Dating to the 1800s, St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery is located on Scott’s Hill (once known as Church Hill) in New Perlican, NL. This grassy plot of land overlooks the ocean and contains many grave markers, mostly dating from the mid 1800s. The designation is confined to the piece of land known as St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery.
Formal Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land
Heritage Value
St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of New Perlican due to its historic, spiritual and aesthetic value.
St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery has historic and spiritual value for its association with the Anglican Church (formerly known as the Church of England). It is believed that a St. Mark’s Church existed in New Perlican by 1842. This is supported by an inscription contained in a bible in the present Anglican Church which reads “Presented to the Church of St. Mark, New Perlican by Rev. T.F.H. Bridger, M.A., Ecclesiastical Commissary and Dean of Avalon, September 17th, 1842.” This cemetery is undoubtedly associated with that church, as many of the grave makers date to the mid 1800s.
St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery has further historic value as a physical record of New Perlican’s history. The surviving headstones contain historic and genealogical type information and may be considered artifacts on the community’s landscape. Of the markers that have been uncovered and documented, most record death dates from the mid to late 1800s. However, the oldest intact headstone in the cemetery dates from 1835. Another headstone may date to 1800, but this cannot be determined for certain as the date has worn off. The names on the stone are Martha Pittman, wife of Charles, and her infant son William. Burial records indicate that she was buried in 1800. Names recorded on extant grave markers include members of the Bickford, Hobbs, Howell, Merchant, Mitchell, Northover, Pittman, Pitts, Seward, Swansborough and Warren families.
St. Mark’s Anglican Cemetery has aesthetic value due to its unique environmental setting and the variety of grave markers it contains. The cemetery overlooks New Perlican Harbour and provides an impressive view of the community. It contains grave markers of many varieties, including headstones and footstones. These are scattered across a large area and the true extent of the cemetery may never be determined. Most of the legible headstones are made of marble, but many illegible stone markers have also been uncovered. These may predate the marble markers, as stone slabs were commonly used in cemeteries before manufactured marble stone became readily accessible.
Source: Town of New Perlican Regular Council Meeting Motion #2013-062 July 13, 2013.
Character Defining Elements
Those elements which contribute to the site’s historic, spiritual and aesthetic value including:
-original memorial stones and monuments with their surviving inscriptions;
-positioning of grave markers;
-grassy groundcover;
-view to and from the cemetery from a variety of vantage points;
-location, orientation and dimensions of the cemetery, and;
-its association with the Anglican (formerly Church of England) Church.