Little Britain Church Cemetery

Little Britain Church Cemetery

The cemetery at Little Britain United Church is in itself a record of the history of the church and its people.  Little Britain was originally a Presbyterian church as the settlers who had come from Scotland wanted a minister of their own faith – not a minister of the Church of England.  Thus some of the earliest records may be stored at the Presbyterian archives in Toronto.

The first burial in the cemetery appears to be that of Catherine McKenzie, daughter of Angelique and Roderick McKenzie who was Chief Trader of the Hudson’s Bay Post at Lower Fort Garry.  Her headstone records her date of death as October 31, 1851.  This was a few years before the Hudson’s Bay Company granted land to the congregation of Little Britain which at that time was a Presbyterian church.  Early records were mostly oral and according to some, the earliest burial in the “official cemetery” was that of the Scottish born wife of John Clouston – no date provided.  The first recorded burial was that of Murdock McDonald in 1869.

Many children, often several from one family were laid to rest in the cemetery, some with markers, most without.  Records indicate cause of death as whooping cough, diphtheria, pneumonia and typhoid fevers amongst the diseases which claimed so many so prematurely.  Consumption, “frozen to death” and “old age” were often stated as the cause of death of adults.  According to records the oldest person buried in the cemetery was 107 years old.

In 1928 Mr. Chris Johnstone began the process of written records spending much time in the cemetery speaking to visitors in an attempt to produce a map.  From that time the cemetery has expanded to include the area between the church and the highway (in the 1950’s) and in 2010 a columbarium was added.  Record keeping and map refinement continue to this day.

There is no military section in the cemetery.  The military has provided headstones for those who served “for king/queen and country” if requested by surviving family.  Also, there is no separate section for ash interments.

Please note that the records that are listed on the website have been developed over the years from oral reports, headstone information and actual burial records.  They include only burials/interments and those who have markers at the cemetery but may be buried elsewhere.  The listing does not include purchasers of plots or niches.

A lot of information is still missing.  Any help with filling in missing data or any corrections/pieces of information would be most welcome.  The cemetery data base includes much more information than what is posted in the abbreviated website form including relationships, funeral homes, etc.  A cemetery directory consisting of the maps of the East (Old) and the West (New) sections a listing of those interred in each has been built and is accessible for use by all visitors to the churchyard.  Changes to reflect additions and corrections will be made in the spring of each year.

Please contact the cemetery administrator with corrections, errors, or omissions. Contact the church office at 204-757-2489 (leave a message if necessary) or send a note to Little Britain Cemetery, 5879 Highway #9, Lockport, MB R1A 2P7.  Your help would be most appreciated.