Winchester Cemetery

The Winchester Cemetery is situated on the south side of the Winchester East Road a short distance off The Midlands Road in Carnamah, Western Australia. The centre of the cemetery is at latitude -29.767692, longitude 115.968718.

Click here for Cemetery Index & Interment Book


History of the Cemetery

At the request of the Carnamah Progress Association the Carnamah District Road Board began looking for a suitable cemetery site in 1925. It was intended to create a cemetery a short distance from the Carnamah townsite, however upon investigation it was revealed that all land nearby had been taken up by settlers. To the Board's misfortune those who owned suitable sites raised objections.

On the advice of Road Board member W. Henry Watson, the secretary of the Road Board wrote to the Midland Railway Company inquiring about a possible site east of the Winchester Railway Siding. The Midland Railway Company responded offering to sell the proposed site to the Road Board for £1. Members of the Road Board accepted the Midland Railway Company's generous offer at their monthly meeting on 20 October 1925.

On 1 March 1926 the Carnamah District Road Board paid the Midland Railway Company £1 cash for the five acre site. It had been surveyed by the company as Lot M1611 of Victoria Location 2023, and was gazetted as Reserve 19619.

The following year, in 1927, the Winchester Cemetery was established to provide the residents of the Carnamah Road Board district with a local cemetery. The cemetery was cleared and fenced by contractor W. E. Fould and the first grave was dug on 20 June 1927 by Edward Hellewell. Mrs Rachel Alston Lawson of Winchester was the first to be buried in the cemetery, followed a short time later by the premature child of Joseph and Elizabeth Colpitts. All early burials at the cemetery were undertaken by local firm Henry Parkin & Son.

In 1936 and 1937 the Road Board made improvements including the planting of trees and shrubs and the installation of rabbit proof fencing and small metal plates to mark plot numbers.

Details of the Cemetery

The Winchester Cemetery is the only cemetery for the Shires of Carnamah and Coorow. Most interments have been residents of Carnamah, Winchester, Coorow and Waddy Forest however others include people from Perenjori, Three Springs, Marchagee and Gunyidi.

The Cemetery is split into 24 rows, each of which are marked by a letter of the alphabet between A and X. Rows start with plot one at their northerly end and finish with either 15 or 20 at their southerly end. The front of the Cemetery faces north. All graves and monuments face east, except for the plaques on the back of the front wall which face south.

By mid 2003 over 185 plots had been used however more than 30 were not marked by a headstone or monument. The exact number of interments cannot be accurately established due to unregistered interments of ashes, however in 2003 exceeded 240.

Click here for Cemetery Index & Interment Book