Brompton, London, England, Cemetery Registers, 1840-2012

Brompton Cemetery

In 1837, The West of London and Westminster Cemetery Company bought 40 acres of land from the estate of William Edwardes, 2nd Baron Kensington (1777-1852) in West Brompton.

As was the case with each of the seven new large commercial cemeteries, Brompton created an appealing environment, relatively free of regulations or restrictions. Provision was made for non-conformists and dissenters: separate Anglican and dissenter chapels were included in the original plans, and separate parts of the cemetery were designated. As a result, Brompton has been recognised as a national cemetery, serving as a resting place for anyone from any creed that does not have a national burial ground within the United Kingdom.

The 1848-49 cholera epidemic in London prompted the government to create a public body - The General Board of Health. The Board had responsibility for creating new cemeteries, for forbidding burials in specific places (as required), and notably for compulsory purchase of the commercial cemeteries and putting them under state control. However, subsequent political constraints imposed on the Board resulted in only one commercial cemetery being purchased. The Board bought Brompton Cemetery in 1852 from its financially stretched Cemetery Company, so making it the first (and only) London cemetery to become Crown property.

From 1854 to 1939 Brompton was popular as a military cemetery. Since its formation in 1916, The War Graves Commission has looked after those graves at Brompton that fall within its remit.

Elements of this description have been sourced from The National Archive's website. You can find out more about this collection on this page.

You may be able to find the following information (where available):

• Name
• Death Age
• Inferred Birth Year
• Burial Date
• Cemetery