This is the old original cemetery in the Cathedral churchyard, of St John the Baptist church (Cathedral, today), in St Johns, Newfoundland. It borders onto Duckworth St, Church St, Cathedral St and Gower St and is today an area of mown grass with trees here and there and the remains of a few old gravestones. Most of the grave markers were originally wooden I believe, but when "The Great Fire" swept through the old town in 1846, most of them were destroyed. There was another enormous fire in 1892, started from carelessness with fire, in the hay at St John's Stable. It left the town devastated, 11,000 people homeless and $13m damage and no doubt finished off most of the remaining grave markers. There were also a number of wooden churches on this site before the present Cathedral was built. It was badly burnt out in the 1892 fire and had to be extensively repaired.

The cemetery was closed on July 15th, 1849 and burials were thereafter forbidden "within the city limits." The main reason was that the citizens were concerned that newly buried bodies were contaminating the water table, and therefore the city wells, with cholera, typhus and other diseases which would sweep through the town. The Great Fire of 1846 had burnt down all the city fences, destroying a big area of housing and animals were wandering at will among the remaining buildings. The Journal of the House of Assembly on July 14th, 1846 stated: "Troops of starving dogs, infesting the town have become dangerous as well as to the living as to the dead, they have commenced desecrating the tombs of the cemetery...and may be seen gnawing the bones of those who have been buried...pigs and goats infest in great numbers...and the gravestones and monuments of the deceased are daily violated."

It is believed that up to 6000 people could be buried in this one graveyard, as it was originally used for all denominations.

(Some info and quotes taken from 'Burials Within the City Limits, Forbidden', 'Archival Moments', City of St John's Archives. Also look up Wikipedia under "Cathedral of St.John the Baptist (St.John's)", for more info and a photo.)