Gore Cemetery

Busy street, Neighbourhood, vandalism

The Gore Cemetery is a small, neighbourhood cemetery that was in use from c1834 until c1954. It is located between Trafalgar Street and McLarenwood Terrace, and was associated with the now dissolved village of The Gore. Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest The Gore Cemetery is one of the few remaining pioneer cemeteries in the city of London, with stones dating as far back as 1825. The cemetery was formally set out in 1834 to be an interdenominational neighbourhood cemetery, and was managed and used by the community until 1958, when it was assumed and closed by the city. Once bordered by market gardens, it is now surrounded by low-density residential housing, and is near Kiwanis Park and the Pottersburg Creek. It is one of the only physical reminders of The Gore Village, which was once located at the gore of Hamilton Road, Trafalgar Street, and Gore Road. The burials there represent key historical themes of the neighbourhood, including early pioneer settlers, 1812 war veterans, United Empire Loyalists, tradesmen, road masters, a city councillor, a police chief constable, and market gardeners. In its most active period, the cemetery was used by most of the local families surrounding the village of The Gore. Many area streets are named after residents buried in the cemetery, including Clarke, Hale and Beattie. Well-known local pioneer families such as the Young, Nelles, Marrills/Merrill, Clarke, Parkinson, Sumner and Ryckman families are represented. Descendants of some of these families still live in the area, and consider the cemetery a part of their family history. One of the key burials was that of William Hale, who owned property where Hale Street is now located. He provided the bricks to build the London courthouse and jail, built in 1827. In 1837, Hale was imprisoned in the jail built with his own bricks for his participation in the Upper Canada Rebellion. Another key burial was that of Elijah Williams, a veteran of the War of 1812, and a United Empire Loyalist. Albert Ryckman, an immigrant from New York born in 1766, had the earliest birth date in the cemetery, and Catherine Nelles, died 1825, had the earliest death date. An interesting feature of the cemetery is a history of illegal burials. Neighbours reported in the local newspaper finding fresh graves that appeared overnight, and one city alderman reported in 1961 that he had personally witnessed an illegal burial occurring. There are also historical rumours of improper burials, and mass graves in what is now the road allowance from 19th century epidemics. Due to these potential burials, the exact boundaries of the cemetery are not known. No site plans of the cemetery or records of stones were done before the stones were removed in 1961, and it is not known how many individuals are buried, but estimates are around 280 people. The cemetery was in a state of neglect and heavily vandalized by the 1950’s. In 1962 the city built a cairn to house the grave markers. Many markers were not returned to the cemetery after the construction of the cairn, and are now missing. The cairn was built by the London Marble and Granite Co. Ltd, and designed by former city architect Douglas Grayson. The original cemetery was laid out in a traditional manner, on an acre of land at the top of the rise of land that overlooks the Pottersburg Creek. The modern cemetery contains the cairn, set far back from the main street, surrounded by a lawn. It is a peaceful and park-like setting, and could be considered a natural extension of Kiwanis Park, located nearby. Description of Heritage Attributes Key attributes of the cemetery that reflect its value as an important link to the history of London include:  A four-walled cairn, with many of the original grave markers built either side of the wall, with large markers placed at the entrance and corners, and more markers resting inside of the cairn  Two heritage trees, which were already large and mature in photos of the cemetery taken in 1954  Original markers, with their surviving inscriptions, in a variety of styles, sizes and materials, reflecting social status and era  A range of interesting, repeated artistic designs on grave markers, including Masonic symbols, clasped hands and willow trees  A large number of early child and youth burials, that decrease proportionally with medical advancements