Three Amazing Unsung Heroes Of St Pancras And Islington Cemetery

St Pancras and Islington cemetery in East Finchley is huge. It is the largest in the UK in terms of burials with around 1 million people and although technically two cemeteries combined, it is also the third largest in the country by land area at 190 acres.

To be honest, at first, I found the size of St Pancras and Islington and the fact it is still an operating graveyard slightly unsettling and daunting. But once I had spent a little bit of time wandering around, this eased.

There are lots of interesting people buried here including Henry Croft, the first ‘pearly king’ and artist Ford Madox Brown. Three graves in particular caught my attention: those of three brilliant unsung heroes.

St Pancras and Islington Cemetery

St Pancras and Islington Cemetery was set up in 1854 to alleviate pressure on fit to bursting inner city cemeteries. You may have heard of the magnificent seven cemeteries that were set up at the same time, for example in Highgate and Abney Park for the same purpose. These were however private enterprises, whereas St Pancras and Islington was the first publicly owned cemetery in London.

Over the years it has taken on the exhumations from other demolished or downsized churchyards. The marker below reads: ‘Within this enclosure are deposited the human remains removed from the Western portion of the churchyard of St Mary Islington in order to effect the widening of Upper Street by the Metropolitan Board of Works MDCCCLXXXV (1885)’

There are lots of large mausoleums in the cemetery and even a ‘Mausoleum Road’. The Grade II listed Mond mausoleum is the most impressive. Built in 1909 in the Grecian style, it is made from granite and Portland stone and is based on the Temple of Nemesis in Greece. Mond was a wealthy German-born industrialist and chemist.

1. William French And The Highgate Dog Tragedy

On the sunny afternoon of 13th July 1896, William French, a 50 year old stableman who lived just off Archway road, set off with a couple of friends and his dog to Highgate Ponds. They started throwing sticks into the ponds for their dogs to fetch. William’s dog had been in the water for a long time and appeared to be too exhausted to swim back to shore. William jumped into the pond, taking off his waistcoat, and hat but still wearing his heavy boots and trousers. ‘I can’t see the poor little fellow drown’ he said.

Before French could reach the dog, it dipped under the water, reappeared further away and swam back to shore. William however was not so fortunate and cried out ‘I’m knocked’ and sank.

A park constable was called for and it took roughly an hour to recover the body. William was at first buried in a pauper’s grave but, after the incident received a lot of press attention, money was raised to transfer him to a proper grave, with a suitable memorial. As you can see from the photo below, the dog is still regularly adorned with colourful flowers and garlands.

The grave reads: ‘Sacred to the memory of William French, aged 50, who lost his life on July 13th 1896 while saving a dog from drowning in Highgate Ponds. This monument, erected in commemoration of his brave deed, was raised by public subscription, and was contributed to by all classes of lovers of dumb animals.’

2. The Man Who Saved Sundays: Robert Morrell

Another curious grave I came across was that of Robert Morrell (1823-1912). What caught my eye was the lifelike and, to be frank, fairly creepy carved visage. The eyes seem to follow you…

There had been restrictions on Sunday activities for over a thousand years, but in the 17th century two schools of thought started to develop. One thought that Sundays should be exclusively for religious observance and another who thought ‘good works’ could take place including some recreational activities.

The rules were actually made more strict in 1780 with the Sunday Observance Act imposing fines on those who organised activities. In 1855 a bill was presented to Parliament to further restrict Sunday trading leading to three consecutive Sundays of demonstrations in Hyde park. Karl Marx was present and thought the English revolution had begun!

One such demonstrator was Robert Morrell. Robert was adamant that museums and notably the Crystal Palace (that had opened in 1851), should be open on Sundays. Clearly a man of action, he set up the National Sunday League to campaign for this.

Finally, in 1896, Parliament voted to open the national museums and galleries on Sunday afternoons. Robert Morrell had been vindicated after years of campaigning.

3. War Hero: Captain Alexander Bruce Kynoch

The final grave is a very moving one. It is that of Captain Alexander Bruce Kynoch (1896-1918). It was only later on when I got home and researched him that I found out about his tragic story. His headstone states that he had fought at Gallipoli, Egypt and Macedonia and died in 1918 during the First World War. But what caught my eye was that, his gravestone says he died in England and not in France or elsewhere.

On the 7th March 1918 at 11.29pm Alexander took off in his plane to intercept a German bomber. A minute later Captain Henry Clifford Stroud also took off. In the darkness the two pilots collided and crashed into the fields at Dollymans Farm in Rochford, Essex. Both pilots were killed. Alexander was just 22 years old.

Very sadly he was not even due to fly that night but took over at the last moment from a colleague who was ill. You can read more about Alexander and the tragic circumstances of his death here.

So there we have it, three brilliant unsung heroes whose stories deserve to be told. If you would like to visit the cemetery- have a look at their website here. They are open at the weekends for all visitors.