The General Cemetery, often referred to as the Protestant Cemetery since there is a separate Catholic burial ground, contains many unmarked graves. Those that are marked include memorials dating from the 1850s. Many of those buried here died in mining accidents or from diseases that raged from time to time in the overcrowded and harsh conditions in which the gold miners and their families lived in the roaring days.
In 1987, with the assistance of a NSW Government grant and the advice of the Heritage Council of NSW, the Hill End Citizens Association undertook restoration work that included clearing of the undergrowth, repairs to some of the older broken stones, and the erection of a memorial wall. Consequently, it has enjoyed a revival in popularity with many recent burials obvious.
We found the cemetery in only fair condition. The grass had been cut around the old grave enclosures but the weeds within the enclosures were unchecked, resulting in many of the inscriptions being very difficult to access and read. The parking area in front of the cemetery was very limited, rough and eroded and there are no facilities.
Since then, control of the cemetery has passed from the Evans Shire Council to the Bathurst Regional Council that, in 2007, commissioned Conservation Management Plans for all of the cemeteries under its control. It is our earnest hope that the new administration will undertake further remedial work on this historic site, which has a great potential to attract tourists.
In June 2002, we made digital images and notes of every visible inscription. We are grateful for subsequent information supplied by descendants of some of those buried at this historic place and for the records of many other unmarked graves sourced from the Bathurst Regional Council Cemetery Study 2007-8 B J Hickson.
The list of inscriptions has been compiled with reference to the NSW indices of births, deaths and marriages and to military records for additional information.