Message from the St. George's Church and British Cemetery Society

The British Church and Cemetery at Salvador are owned and administered by the "SOCIEDADE DA IGREJA DE SÃO JORGE E CEMITERIO BRITANICO" (a non-profit making organisation), representing the British community in Bahia.

For a great number of years the Society was unable to protect the cemetery and carry out the necessary maintenance work due to lack of funds, with the result that the cemetery was much damaged by the action of weather and vandals. However, the cemetery had become the focus of the society’s concerns since the value of the institution as a historical site reflecting early British interests in Bahia was recognised, as well as due respect for the fundamental concept of ensuring that the last resting place of those buried there should continue as a place of dignity, respect, and beauty.

To obtain some measure of protection, the Society had petitioned the State Government to declare the cemetery a site of historical interest and this status was eventually granted in September of 1993 by State law No. 2457.

In March 2003, architect Ernesto Carvalho presented a detailed project for the restoration of the cemetery, but implementation was postponed due to the absence of funding.

April 2003 saw the signing of an agreement between the Society and the FUNDAÇÃO CLEMENTE MARIANI by which these two entities became partners in the preservation of the cemetery (although ownership remained entirely in the name of the Society). As a result of this agreement funds were obtained from the State government’s FAZCULTURA initiative and Ernesto Carvalho’s restoration project was initiated in June 2004. The project provides for the repair of the retaining walls of the terrace, the repair of external walls, restoration of the cemetery house (which will include returning the house to its original configuration and the re-establishment of a chapel therein), the restoration of the gravestones, and the installation of suitable lighting in the grounds. The work is expected to be completed during the second half of 2006.

The Society is administered by a board of directors comprising President (Mr. W. Nigel Lee, since 1988), Vice-President (Mr. Michael Mullins, since 1996), Treasurer (Mr, Edward Skelton, since 1988), Secretary (Ms. Lesley Hanson de Moura, since 1988), and two "substitutes" (Ms. Sheila Dias, since 1996, and Mr. Russel Garner, since 2005). There are two members of the Fiscal Committee (Ms Denise Key, since 2003, and Mr. Robert Salem, since 2003), and a "substitute" (Mr. Tim Bradbury, since 2005). Elections for the Board of Directors and Fiscal Committee take place every two years during the Annual General Meeting to which British residents of the state of Bahia are invited.

Guenther book shortlisted

Congratulations are in order for Louise Guenther, the author of British Merchants in Nineteenth-Century Brazil: business, culture and identity in Bahia, 1808-50. Her book hs been shortlisted for the Wadsworth Prize (best book to be published annually in the field of British business history). For more information, click here.

English, Irish and Irish-American Pioneer Settlers

The Centre for Brazilian Studies at Oxford has published some interesting works on various aspects of Brazil and Anglo-Brazilian relations. English, Irish and Irish-American Pioneer Settlers in Nineteenth-Century Brazil, by Oliver Marshall, was released in May 2005. For more information about this and other titles, click here.

Rejuvenated website gets own address

The website for the British Cemetery research project has had a makeover and is now more interactive. It also has its own separate web domain: www.cib.inf.br

Project approved for funding through cultural incentives

The Brazilian Ministry of Culture on August 17, 2005, approved the British Cemetery research/book project for funding under the Rouanet Law. It is now authorised to offer potential sponsors the tax incentives provided by this programme.
Tax deductions for philanthropic donations are highly restricted in Brazil — with the exception of the Rouanet Law, which gives generous allowances for businesses financing cultural projects. To qualify for such financing, projects must be previously submitted to and approved by the Ministry of Culture.

Blog em português/Portuguese version

Também mantemos um blog sobre o

Cemitério dos Ingleses na Bahia

em português:

www.cemingba.blogspot.com

The above link will take you to the

Portuguese version of this blog.

Book on British Community in Bahia

British Merchants in Nineteenth-Century Brazil: business, culture and identity in Bahia, 1808-50
By Louise H. Guenther

"Entrepreneurial British merchant communities, such as the small, but influential community in Bahia, Brazil, laid the early foundations for today's globalized business environment. Remarkably, though, little is known about the actual social processes underlying these communities. In a wide-ranging examination of the activities, relationships and cultural perceptions of Bahia's British community, British Merchants in Nineteenth-Century Brazil extends well beyond the current boundaries of scholarship on nineteenth-century British influence in Latin America as well as making a significant contribution to the growing field of world business history."

Click here for further information

Frequently Asked Questions

We've added a page to answer FAQs from the press, passersby and other visitors. If you have any further questions of your own, please email them to us and we'll try to answer them.

Inscriptions Added to Website

We've added a list of inscriptions found on tombstones at the cemetery, and their sources, when available. Some of the sayings are traditional, even conventional, but others are unique and deeply moving

New British Ambassador Visits Cemetery

Dr Peter Collecott CMG, Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil, visited the British Cemetery at Bahia on July 10, 2004. For more information and photos, click here