The community of Harrington was named after English politician, soldier, and nobleman, William Stanhope, Viscount Petersham, the Second Earl of Harrington. Though the community is today known as Covehead Bay, this cemetery, at least, retains the Harrington name.
The first burial in Harrington Pioneer Cemetery (aka Harrington Stewart Cemetery) was that of James Stewart, a Scottish immigrant, who passed away on October 20, 1841. The majority of the interments in the cemetery are of Scottish lineage, as were the inhabitants of the Harrington area.
The final burial took place in 1968. Though there are only thirteen headstones remaining, it is estimated that there were thirty six interments here in total.
The page wire fence noted in the CNHS description has since been replaced with new posts and a rope fence, looking quite good.
Harrington Pioneer Cemetery
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
This cemetery is located adjacent to the Brackley Point Road in Harrington. It is bounded on three sides by agricultural land and has several remaining headstones. A fence which is in a state of disrepair encloses the cemetery. Several trees are located on the grounds facing the highway.
HERITAGE VALUE
The cemetery is valued for its historical link to the early Scottish pioneers of the community of Harrington.
The community name derives from the title of the English politician, soldier, and nobleman, William Stanhope, Viscount Petersham, the Second Earl of Harrington (1719-1779). When Captain Samuel Holland surveyed the Island in 1765, he chose to honour Harrington by naming "Harrington Bay" after him. Today this is known as Covehead Bay. However, the name did survive in this rural community.
Settlement of the area by Scottish immigrants began in 1798. James Stewart arrived from Perthshire in 1819. He would be the first to be interred in this cemetery when he passed away on October 20, 1841. It was located on part of his farm which remains in the Stewart family to this day. The location of the cemetery is clearly marked on the corner of Alex Stewart's field in Meacham's 1880 map of the area.
The cemetery is estimated to contain the remains of thirty-six people. There are thirteen remaining headstones. Some of these include other Scottish settlers such as Ronald Matheson (1808-1885) and James Walker (1788-1870). The last recorded burial was that of Robert Bruce Stewart in 1968.
In 1972, the site was restored with a new page wire fence erected around it. Today, it survives as a reminder of some of the earliest settlers to the community of Harrington.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The heritage value of the cemetery is shown in the following character-defining elements:
- the location of the cemetery in close proximity to the Brackley Point Road and surrounded by agricultural land
- the variety and styles of the remaining headstones
- the page wire fencing enclosing the grounds
From Historic Places Canada