A History in Stone:
A guide to the historic graveyard
of St. John’s Cathedral
St. John’s is the oldest Anglican parish west of the Great Lakes. It was founded in 1820, when the Rev. John West arrived from England to serve as chaplain to the Hudson’s Bay Company, and as missionary to this part of the world.The graveyard surrounding the Cathedral predates the parish. It was established by the first group of Selkirk settlers in 1812.
The site for the church was chosen by Lord Selkirk in 1817, prompted no doubt by the fact that the graveyard was already there. Unfortunately, there are no records of the earliest burials. The diary of John West records that he presided at the first burial conducted by a cleric, that of John Bruce, who died at age 84 and was buried on June 4, 1821.
Many of the founding families of Winnipeg are buried in our cemetery and is the final resting place of many of Manitoba’s prominent historical figures; some which are listed below. For a more complete map of our cemetery, please see our office.
Consider the inscription on a stone that marks the grave of a husband and wife:
“He went before. She, for a little, tried to live without him, liked it not, and died.”
That’s a short love story in stone, and just one of the hundreds of stories that make St. John’s Cemetery more than just a graveyard.
- Historic Marker
- Sun Dial
- Sir Augustus Nanton
- Lt. Gov. William Tupper
- Sir Hugh John McDonald
- John Ogle Anderson
- Robert Machray
- Isaac O. Stringer
- Sam Pritchard Matheson
- Louis Ralph Sherman
- Sinclair Monument,
Colin Sinclair - Margaret Scott
- Dean Coombes
- John Sutherland
- John Pritchard
- Arch’d Robert McDonald
- James Thomson
- Premier John Norquay
- Simpson Baby, George
- Mary Jones & Baby, David Lloyd
- Dean J.W. Matheson
- Margaret Konantz MP
- James Richardson
- Lucy Franks
- James Thompson
- Colin Inkster
- Soldiers Monument
- Lt. Gov. John C. Shultz
- W.F. Luxton
- Sir Sam Steel
- Lt. Gov. Errick Willis
- John Inkster
Other prominent historical figures in our cemetary:
Spring Flowers
We hope this guide makes your walk through Winnipeg’s history both informative and enjoyable. Every spring, a group of enthusiastic gardeners drawn from the Cathedral congregation gathers to plant flowers on selected graves. For an annual fee, families can arrange to have flowers planted on graves of their loved ones. The fee not only buys the flowers but also augments the fund that supports and maintains the care and upkeep of the graveyard.
St. John's Anglican Cathedral 