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Auld Kirk Cemetery

Memorials	:	20
Location	:	Bradford, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate	:	44.0900900, -79.6155000
Description	:	Auld Kirk Cemetery, also known as the Old Presbyterian Church Cemetery, is situated on Concession 6, Lot 8 (north side of the road, 'firecode' number 3380), west of the 10th Line Sideroad, just west of Bradford, West Gwillimbury Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. Row and Plot numbering begins in the far-back (north) right-hand (east) corner of the grounds. Rows run from East to West, and plots are numbered from North to South. Agnes Goodfellow, born 1743, is the earliest-born person interred here, and the earliest burial, died 1827 age 84, with an existing, legible gravestone. The Scotch Settlement is seen as the founding settlement... Read More	Auld Kirk Cemetery, also known as the Old Presbyterian Church Cemetery, is situated on Concession 6, Lot 8 (north side of the road, 'firecode' number 3380), west of the 10th Line Sideroad, just west of Bradford, West Gwillimbury Township, Simcoe County, Ontario. Row and Plot numbering begins in the far-back (north) right-hand (east) corner of the grounds. Rows run from East to West, and plots are numbered from North to South. Agnes Goodfellow, born 1743, is the earliest-born person interred here, and the earliest burial, died 1827 age 84, with an existing, legible gravestone. The Scotch Settlement is seen as the founding settlement of the West Gwillimbury area and South Simcoe County. Auld Kirk Cemetery marks the place where many of the Selkirk settlers came finally to rest. The story is one of the best known of Ontario pioneer tales. At the time of the "Clearances" when cottages and people were being swept by the landlords from the pastures of the Scottish Highlands to make way for the more profitable use of sheep farming, a group of families were forced to leave their homes in the Strath of Kildonan in Sutherlandshire, Scotland. It was 1813. Their destination was Lord Selkirk's settlement on the Red River in what is now Manitoba. There, the immigrants found conditions terrible. There was want, sickness, and death among them. The North-West Company of fur traders were determined to get rid of the settlers. When the Company offered them transportation and land in the East, many decided to go to Upper Canada. While a few of the travellers received land in the Talbot Settlement (in Elgin County, along the shores of Lake Erie), the rest came to West Gwillimbury township. In front of the present day Church there is a placque erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Commission. It states: "In 1815 some 140 Highland Scots from Lord Selkirk's Red River Settlement, disheartened by crop failures and the opposition of the North West Company, moved to Upper Canada. "After traversing the five hundred miles of rocky wilderness between Fort Garry and Fort William, they were transported in the Nor'Westers' canoes to the outlet of the Nottawasaga River, which they ascended to Willow Creek, thence over the nine-mile portage to the head of Kempenfelt Bay. From there, the fugitives crossed Lake Simcoe, to the southern end of Cook's Bay, where they disembarked at Holland Landing in September. They found temporary employment in the Yonge Street settlements but in 1819 many took up land in West Gwillimbury. "In 1823 Presbyterian services were held in a building on this site which was replaced by a frame church in 1827. The present structure was completed in 1869." The Auld Kirk Scotch Settlement was the first and largest settlement in all of Simcoe County. Sermons at the Church were held in Gaelic from the settlers' native Scotland. Many of the original settlers of the area were buried in the cemetery within the church property, which still exists to this day. Presbyterian services ended around 1940 when the Church proved to be outdated and too small for services. The Church and graveyard are the last key pieces of evidence of the Auld Kirk Scotch Settlement's existence. Many of the farms surrounding the historic site are large. The 6th Concession on which it is located once traversed from one side of West Gwillimbury to the other, and was known as the "Scotch Line"; now it's nothing more than a gravel road that is cut off at the Kings Highway 400. The historic site rarely sees visitors as it is very isolated. The Church and its property are kept in preservation by the local historical society and the grounds are well maintained. The Church and graveyard are surrounded by a chain-link fence with a wide latched gate. It's not possible to see within the Church as the windows and doors have been shut and locked up to minimize vandalism and weathering. The graveyard contains several tombstones which date as early as the beginning of the settlement, however, they are very old and many are barely legible. Many others which were once standing are now laid flat, badly broken, overgrown by grass and weeds, and unreadable. There are dozens of blocks of marble which, at one time, might have been crosses, but are now only square stumps less than 12 inches high. NOTE: ALL 279 NAMES EXISTING ON GRAVESTONES IN THIS CEMETERY, UP TO AND INCLUDING SEPTEMBER 2010, HAVE NOW BEEN RECORDED HEREIN.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Auld Kirk Cemetery?
Auld Kirk Cemetery is located at 3380 Line 6, West Gwillimbury Township (Concession 6, Lot 8) Bradford, Simcoe County ,Ontario ,Canada.
Auld Kirk Cemetery cemetery's updated grave count on graveviews.com?
20 memorials
Where are the coordinates of the Auld Kirk Cemetery?
Latitude: 44.0900900
Longitude: -79.6155000

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Nearby Cemetories:

1. Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Scotch Settlement, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0765720, -79.6174590

2. Christ Church Anglican Cemetery
Bradford, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1036600, -79.6133400

3. Bond Head United Church Cemetery
Bond Head, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0909615, -79.6683197

4. McGann's Cemetery
Bradford West Gwillimbury, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1326800, -79.5985200

5. Holy Martyrs Catholic Cemetery
Bradford West Gwillimbury, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1328600, -79.5989500

6. Dunkerron United Church Cemetery
Dunkerron, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0406580, -79.6630130

7. Dunkerron Quaker Cemetery
Dunkerron, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0402650, -79.6648050

8. Newton Robinson United Church Cemetery
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Coordinate: 44.1262200, -79.6859700

9. Mount Pleasant Cemetery
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Coordinate: 44.1464700, -79.5725500

10. Law Cemetery
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Coordinate: 44.1381530, -79.6904070

11. Ozman Cemetery
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Coordinate: 44.0689550, -79.7137260

12. King Christian Church Cemetery
Kettleby, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0180300, -79.5764400

13. Coulsons Hill Cemetery
Coulson's Hill, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.1630890, -79.5789740

14. Penville Wesleyan Methodist Cemetery
Penville, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0528160, -79.7119850

15. St. John's Anglican Church Cemetery
Penville, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0661700, -79.7277300

16. Christ Church Anglican Heritage Cemetery
Holland Landing, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0967400, -79.4893100

17. Kettleby Cemetery
Kettleby, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0059500, -79.5676900

18. Monkman's Cemetery
New Tecumseth, Simcoe County, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0295400, -79.7136900

19. Schomberg Union Friends Cemetery
Schomberg, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0030600, -79.6773900

20. Hicksite Friends Burying Ground
Newmarket, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0545100, -79.4807000

21. Religious Society of Friends Burial Ground
Newmarket, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0426200, -79.4778800

22. Saint Patrick's Cemetery
Schomberg, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 43.9935600, -79.6921700

23. Newmarket Cemetery
Newmarket, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 44.0629000, -79.4635500

24. Lloydtown Anglican Cemetery
Lloydtown, York Regional Municipality, Canada
Coordinate: 43.9913980, -79.6920830

Auld Kirk Cemetery

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