Quaker groups, had to establish their own burial grounds because they were denied burial in churchyards. Many sites were donated by landowners.
Quakers historically do not have large, ornate headstones to uphold equality in death but instead used humble, low-lying stones.
Malton Burial Ground
Location: The burial ground is situated on Greengate in Malton, North Yorkshire.
Establishment: A burial ground was created on Greengate during the 18th century, likely associated with the earlier Quaker presence in the town. The first Quaker meeting in Malton was held in 1671.
Adjacent Meeting House: A new meeting house was built between 1820 and 1823 on a portion of the burial ground. This meeting house and the attached walls bounding the burial ground are Grade II* listed historical structures.
19th-Century Construction: The walls enclosing the burial ground are made of brick with flat stone coping, with some sections dating to the 18th century. The south wall was built in 1823, the same year as the meeting house.
Sutton Burial Ground
Location: The burial ground is situated between Hodgson Street and Spyvee Street in Hull.
Dates of use: The ground was in use from 1659 to 1855, making it older than the Quaker meeting house in Sutton, Hull, which was established in 1665.
Historic setting: When it was created, the burial ground was in the rural parish of Sutton, well outside the walled town of Hull.
Final use: After it closed, most of the headstones were removed, and the remaining five were moved to the Spring Bank Quaker burial plot in the Hull General Cemetery.
Notable Quaker buried there:
Ellen Lilforth: The first recorded burial at the Hodgson Street ground was Ellen Lilforth, in 1659
Lowna Burial Ground
The Lowna Burial Ground is a Quaker burial ground located in Farndale, North Yorkshire, which is associated with the Kirkbymoorside Friends Meeting House
Location: The burial ground is situated in Lowna, a hamlet in Farndale, and is detached from its associated meeting house in Kirkbymoorside. It is a short walk from a small car park.
Historical context: It was established around 1690 by Quakers, who sought their own burial grounds because Anglican churches often refused to bury nonconformists. This practice led to the creation of many simple, functional burial grounds across Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Appearance: In keeping with Quaker principles of simplicity, the burial ground has modest features. It is now a deeply wooded, peaceful, and shady area with large trees.
Current state: Today, the burial ground has only one surviving burial marker, although records indicate many more interments took place from 1690 onward.
Historical marker: A plaque on the boundary wall identifies the site as the old burial ground.
Significance: The burial ground reflects the Quaker history of the area. It is one of several Quaker sites in North Yorkshire and is a testament to the local Quaker presence that dates back to the 17th century.
Nearby landmark: Historically, the burial ground was near a dangerous ford over the River Dove. The construction of Lowna Bridge in 1826 eliminated the hazard.
Pickering Burial Ground
Original burial site: The first Pickering Meeting House was established around 1675 on Undercliff, and an attached burial ground was first used in 1696. Early headstones were removed from the original site; some are now found in the ceilings of the Station Hotel and floors of nearby cottages.
Newer burial site: When a new meeting house was constructed in 1793 on a different site above Undercliff, a new burial ground was also attached. This burial ground was managed as a garden, with only one surviving marker despite a long history of burials starting in 1690.
Today: Headstones have been repositioned and sit along the walls surrounding the peaceful garden as well as against the meeting house.
Hull Burial Ground
Location: The burial ground is a fenced area located within the largerHull General Cemetery
on Spring Bank in Kingston upon Hull.
Established in 1855: Quakers secured a 999-year lease on the plot in 1855, following the closure of their previous burial ground on Hodgson Street.
Simple grave markers: In contrast to the ornate Victorian memorials elsewhere in the cemetery, Quaker headstones are simple, sloping tablets with stone grave surrounds. The Quaker faith emphasizes simplicity and the equality of all people in life and death.
Final burial: Burials continued on the Quaker plot even after the General Cemetery officially closed in 1971. The final interment was that of Philip Dent Priestman in 1974.
Number of burials: The plot holds 85 graves and accounts for around 140 burials, including cremations. Gaps in the grave markers also indicate burials.
Cremation practice: Some Quakers, including notable interments like Sir James Reckitt, chose cremation over burial, in line with the Quaker value of environmental stewardship.
Previous burial ground: Before moving to the General Cemetery, Hull Quakers used the Sutton Burying Ground on Hodgson Street from 1672 until it closed in 1856. The memorial stones from that site were relocated to the General Cemetery in 1973.
Notable Quakers buried there
Isaac Reckitt (died 1862): Founder of the business Reckitt and Sons in 1840. The company would later become Reckitt & Colman and is known today as Reckitt.
Sir James Reckitt (died 1922): Son of Isaac Reckitt, he was a philanthropist who greatly expanded the family company, transforming it into a multinational business.
Kathleen Reckitt: Wife of Sir James Reckitt, who is buried alongside him.
William Dent Priestman (died 1936): An engineer and pioneer of the heavy oil engine, he was a founder of Priestman Brothers.
Other prominent families: The plot contains graves belonging to other well-known Quaker families from Hull, including members of the Priestman and Good families.
Kirkbymoorside
Established in 1690: The land was purchased for both the burial ground and an adjacent meeting house in 1690.
Location: The burial ground is located behind the Quaker Meeting House, which is at the end of a passageway between two cottages on West End.
Modern use: The meeting house garden and burial ground are maintained by the Quakers. They won a "best kept garden" award in 2008 and open it to the public.
Marked graves: While many Quakers are buried there, only one surviving burial marker is mentioned in some records. This is in keeping with the Quaker tradition of simple, unadorned gravestones to emphasize equality.
Notable Quakers buried there
John Richardson (1667–1753): A Quaker evangelist who traveled extensively throughout Britain, Ireland, and the American colonies, preaching and promoting Quaker beliefs. He died in nearby Hutton-le-Hole and was buried at the Kirkbymoorside burial ground. His "lively account" of his travels, which was published posthumously, is a significant historical document.
Whitby Quaker Burial Ground
Whitby’s Quaker burial ground is impressively well hidden. To most passers-by, it looks like a garden extension to some of the more grander Georgian houses on Bagdale. Theres a lintel which marks 1692
Location: The burial ground is situated on Bagdale. The site is a rectangular, walled garden measuring approximately 10 by 15 meters, with 2-meter-high stone walls. You can view the site by looking over the wall from Pannett Park, near the water feature.
Establishment: A lintel on the gateway is marked with the year 1682, which dates the establishment of the burial ground.
History: The land was purchased by the Quaker community in 1659, and the adjacent burial ground was acquired by the Chapman family for their burials. Historic England's records note that there are no original gravestones, which is common for Quaker cemeteries due to their philosophy of simplicity. Any visible memorials are from the early 19th century.
George Fox connection: The founder of the Quaker movement, George Fox, visited Whitby twice in the 1650s, which is when the first Quaker congregation was formed in the town.
Meeting house: The burial ground was once associated with a Quaker Meeting House, which may have stood at the top of the grounds. Whitby's Quaker congregation declined in the mid-19th century, and the meeting house building was sold in 2006. It is now a Spanish restaurant.
Significance: The site holds historical value as one of the oldest Quaker burial grounds in the area, offering a glimpse into the local history of the Society of Friends.