Higher Cemetery Timeline

1864 Architect Edward Ashworth produced drawings of the proposed new chapels. 

1864 August 4th.  Tenders were invited for building the chapels.

1865 The lodge and the two chapels were built.

1866 March 26th. The Higher Cemetery was opened. There were 4.5 acres of C of E ground plus 1.5 acres for non-conformists, landscaped by Robert Veitch.

1866 May 26th. The cemetery was consecrated by the former Bishop of Colombo.

1866 June 7th. The first burial was that of Edward Leach Herbert in plot D288.

1866 August - November. Victims of an outbreak of cholera were buried in the Higher Cemetery.

1872 December 30th.  St Leonard's parish new cemetery was consecrated, next to the Higher Cemetery. 

1877 Exeter City Council took ownership of St Leonard's cemetery.

1886 July 22nd. The Bishop of Exeter consecrated additional ground.

1887 September 5th. Exeter Theatre fire claimed more than 160 victims. 

1889 January 20th. the Mayor of Exeter and thousands of citizens visited the newly erected memorial to those who lost their lives in the theatre fire of 1887.

1895 March. The first ashes to be interred in the Higher Cemetery were those of James Upright who was cremated at Woking.

1905 March 10th. Bishop of Exeter consecrated 3 more acres.

1910 August 13th. Bishop of Exeter consecrated 3 more acres.

1912 January. A new stained glass window and an altar were installed in the C of E chapel.

1915 May 25th. William Hucker was the first person to be buried in the World War 1 section.

1917 May 12th. The Bishop of Crediton dedicated a temporary memorial to fallen sailors and soldiers.

1918 November 1st. New ground was consecrated.

1920 September 25th. Part of Hamlyn's Farm was purchased for the cemetery and some housing.

1922 July 13th. Unveiling of the permanent World War 1 memorial, to replace the one provided in 1917.

1927 The Hamlin Lane entrance was built.

1933 June 6th. The north-west portion of the cemetery was extended to reach Hamlin Lane.

1940 September 17th. Total number of interments reached 50000.  

1942 November 15th. 307 (Polish) RAF squadron was granted freedom of the city. Many of their members were killed in WWII and are buried in the cemetery.

2000 July 21st. The total number of interments reached 71000.

2007 The Children's Garden was created. This is a dedicated section for the graves of babies and children.   

2008 May 23rd. The garden of Remembrance was officially opened by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Paul Smith.

2008 October. The chapel was refurbished at a cost of £60,000.

2011 May 14th. The Friends of Higher Cemetery held their inaugural meeting.

2011 August 18th. The Friends of Higher Cemetery notice board was erected opposite the chapels.

2012 May 8th. FoHC memorial panel to the civilian victims of the Exeter Air-raids in 1942 was unveiled by the Lord Mayor.

2013 July 17th. Unveiling of a horse trough which was presented to the city in 1877 and was renovated and planted with bog plants by FoHC. 

2013 July 24th. An extension to the Garden of Remembrance was unveiled by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Rachel Lyons. 

2014 April 11th. The cleaning of the gravestone of Exeter's first Fire Chief, William Pett, was arranged by FoHC and paid for jointly with Exeter Historic Buildings Trust.

2014 July 15th. A tree trail was established in the cemetery by FoHC.

2016 April 16th. Unveiling of the restored Theatre Fire Memorial after its cleaning and the installation of new chains.

2016 July 6th. FoHC installed a bench, near the Air-raid memorial, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the cemetery. 

2018 February 8th. The First World War memorial became Grade II listed.

2024 January 10th. The total number of interments since 1866 is 73809.