BBC Audio Slideshow on Highgate Cemetery

Except for the vegetation, these photos remind me of the British Cemetery in Bahia (another Victorian burial ground) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12060599

New photos of the British Cemetery by Pedro Muniz

Taken on 17th September 2010 at the British Cemetery in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Photographer: Pedro Muniz

Facing the Blue

Reopened in February of last year, the British Cemetery on Ladeira da Barra has become an open-air museum with an ample view of the bay. Just ring the bell.

By Tatiana Mendonça

Translated by H. Sabrina Gledhill

The expression goes “for the English to see.”* In this case, their dead have one of the best views of the bay. The fact that they can’t enjoy it is a mere detail. But anyone can share the peace and quiet that reigns supreme in the British Cemetery on Ladeira da Barra, with the added advantage of having eyes to see. All they have to do is ring the bell at the gate.

But it hasn’t always been this way. There was a time when the jungle had taken over this place and thieves jumped over the fragile wall to hide their loot. It was back then, in 2004, that Sabrina Gledhill, a British researcher, came across the cemetery. She was working in the chapel with children from the Ibeji NGO. The social project is no more, but her interest in this place persisted.

Sabrina took part in the development of a revitalization project that gained the support of FazCultura (the state tax incentive program for cultural projects) and the Clemente Mariani Foundation. And then there was light. In February of last year, the cemetery founded in 1811 was reopened in the presence of the British Ambassador in Brazil, Peter Collecott. The first stage of the project should be completed this year, but there is still a great deal of work to be done. Some tombstones are still in pieces, but visitors can already turn this spot into a sort of open-air museum. “Brazilians and Britons see cemeteries very differently. Here people think they are macabre. But for the British, they are places of peace, serenity and remembrance.”

The British Cemetery was created because, being Protestant, the Britons who arrived in Bahia could not be (and did not want to be) buried in churches, as was the custom among Catholics at the time.

DOCTORS AND SLAVE TRADERS

The cemetery is located in one of the finest parts of the city and is the resting place of some 500 people. “It is hard to say exactly how many, because many of the tombstones have disappeared,” says Sabrina. The records show that two sailors from the Beagle, which brought Darwin to Bahia, were buried there, but the researcher has not been able to find the spot. Nor has she found the grave of the Japanese sailor who committed seppuku aboard a British ship.

One of the tombs that is still in its original place is that of John Ligertwood Paterson, MD. A pioneer in the fight against cholera and yellow fever, he helped found the Isolation Hospital, now Couto Maia Hospital. He made a point of tending to the poor and enslaved. When he died, the people carried his coffin to the cemetery on their shoulders.

The first person buried in this place was John Sharp, a slave trader who died in 1813. His tomb lies in the shadow of a tree, the stone covered in moss.

But it isn’t just Britons who are buried here. A Bahian woman, Maria Constância Ogilvie, the wife of a British merchant, is also there. After she died, her husband returned to Europe to heal his sorrows. In the lower portion, there are Jews – British and of other nationalities – and many stones bear Hebrew inscriptions. Before the Israelite Cemetery was created, they went there to live life eternal.

The British Cemetery has not been deactivated, as many believe. Burials are still performed there – most recently that of Susan Wilkes, in 2007. Listed as a heritage site in the state of Bahia, the cemetery is maintained by the St. George’s Society, the NGO that represents the British community in this state. While the place was being restored, they had to ask the permission of the IBAMA (the environmental protection agency) to remove a tree that was growing between two tombs. Life and its cycles. One inscription reads “Life is Eternal.” In a way, it is true.

*(Translator’s note: A Brazilian expression meaning “whitewash” or “sham” – the author is using it literally in this case.)

Article published in Muito magazine by the A Tarde newspaper on 5th July 2009

Darwin in Bahia programme launch

Darwin Launch/Lançamento

Click on image to see slide show

Held at the British Cemetery on February 12, 2009

Obituary of Commander Fead (1809-1853)

The Gentleman's Magazine

From Rededication of the British Cemetery

The Chapel

Photo by Richard Vignoles

The British Cemetery Chapel, seen from the Yacht Club

Symposium on British Presence in Bahia

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DIPLOMACY, ECONOMICS AND CULTURE: THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH PRESENCE IN BAHIA - 3rd to 8th November 2008

This cultural event is being promoted by the St. George’s Society and has the support and approval of the British Embassy, is in receipt of funding from FAPESB and is being hosted by the Centro de Memória da Bahia, Fundação Pedro Calmon from 3 to 7 November.

Participation is free of charge; however, places are limited. If you are interested in participating, please contact Sabrina Gledhill at britanicosnabahia@gmail.com to reserve your place.

