Description of Historic Place

The Old Anglican Cemetery is the site of a mid-nineteenth century Anglican graveyard located on Charles' Hill at 007 Tucker's Road, Cow Head, Newfoundland and Labrador. This cemetery is built on a hill and faces the ocean. The designation includes the gravesites and surrounding land.

Heritage Value

The Old Anglican Cemetery has been municipally designated because it holds historic values. This cemetery is the first Anglican graveyard in Cow Head and dates back to the children of the first settlers. It contains many of the gravesites of the first settlers of Cow Head: the Paynes, Hutchings, Bennett (Benoit), Vincents, Taylors, and Hewlin families. Ancestors of many these first settlers still reside in the community. The gravesites of the settlers overlook the harbour of Cow Head as these families earned their living from the sea. As well, placing graves near the ocean is a traditional method of burial which is common in most of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Source: Town of Cow Head, passed by a motion of council at a meeting held on February 17, 2003.

Character-Defining Elements

All those elements that reflect the early nineteenth century cemetery, including:
-inscribed headstones;
-location on a hill and overlooking the ocean; and
-the open space surrounding the gravesites.