Goulburn Historic Cemeteries

24/06/2026

14/01/2024

⚠️ATTENTION⚠️

The Cemetery Friends group have received alot of questions regarding how, and when it is allowed, to clean a headstone.

Many older headstones in historic cemeteries become discoloured with age, making inscriptions hard to read, however chemical cleaners can affect the surface of the stone, as can high-pressure pressure hoses. Therefore, care must be taken to not damage the stone or engraving in an attempt to 'help'.

This post contains a few helpful tips! Please read on and consider this information before cleaning or repairing a headstone :).

🧼How To Clean An Older Headstone🧼

The National Trust recommends a soft cloth and water only. With gentle rubbing, it does work.

Some headstones have lead-lettering, which are easily dislodged.

For better photos of the inscription, try

🧼 wetting with a bottle of water
🧼 use an umbrella to shade
🧼 for grey-flecked granite, rub with white chalk

*** In law, only descendants of the people in the grave can do repairs. ***

Our Cemetery Friends volunteers only neaten around the graves, piece together broken headstones so they can be read and try to prevent further damage by keeping weeds away.

If you are interested in volunteering with Cemetery Friends, please flick us a message, or email us on [email protected]

13/01/2024

🧍🏽James & John Menzie🧍🏽

James Menzie, aged 11, was asked to collect water from a nearby waterhole, for household use.

When James did not return, his mother sent his younger brother, John aged 9, to find him. Unfortunatley neither of the boys returned home. Both boys were later found drowned.

Family tragedies were all too common in pioneering days.

The 1849 headstone at St Saviour’s Cemetery reads: ‘Accidentally drowned near Bannaby'.

13/01/2024

🐑George Brabham🐑

Headstones in St Saviour’s Cemetery can make for interesting, if not sad and gruesome, reading.

George Brabham’s headstone is among these, reading: ‘Met his death by a gun accident’ 1875.

George aged 20, was out tending sheep. He had a rifle with him and it accidentally discharged when George was picking it up off the ground. The slugs entered his left hand.
Medical attention was sought and the wound treated for several days but, without the medicinal advances we have today, such as antibiotics, infection spread and George died. An inquest was held with a finding of accidental death.

The Brabham family lived on the Towrang road beside the Wollondilly River. The homestead was built in 1857 and is now listed by the National Trust.
The property, now named ‘Danganelly’, incorporates land on which the Towrang Stockade was situated.

10/11/2023

It's Remembrance Day 🇦🇺
Some Goulburn families who lost their soldier sons in WWI, had an inscription added to the family grave in the St Saviour's & Mortis St Cemeteries. In those days soldiers were buried overseas close to the battle grounds.

In Mortis St, Cemetery, look for the red poppies on the graves of:
🥀Edward Bryden, killed at Gallipoli 26 April 1915
🥀Stanley Beer, killed Dardanelles May 1915
🥀Pte Leslie Caine, killed in France 1916
🥀Bob Grant, died in action in France 1917
🥀James Grant, killed in France 1918
🥀Pte Leslie Dallas, killed in action 1918

In St Saviour's Cemetery:
🥀Reginald Compton killed Gallipoli 1915
🥀Aubrey Sherring, killed Gallipoli 1917
🥀George Richards, killed in France 1917 (being awarded a Military Cross)
🥀 Leopold Ferguson, killed in France
🥀Gunner Ronnie Bates, killed in action on the Somme, France 1918

07/11/2023

👮🏼‍♂️Police Superintendent Edric Morisett👮🏼‍♂️

Edric Morisset was born on Norfolk Island, during the time his father was posted to this colony outpost in 1829.Government House on Norfolk Island was built to accommodate the Morisset family.

Edric had spent some of his childhood at school in Bathurst, under the Guardianship of a Captain Zouch

Morisset joined the Police Force in 1857.
He was made Commandant and led the Native Mounted Police at Moreton Bay Queensland.

When Captain Zouch died in 1853, Edric Morisset was sent to the Goulburn district to replace him.
Edric was a strict disciplinarian but highly regarded by his men. He became the Superintendent and Deputy General of Police.

Edric & Elizabeth Morisset did not have any children.
Their home 'Marston', built in 1875 on the banks of the Wollondilly River adjoined the Anglican Church grounds in Kinghorne St. It later became St Michaels Novitiate (11 Kenmore St).

Edric’s father, Colonel James Thomas Morisset, was a well-known goldsmith in London before coming to NSW.
When posted to Newcastle, Morisset Snr helped develop the coal industry, with the town of Morisset named after him

29/10/2023

👮Henry Zouch👮

In his lifetime, Henry Zouch was a soldier, police superintendent, gold commissioner and pastoralist before passing away in 1883.

Zouch came to NSW in 1831 as a convict guard, rising through the ranks of the military and later the police force.

Between 1851 & 1853 he was involved in quelling the riots on the gold fields at Lambing Flats [Young], when many Chinese miners were gravely injured and some murdered.

Zouch was in command of Mounted Police, when bushranger Ben Hall & his gang were his biggest head-ache while stationed at Bathurst during the 1860s.

His grave inscription has a tribute from those under his command.