From 3 to 7 Nov, the programme will be in Portuguese at the auditorium of the Central Library in Barris. On the 8th, a special event will be held at the British Cemetery Chapel, where the presentations that were translated during the main event will be given once again in English, without translation:
Marc Herold - "The British Contribution to Bahia"
Louise Guenther - "The British Merchant Community in Bahia in the 19th century"
John Vignoles - "Charles Blacker Vignoles and Hutton Vignoles: The British engineers who built the Bahia and São Francisco Railway"

For further information on the Symposium (in Portuguese) visit britanicosnabahia.blogspot.com

Brazilian Supreme Court rules in favour of British Cemetery

On May 21st, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that cemeteries that are extensions of religious entities, operate on a non-profit basis and are exclusively devoted to religious and funerary services are exempt from property tax (IPTU).

This decision was reached unanimously when judging an appeal lodged by the St. George's Church and British Cemetery Society of Salvador, Bahia, and the Anglican Church, contesting the decision of the Bahian Court, which did not recognise that the area where the cemetery is located is exempt from property tax. The Bahian treasury was threatening to auction off the historic cemetery to pay off a debt of BRL 41,831.70 (over 10,000 pounds) for the period between 1994 and 1996.

Heritage site
Situated in one of the finest districts of Salvador, Bahia (Ladeira da Barra), the Anglican chapel and cemetery were built 200 years ago by Britons who accompanied the Portuguese royal family when they arrived in Brazil in 1808.
According to the defence, the future King João VI of Portugal signed the free navigation treaty with the British goverment in the chapel (demolished in the 1970s), thereby ensuring that Anglican British subjects resident in Salvador had the right to worship and bury their dead.
The cemetery has been listed as a heritage site at the state level and is in the process of being listed at the federal level by the Ministry of Culture's National Institute for Historic and Artistic Heritage.

For more background information click here

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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 organisation), representing the British community in Bahia.

Taxing the Dead

Photo by Sabrina Gledhill - Copyright 2008

Yesterday (02/03/08), on p. 13 of its Sunday issue, the newspaper A Tarde published an article by Mary Weinstein, titled:

"Cemetery charged property tax"

Here are two excerpts:

"The British Cemetery on Ladeira da Barra, founded after the Brazilian ports were opened to 'friendly nations' in 1808 by [the future] João VI of Portugal, owes roughly BRL 1 million in property tax (IPTU). That total is estimated by the [retired] honorary British consul, Nigel Lee, based on five tax foreclosures issued in the last 15 years by the Treasury Department. He knows that, according to the notifications received, 'the property could be auctioned off' if that debt is not paid."

"For the past two years, the British Cemetery, which is about 3,200 sq.m in area, has been undergoing a process of restoration to ensure that its historic and aesthetic value is preserved.... It contains monumental tombstones, tablets and sculptures dating from the 19th and 20th centuries that comprise part of the State of Bahia's cemetery art collection, as well as being a listed heritage site. The guest book for the cemetery, which is now an open-air museum, shows that visitors from several countries have displayed interest in this historic cemetery. To go in, all you need to do is ring the bell that hangs by the front gate".

Scenes from the Rededication Ceremony

Rededication of the British Cemetery

Click on the photo to see the slideshow

Rededication of the British Cemetery

The President, Board of Directors and members of the St. George’s Church and British Cemetery Society are holding a reception to celebrate the rededication of the British Cemetery (founded in 1811), which will take place at 12:00 on 26^th February 2008, with the presence of the British Ambassador to Brazil, Dr. Peter Collecott. On this occasion, the Ambassador will award Mr. W. Nigel Lee with an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for his services to the British Community.

Historic photos and slide show

Photos of the British Cemetery

CIB slideshow

Photos of the British Cemetery by Tim Divine and Sabrina Gledhill

Cemetery photos by Tim Divine

CIB Photos by Sabrina Gledhill

Photos of German Cemetery and Campo Santo

Cemetery Photos by Sabrina Gledhill

British Presence project shortlisted

"The British Presence in Bahia: A New Perspective on the History of Brazil and Britain," by Sabrina Gledhill and Ernesto Carvalho, has been shortlisted for the 2006 edition of the Odebrecht Group's Clarival do Prado Valladares Award. Historian Consuelo Novais Sampaio won the inaugural award in 2004, which resulted in the publication of 50 Anos de Urbanização - Salvador da Bahia no Século XIX (50 Years of Urban Development - Salvador da Bahia in the 19th Century). Sabrina Gledhill's proposal to republish the works of African-Brazilian vindicationist Manuel Querino was shortlisted in 2005.

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.