| Rosebank Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 Memorial to soldiers killed in the Gretna rail disaster of 1915. | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1846 |
| Location | |
| Country | Scotland, UK |
| Type | Public |
| Size | 4.37 hectares (10.8 acres) |
Rosebank Cemetery is a 19th-century cemetery in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the junction of Pilrig Street and Broughton Road in the Pilrig area, close to the historical boundary of Leith. The cemetery is protected as a category C listed building. [1]
The cemetery was developed by the Edinburgh and Leith Cemetery Company, [2] with David Cousin as architect, and opened on 20 September 1846. [1] It covers an area of 4.37 hectares (10.8 acres). Originally known as the Edinburgh and Leith Cemetery, [3] the cemetery proved popular and was extended eastwards around 1880.
The main entrance was originally from the north-west (Broughton Road) but this has been sealed. The sole entrance is now from the north-east (Pilrig Street). The latter originally had an entrance lodge above the gate, but this was demolished around 1975.
The cemetery was in independent private ownership until around 1980 when the City of Edinburgh Council then took over the grounds.
A large memorial at the furthest point from the current Pilrig Street entrance, lying against Broughton Road wall near North Pilrig Heights, marks a mass grave and commemorates the Gretna rail disaster of 22 May 1915, in which 215 soldiers of the 1st/7th Battalion The Royal Scots were killed. [2] The men, mostly from Leith, were on their way to board ship at Liverpool in order to travel to the battlefront at Gallipoli. The handful of survivors were sent onwards the following day. The bodies of those killed in the railway disaster were returned to Leith and buried with great aplomb on 24 May with the 15th and 16th battalions Royal Scots serving as guard of honour. These are among 270 First World War casualties and 36 Second World War casualties interred at Rosebank. [4]
The cemetery also houses the main war memorial to the two world wars, serving the Pilrig area, marked by a white cross designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Over and above this memorial and the Gretna Memorial there are several war graves scattered through the cemetery for individuals who died of wounds or disease on return from the war.
A number of 19th-century merchants and ship-owners, shipbuilders and ship-masters from Leith are buried at Rosebank. There are also several 20th-century Sikh and Islamic burials. The apparently high number of "pilots" refers to harbour pilots (the original meaning) rather than aircraft pilots. Unusual surnames found include Arcus, Carnie, Combe, Cormack, Eunson, Flucker, Goalen, Junner, Kellock, Ketchen, Spaven, Tilloch and Waldie.
Those who are homeless and die on the street along with several stillborn children (Scots law requires burial not cremation) are buried at the cemetery. The latter are marked by a modern monument giving a place to remember them, in interlocking granite pieces representing mother and child. The inscription reads "to all those children never known but always loved".
An abnormally high number of stones are noted as "drowned" or "lost at sea" (see Notable Interments).
At the dead centre of the main=east-west path lie three conterminous graves of servants of Queen Victoria, each residsing at Holyrood Palace: Ida Bonanomi (1818–1854) Queen Victoria's dresser; Owen Gough (1800–1872); and Charles Watty (1814–1889) the Queen's servant for 42 years. The three stones and lairs were paid for by the Queen.
The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on its west by the Dean Gallery. A 20th-century extension lies detached from the main cemetery to the north of Ravelston Terrace. The main cemetery is accessible through the main gate on its east side, through a "grace and favour" access door from the grounds of Dean Gallery and from Ravelston Terrace. The modern extension is only accessible at the junction of Dean Path and Queensferry Road.
Leith is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith.
Thomas Hamilton was a Scottish architect, based in Edinburgh where he designed many of that city's prominent buildings. Born in Glasgow, his works include: the Burns Monument in Alloway; the Royal High School on the south side of Calton Hill ; the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh; the George IV Bridge, which spans the Cowgate; the Dean Orphan Hospital, now the Dean Gallery; the New North Road Free Church, now the Bedlam Theatre; Cumstoun, a private house in Dumfries and Galloway; and the Scottish Political Martyrs' Monument in Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh.
