Newhaven Burial Ground
Photo added by Cerys-Cymraes

Newhaven Burial Ground

Newhaven, City of Edinburgh, Scotland

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  • Get directions Old Newhaven Burial Ground
    Newhaven Main Street
    Edinburgh
    EH6 4TE
    Coordinates: 55.98044, -3.19559
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There lie 485 people buried at this ground, the first occurring in 1505, of a French shipwright who died whilst working on the Great Michael.

It was originally the site of a church, however following the reformation the chapel fell into ruin, although the grounds continued to be used for unofficial burials. In 1725 villagers requested to use the ruins of the chapel as an official local burial site.

The site was expanded in the early 1800s, when the Society of Free Fishermen of Newhaven demolished two fishing cottages to make room for more burials. By 1848 the grounds became too 'full' of bodies, there was no room for anymore burials and so was closed that very year.

Only one gravestone was ever placed here, in 1819, this headstone is now lost.

There exist burial records for the site for between 1807 and 1831, but outside of this any records seem to have been lost.

An archaeological dig of the site in 1972 carried out by the Department of Education Studies at the University of Edinburgh found a number of skeletons. Pottery, iron coffin handles and a Charles I coin were also found. Some graves had clearly been disturbed, and bodies (or parts of them) had to be re-interred.

There lie 485 people buried at this ground, the first occurring in 1505, of a French shipwright who died whilst working on the Great Michael.

It was originally the site of a church, however following the reformation the chapel fell into ruin, although the grounds continued to be used for unofficial burials. In 1725 villagers requested to use the ruins of the chapel as an official local burial site.

The site was expanded in the early 1800s, when the Society of Free Fishermen of Newhaven demolished two fishing cottages to make room for more burials. By 1848 the grounds became too 'full' of bodies, there was no room for anymore burials and so was closed that very year.

Only one gravestone was ever placed here, in 1819, this headstone is now lost.

There exist burial records for the site for between 1807 and 1831, but outside of this any records seem to have been lost.

An archaeological dig of the site in 1972 carried out by the Department of Education Studies at the University of Edinburgh found a number of skeletons. Pottery, iron coffin handles and a Charles I coin were also found. Some graves had clearly been disturbed, and bodies (or parts of them) had to be re-interred.

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  • Added: 28 Sep 2026
  • Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 2873647