Description of Historic Place

The Anglican Church Pioneer Cemetery Southport is located off Stratford Road in the community of Stratford, formerly known as Southport, Prince Edward Island. The cemetery contains approximately 19 tombstones and other unmarked burials.

Heritage Value

This cemetery was established in 1856 largely through the efforts of William Stewart, proprietor of the 200-acre homestead property "Glen Stewart Farm", to serve Anglican families residing in Southport (now known as Stratford). Stewart, who died in England in 1888, was the son of Charles Stewart, a former Chief Justice of PEI.

Stewart's son Henry served as the minister of the small wooden Anglican Church which was located nearby. The church was decommissioned, sold and dismantled in 1910. The congregation was associated with St. Paul's Anglican Church in Charlottetown, however, until the Hillsborough Bridge was constructed in 1904, regular travel to attend services in Charlottetown was difficult.

The well-maintained cemetery grounds include 19 gravestones and it is believed that there are approximately 51 interments here. Unfortunately, some of the grave markers have become broken over the years. Some notable Southport / Stratford early settlers and residents buried here include Major John Picton Beete (1797-1887), a retired major in the British 21st and 54th Regiments who lived at nearby Mill Brook Farm; Robert May and Charles Haszard (1812-1862), Sheriff and later member of the Legislative Assembly.

The last known burial at this cemetery was in 1940 and the cemetery was no longer in use after 1944. The Diocesan Church Society had responsibility for the cemetery until 1978 when it voted to transfer the cemetery along with an endowment for its maintenance to St. Paul's Anglican Church.

The Anglican Church Pioneer Cemetery Southport is the peaceful resting place for some of the province's earliest inhabitants who contributed to the settlement of the Southport / Stratford area of the province.

Heritage Places files, Dept of Economic Growth, Tourism & Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/A54

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the cemetery is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the remaining grave markers
- the well-maintained grounds of the cemetery