Pilrig is an area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The name probably derives from the long field (rig) on which a peel tower (pil/peel) stood. There is evidence of a peel tower situated on an area of higher ground above the Water of Leith.
The colony houses of Edinburgh were built between 1850 and 1910 as homes for artisans and skilled working-class families by philanthropic model dwellings companies. The first development was the Pilrig Model Buildings, near Leith Walk. Later developments across the city were built by the Edinburgh Cooperative Building Company Limited, founded in 1861. The founders of this company were influenced by the Reverend Dr. James Begg and the Reverend Dr. Thomas Chalmers, ministers of the Free Church of Scotland, who campaigned to improve the housing conditions of the poor.
Christian Salvesen was a Scottish whaling, transport and logistics company with a long and varied history, employing 13,000 staff and operating in seven countries in western Europe. In December 2007, it was acquired by French listed transport group Norbert Dentressangle.
Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the east end of the city centre to Leith.
William Birnie Rhind RSA (1853–1933) was a Scottish sculptor.
South Leith Parish Church, originally the Kirk of Our Lady, St Mary, is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. It is the principal church and congregation in Leith, in Edinburgh. Its kirkyard is the burial place for John Home and John Pew, the man from whom the author Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly derived the character of Blind Pew in the novel Treasure Island. The church has been repaired, used as an ammunition store and reconstructed but still retains the basic layout of the nave of the old church.
Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around 14 acres (5.7 ha) of land on a slightly sloping site. It contains many tens of thousands of graves, including notable Victorian and Edwardian figures, the most eminent being the physician Sir James Young Simpson.
Thomas Morton was a Scottish shipwright and inventor. His most widely known invention is the patent slip.
David Cousin was a Scottish architect, landscape architect and planner, closely associated with early cemetery design and many prominent buildings in Edinburgh. From 1841 to 1872 he operated as Edinburgh’s City Superintendent of Works.
Henry Snell Gamley (1865–1928) was a Scottish sculptor specialising in war memorials and sculpture on tombs. He was however also responsible for other figurative sculpture on prominent Edinburgh buildings such as the Usher Hall and works at Holyrood Palace.
New Calton Burial Ground is a burial ground in Edinburgh. It was built as an overspill and functional replacement to Old Calton Burial Ground and lies half a mile to its east on Regent Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south-east slopes of Calton Hill. On its southern edge it attaches to the north-east edge of the Canongate in the Old Town. It lies on a fairly steep south-facing slope with views to Holyrood Palace, the Scottish Parliament Building and Arthur’s Seat.
Frederick Andrew Fitzpayne AMIEE (1878-1935) was a British electrical and transport engineer responsible for building Scotland's first electric tram system and running the Edinburgh Corporation Tramway system.
George Craig JP EGS (1852-1927) was a Scottish architect and amateur geologist. He created a very high proportion of the 19th century public buildings in Leith.
Colonel Theodore Emile Salvesen of Culrain (1863–1942) was a 19th-century Scottish soldier and businessman.
Lewis Balfour (1777–1860) was a Scottish Church of Scotland minister and grandfather to the author Robert Louis Stevenson.
Sir William Wallace CBE FRSE LLD was a 20th-century Scottish marine engineer and influential businessman. He was Chairman of Brown Brothers for over 40 years, mainly involved in the technology behind ship construction rather than their design per se. He was involved with ship design and technological advancement during both world wars, but his ideas were not always successful: including the ill-fated K-class submarines.
Bellevue is a district of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It lies to the south east of Canonmills, west of Leith Walk and south of Leith, incorporating the easternmost extent of Edinburgh's New Town UNESCO heritage site. The area was formerly open fields which became the second and penultimate location of the Royal Botanic Garden in 1763 .
55°58′04″N3°11′06″W / 55.9677°N 3.1850°W
Cemeteries in Scotland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argyll and Bute |  | |||
| Dundee | ||||
| East Dunbartonshire | ||||
| East Renfrewshire | ||||
| Edinburgh | ||||
| Falkirk | ||||
| Glasgow | ||||
| Highland | ||||
| Midlothian | ||||
| Perth and Kinross | ||||