while Madeira was occupied by British troops, whereas the newest part only began to be used when the Municipal Council of Funchal needed to demolish the original cemetery in order to connect Rua 5 de Junho with Rua da Carreira (‘track’). The administrators of the British Chapel and Cemetery (Capela e Cemitério Britânicos) ceded this old cemetery in August 1888. The Council undertook to make the necessary efforts to facilitate the removal of the remains in that ground to a plot adjoining the present cemetery, which the administrators had until then been unable to use to enlarge the cemetery for lack of the necessary licences. The last burial in the cemetery where the Largo do Conde do Ribeiro Real now stands took place in July 1885.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 07-
An order licensed British subjects to build a cemetery in Funchal.
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Land for the first British cemetery in Funchal was acquired.
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The present British cemetery in Funchal was built.
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The British cemetery in Funchal was enlarged.
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The last burial took place in the original British cemetery in Funchal.
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The old British cemetery in Funchal was ceded to the municipal council and demolished, its site becoming a square.
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The British cemetery in Funchal was enlarged again.
Place
Places mentioned · 06- British Cemetery · Subject
Funchal
The British (Protestant) cemetery in Funchal dates from a licence of 1761. The first burial ground stood where the Largo do Conde do Ribeiro Real is now, and the present cemetery was built in 1808 and enlarged in 1852 and 1889. It lies on Rua da Carreira, next to the new bishop's palace, and holds a memorial stone to the Reverend R. T. Lowe.
- British Chapel and Cemetery
Funchal. Administrators of the British chapel and cemetery ceded the old cemetery to the council.
Administrators of the British chapel and cemetery ceded the old cemetery to the council.
- Funchal
City where the British cemeteries are located.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Largo do Conde do Ribeiro Real
Funchal. Square occupying the site of the original British cemetery.
Square occupying the site of the original British cemetery.
- Rua 5 de Junho
Funchal. Street at whose end the original cemetery stood; it was extended to meet Rua da Carreira.
Rua 5 de Junho is a Funchal street built on the initiative of the Conde do Ribeiro Real, on the site of the Beco do Cemitério. The original British cemetery stood at its end, and the street was extended to meet Rua da Carreira. A foundry stood there in 1921, and the street was hit by a shell in 1917.
- Rua da Carreira
Funchal. Street linked to Rua 5 de Junho after the old cemetery was demolished.
Rua da Carreira, officially Rua do Dr. Vieira, is one of Funchal's oldest streets, a boundary of Sé parish, named after horse races once run there and the widest street of the town in 1508. It was home to noble families, chapels and the British cemetery, and housed the police building from 1934.