Rotherham Cholera Burial Ground
Photo added by Stephen Farnell

Rotherham Cholera Burial Ground

Rotherham, Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England

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  • Get directions Park Road, East Dene
    Rotherham, Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire S65 2RJ England
    Coordinates: 53.43434, -1.33134
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During the 19th century the sanitation of Rotherham town was very deplorable. When cholera broke out in Rotherham in 1832, attention was particularly directed to the imperfect state of the drainage of the town, which then found had been totally neglected for many years. The cholera broke out in the narrow alleys from which there are no drains. The supply of water was so small that it was impossible to keep such places clean.
The sewers at that time were imperfect and clogged, there were no drains from the narrow alley ways where the poorer inhabitants lived in close together housing without ventilation, all body and household waste was stored in the houses and then put in the alley ways for twice weekly collection, it was in these places that the Cholera broke out in 1832.
The cemetery in the center of Rotherham was was grossly overcrowded, with bodies being buried as little as three feet from the ground and in some cases even less, during burials there was a strong chance of already buried bodies being uncovered, the decaying bodies would often give off obnoxious smelling gases, and in some cases large quantities of foul smelling liquids would be drained from the newly dug grave's and poured down into blocked sewers.
Mass graves were used to bury the plague victims and are now known as burial grounds.
A service in 2008 was conducted and the burial ground was blessed in a special ceremony. [Stephen Farnell]



During the 19th century the sanitation of Rotherham town was very deplorable. When cholera broke out in Rotherham in 1832, attention was particularly directed to the imperfect state of the drainage of the town, which then found had been totally neglected for many years. The cholera broke out in the narrow alleys from which there are no drains. The supply of water was so small that it was impossible to keep such places clean.
The sewers at that time were imperfect and clogged, there were no drains from the narrow alley ways where the poorer inhabitants lived in close together housing without ventilation, all body and household waste was stored in the houses and then put in the alley ways for twice weekly collection, it was in these places that the Cholera broke out in 1832.
The cemetery in the center of Rotherham was was grossly overcrowded, with bodies being buried as little as three feet from the ground and in some cases even less, during burials there was a strong chance of already buried bodies being uncovered, the decaying bodies would often give off obnoxious smelling gases, and in some cases large quantities of foul smelling liquids would be drained from the newly dug grave's and poured down into blocked sewers.
Mass graves were used to bury the plague victims and are now known as burial grounds.
A service in 2008 was conducted and the burial ground was blessed in a special ceremony. [Stephen Farnell]



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  • Added: 14 Apr 2013
  • Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 2492702