Joseph Smith Obelisk - Bradford UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 48.235 W 001° 44.413
30U E 582963 N 5962442
This obelisk stands in the most prominent position in Undercliffe Cemetery in Bradford and commemorates Joseph Smith, a surveyor and land agent to the cemetery company.
Waymark Code: WMGP59
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/26/2013
Views: 1
The cemetery was opened in the middle of the 19th Century after the Burials Act of 1852 – 1857 allowed Burial Boards to be set up either as separate bodies or as part of the Borough Councils. This was in response to rapid expansion of the population in cities during the Industrial Revolution. Local church graveyards could no longer cope with the growth in the number of the burials.
Joseph Smith was one of the first employees of the cemetery company and when he joined the company he made it a condition that he could have this position for his own memorial. The cemetery is on a hill and this position provides the best vantage point for views of the city of Bradford.
The obelisk is made of grey granite and stands 30 feet tall. It is an English Heritage Grade II
listed building.
There is a plaque on the memorial with the following inscription.
ERECTED
IN MEMORY OF
JOSEPH SMITH
BRADFORD LAND AGENT
WHO DIED ON THE 21ST APRIL 18??
AGED 57 YEARS