History
Due to the cholera epidemic of 1831 and the subsequent overcrowding of churchyards, it was decided to build new cemeteries in Sunderland after the passing of the Burial Act 1852 and 1853. The 34 acres (140,000 m2) chosen for Bishopwearmouth Cemetery lay on the edge of the county and parliamentary boundary of Sunderland and was glebe land, owned by the Parish of Bishopwearmouth. The land was sold by the parish for £275 (£17,839.73 in 2007) per acre and the cemetery cost £2000 (£129,743.47 in 2007) to build. It opened in July 1856, on the same day as another new cemetery, Mere Knolls Cemetery, situated in Fulwell. All religious denominations were alloted separate areas and it soon became the town's main burial site. In 1891, the cemetery was extended further west and further extended in 1926. The whole site now covers 80 acres (320,000 m2).
Read more about this topic: Bishopwearmouth Cemetery
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