Green Hills Burial Ground

HISTORY OF THE GREEN HILLS BURIAL GROUND

South Creek,

Bridge Street

Windsor

Memorial erected at the Burial Ground by the Hawkesbury Historical Society

(click image for a close-up of inscription)

The Burial Ground was established before Governor Lachlan Macquarie designated the five Macquarie Towns of Windsor, Pitt Town, Richmond, Wilberforce and Castlereagh in 1810. The first consecrated burial site was established on the site of St Matthew's Anglican Church, Windsor. The long lost site is located on a patch of undeveloped land behind Windsor's Jolly Frog Hotel. Many of the site's burials were convicts.

Former Windsor and Richmond Gazette editor J.C.L. Fitzpatrick discussed the last recorded burial at Green Hills in 1834 in his book 'The Good Old Days', compiled in 1900 from the newspaper columns.

He witnessed the hanging of 'Bexley, the highwayman', for robbery on the Pitt Town Road in 1834, and said the body was interred in the cemetery's condemned quarter at the back of Coireavy's premises on Crowley's paddock. A painting by an unknown artist of the 1816 flood, a copy of which is in the Hawkesbury Museum, gave the society its first clue on the burial site.

The astronomer, John Tebbutt, identified the site in 1912.

Settlers and Convicts

who gave

Birth to a Nation

Probably the most famous person believed to be buried in the rediscovered burial ground was Philip Cunningham, an Irish political prisoner who led the Vinegar Hill uprising at Castle Hill on the 5^th March 1804. He was most likely buried in the graveyard's condemned quarter after being hanged from the stairs of the Government Store without a trial.

Early burials confirmed at the site of free and emancipated people, are Williarn Green (carpenter) and John Chapman Morris (settler). Both died when drowned in April, in the 1806 flood. John Pilot Rickerby died 20^th July 1806 aged 5 years, an Aboriginal child rescued and adopted by Thomas Rickerby.

Other people believed buried on the site are -	1802 Edward Whitton, First Fleeter, and 1806 Ann Slater (wife of Edward Whitton).
	1809 Sarah Woolley Mason (wife of Wrn Mason).
	8^th October, 1809 daughter of A. Bell, Commandant at the settlement of Hawkesbury.
	25^th March, 1810? Roger Twyfield, aged 5 weeks. 12^th May, 1810? John Gilespy, aged 45 years.
	4^th June, 1810, John Wainwright, aged 2 months.
	7^th October, 1810? Rosetta Stabler, aged 43 years.

Blessing of the Green Hills Burial Ground.

Sunday 22nd June 1997

On Sunday 22nd June 1997 the Blessing of the Old Green Hills Burial Ground was performed.

Piper Ian Henry led the official delegation to the rediscovered 200-year old Burial Ground.

A combined group of the Hawkesbury Ministers' Association members conducted the blessing ceremony.

Macquarie MP Kerry Bartlett, Hawkesbury MP Hon Kevin Rozzoli and Londonderry MP Paul Gibson undertook the tree planting in the Memorial Grove. The president of the Hawkesbury Historical Society, the Mayor, Cr Dr Rex Stubbs, unveiled a plaque dedicated to the early Hawkesbury settlers. The unveiling was attended by Mr John Miller, Social Secretary of the Hawkesbury Historical Society, Ms Anne-Marie Lodge, Manager of Parkes and Recreation of the Hawkesbury and Mr Ross Miller, Chairman of Tourism Hawkesbury. The site was officially recognised by Hawkesbury City Councils Heritage Advisory Committee and by the Hawkesbury Historical Society, also by the Hawkesbury Ministers' Association.

The Mayor Cr Dr Rex Stubbs has officially proclaimed this as an historic site.

Tree planting ceremony at the unveiling of the Old Burial Ground Memorial. (from Left to right) Cr Rex Stubbs, Mayor of Hawkesbury City Council, Kerry Bartlett MP Federal Member for Macquarie, Kevin Rossoli MP State Member for Hawkesbury, Paul Gibson MP State Member for Londonderry

John Miller addresses the audience for the unveiling of the Memorial

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