Exeter Dissenters Graveyard Open Days
Dissenters Graveyard, Magdalen Street, Exeter, Devon, EX2 4HS
About Dissenters.
Dissenters were Protestants whose disagreements with the Church of England in the 17th and 18th centuries led to separation from it and to persecution. The split became so severe that Dissenters could not be buried in C of E churchyards so needed burial grounds of their own.
The Dissenter community was an important part of the city's commercial, religious and political life, particularly during the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries. At one time Dissenters made up some 40% of the Protestant population of Exeter.
Dissenters, though not always tolerant themselves, helped establish freedom of belief in England through their insistence on individual conscience and their right to interpret the Bible in their own way.
About the Graveyard.
The Dissenters Graveyard was established in 1748 when the Bishop of Exeter decreed that a rule preventing Dissenter burials in Anglican churchyards was to be strictly observed. The Graveyard was used for burials until 1854. Though it is small some 1,300 people are buried there. After a period of neglect and vandalism the site was acquired in 2014 by Exeter Dissenters Graveyard Trust and restored. Interpretation boards provide detail about the history and features of the site. QR codes by many gravestones allow access to online information about the people and families buried there.
Further Information.
The Trust has a very active research group and much additional information is available on edgt.org.uk.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 07 September:
- 1000 - 1600
- Sunday 08 September:
- 1000 - 1600
- Monday 09 September:
- 1000 - 1600
- Tuesday 10 September:
- 1000 - 1600
- Wednesday 11 September:
- 1000 - 1600
- Thursday 12 September:
- 1000 - 1600
- Friday 13 September:
- 1000 - 1600
- Saturday 14 September:
- 1000 - 1600
Location & directions
Dissenters Graveyard, Magdalen Street, Exeter, Devon, EX2 4HS
- Directions:
- The Graveyard is in the corner of Magdalen Street and Bull Meadow Road, the other side of Bull Meadow Road from the Hotel du Vin.
- Contact on day:
- Paul Chant
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Wheelchair Access. There is a small upstand at the entrance. A wheelchair-friendly path then extends the full length of the graveyard. Trip Hazards. Just those which would be expected in a graveyard. Please don't stand on the gravestones!
