One of England's Earliest Quaker Burial Grounds Listed at Grade II
The 17th century burial ground at Lower Hazel, South Gloucestershire, has been recognised for its architectural and historic importance.
Dating from 1656, Lower Hazel is one of the earliest Quaker burial grounds in the country. It has been in continuous use for more than 365 years.
It was established to provide a place of burial for the large Quaker community in the area at a time when Anglican churches often refused nonconformists within the consecrated ground of the Church of England.
The listing recognises the site's historical significance and architectural features that reflect early Quaker principles of simplicity.
Gallery
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History
The Olveston area was an important place in the early years of Quakerism. The new religion took root quickly after preachers John Audland and John Camm – instrumental in spreading Quakerism in the west of England – addressed a large group of farmers on Elberton Green in 1654. 40 of the 100 families in the parish became converts. In the 1660s, George Fox, founder of the Religious Society of Friends, visited Olveston to help establish monthly meetings and spent his honeymoon in the village in 1669.
Architectural importance
The architectural modesty of the Lower Hazel burial ground and the humble grave markers, several inscribed with only the deceased's initials, reflect Quaker preferences for plainness and simplicity.
The stone boundary walls surrounding the site feature simple yet distinctive elements, including a moulded oak door case and doors and 'cock-and-hen' capping – alternating upright stones placed on top of the stone walls.
In line with Quaker principles, early burial grounds tended to be simple, functional enclosures with minimal landscaping and planting and plain funerary monuments reflecting humility in death.
Burial grounds – graveyards without a principal place of worship – emerged in the 17th century as separate places for the burial of the dead from minority faiths, who were often denied burial within the consecrated ground of the Church of England.
The land was provided through a bequest from John Smith of Lower Hazel, with the first documented burials taking place in 1657.
The Quaker Burial Ground at Lower Hazel is one of several historic sites associated with Quakerism in South Gloucestershire to be granted listed status.
In 1669, my 7th great-grandfather, Joseph Sturge, was buried in this beautiful Quaker burial ground. A local farmer, he was among the first converts to this new radical religion.
It is a wonderful, tranquil place, where so many have worshiped over the centuries and still worship today.
This listing recognises and celebrates an important piece of the story of religious diversity in Britain. The burial ground at Lower Hazel helps us understand the experiences of nonconformist communities during times of persecution in the 17th century, and remains important to the community today.
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