Unearthly Landscapes

Overview

By the nineteenth century the ancient parish churchyards of Britain, burdened with generations of dead, were unable to cope with the strain of rising numbers of corpses. Public concern about health problems eventually put an end to the local parish churchyard burial, and by the time settlers set sail for New Zealand new, larger "modern" cemeteries were being established on the edges of towns. Immigrants brought with them a range of burial traditions, and of course Maori, already long established, had their own rituals. Over time, the various customs borrowed from one another to form a uniquely New Zealand way. In this beautifully written and illustrated book, Stephen Deed sets out to reconnect the historic cemeteries we see today with the history of this country and its people.

Author Biography

Stephen Deed is an historian and librarian with an interest in the interpretation and conservation of buildings and landscapes. He has worked closely with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Toanga and the Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust of New Zealand to record and protect important and fragile parts of our built environment.