The plaque, at the south west end of
the well maintained burial ground, reads:
Cholera Burial
Ground
Specially acquired for the burial of some of
the 185 victims of a
plague of cholera which
lasted from 3rd June to 22nd October 1832.
There
are 20 surviving memorial stones, all
of
sandstone.
The York History website [visit link] tells
us:
"Cholera had been a problem for
many cities around the country in the early 1800s, with a further outbreak
starting in 1831. Hopes were raised that York had managed to avoid the effects
of the disease, but in June 1832 cholera reached the city, having already
reached Hull and Leeds.
It reached York on 3rd June 1832,
when the surgeon at York Dispensary visited a Mr Thomas Hughes, a 21 year old
waterman, who lived in a dirty yard at Skeldergate. The press report that Hughes
was suffering from “severe purging and vomiting and afflicted by violent spasms
at the stomach”. The Board of Health were notified immediately and they met on
the 4th June, and decided that despite the symptoms they did not believe that
the case was one of cholera.
However on 5th June 1832 the
Medical Board of York decided that cholera had struck York, although Thomas
Hughes had made a recovery. The first death was that of John Graves, a sawyer
who lived in the same yard as Thomas Hughes. His body was buried at St. George’s
Churchyard.
On the same day, Elizabeth Ward, a
29 year old tramp who lived at a lodging house at one of the Water Lanes, was
sent to the cholera ward, where she died. Mr Barrett, who was the landlord of
the Anchor public house on Water Lane died, with the Medical Board noting his
lifestyle made him pre-disposed to catch the disease. The other deaths that day
included Elizabeth Grant, a poor woman who lived on Middle Water Lane, Mr
Dobson, who was described as a respectable resident who lived near Skeldergate
Postern and Mary Welbank, a poor woman living on Nunnery Lane.
On 6th June the Medical Board
decided that they would continue to meet daily at 12 each lunchtime to discuss
how they were going to manage the cholera. On the first meeting, they also
discussed finding a piece of land where to bury the dead as there had been
growing local concern about cholera, and arguments broke out about burying the
dead and transporting them in the city, for fear of spreading the disease. In
one incident when the bodies of victims who had succumb to cholera were being
transported, an argument started and one coffin was knocked off into the
street.
The report issued by the Medical
Board showed that on the 6th June there were 7 cases, of which three died. On
the 7th June, there were 3 new cases and 2 deaths. The Board said that they had
discovered an area of land owned by York Corporation which could be used for the
cholera burials, some waste land situated near the Dog-Kennel, not far from
Thief Lane. There had been little choice but to find such land, as law required
that cholera burials were at least one foot below ground level, which wasn’t
possible in York’s already full graveyards.
A sign of the growing concern about
cholera was discovered on Friday 8th June, when a parish officer announced the
death from cholera of Abraham Peck. He had heard this from a servant, and it had
turned out to be untrue, but by the time this had been discovered a coffin had
been prepared and a grave dug for the body. The Medical Board announced that an
enquiry would be held to investigate the matter.
The effects on the city were
substantial, in Skeldergate alone there had been 56 ill and 185 deaths. The
cholera burial ground can still be seen, situated near the train
station."