Maitland City Council acts as a cemetery authority in accordance with the NSW Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulations 2002. In this capacity Council has a number of public cemeteries under its care and control. These are: 

Operational Cemeteries

• East Maitland
• Campbells Hill
• Morpeth
• Rutherford

Historical Cemeteries

These cemeteries are operational for existing reservations only. Numerous historic cemeteries can be found within the Maitland Local Government Area, many of which are identified sites of heritage significance. Glebe Cemetery is one of the area's earliest cemeteries.

• Glebe
• Hiland Crescent East Maitland
• Oakhampton
• Oswald
• Jewish Cemetery East Maitland

Private Cemeteries

There are also a number of private cemeteries in and around the Maitland area including;

• Newcastle Memorial Parl & Crematorium
• Bishops Bridge Cemetery
• East Maitland Roman Catholic Church Trustees
• Lochinvar - Church of England & Roman Catholic Cemeteries

History

Council’s Burial records were those received when taking over the management of the cemeteries in the 1970s. Control of public cemeteries was altered by the Local Government Amendment Act No. 52 (Control of Cemeteries) which appointed Councils throughout New South Wales as Trustees of public cemeteries in their area.

Up to this time, local parishes/church trustees conducted burials. Council requested all records from churches, funeral directors, and gravediggers, however not all were received. Please note that all Council’s cemeteries have “unknown” and “unmarked’ graves. Burial records prior to the 1970s are incomplete making it difficult in some cases to be sure where a person has been interred. Please refer to Council's Burial Register for further information.

Family History Enquiries

The Maitland & District Genealogical Society is available to provide assistance with Family History searches. The group operate from Matiland City Library between 9.00am - 3.00pm on Wednesdays. You can contact the group in the following ways;

Contact Details:

Contact Phone: 02 4905 1878
Address: PO Box 247 Maitland NSW 2320
Email: mdgs01@tpg.com.au
Web: Website  

 
Photo: Aerial view of East Maitland Cemetery 

Common Cemetery Forms

Burials:

An Application for Burial Form is an application for a burial plot within Council's cemetery.  
An Application for Reservation of Burial Plot is completed by someone looking to reserve a burial plot for themselves or other family members. Refer to Council for more information about single and double depth plots.
An Application for Internment of Ashes in an Existing Grave is an application for the internment of ashes into an existing burial plot within Council's cemeteries.  
An Application for Internment of Ashes in a Niche is an application for the internment of ashes into a niche in the columbarium wall at Morpeth.

Monumental Work:

An Application for Erection of Monumental Work is an application for the erection of monumental work including headstones within Council's cemeteries.

An Application for Monument Restoration is an application for the restoration of headstone and other monument works within Council's cemeteries.

Photo: View of graves within East Maitland Cemetery

Cemetery Service Providers

Any works to be undertaken in Council Cemeteries needs to be carried out by an approved service provider.

Below is a listing of cemetery service providers that currently operate within the Maitland local government area's cemeteries. Maitland City Council does not endorse any service provider. This listing should be considered for customer information purposes only.

Photo: view of East Maitland Cemetery

Useful Links

• Australian Cemeteries Index -  this index provides a searchable data base for all cemetery inscriptions that have been recorded by the authors. It is intended to be a useful tool for those researching their family history. The index contains details of headstones from a number of cemeteries in Australia including photographs. It does contain some cemeteries within the Maitland area.

• Maitland & District Genealogical Society - this site is particularly useful for family history requests. The Circle has extensively photographed over 13,000 headstones within the cemeteries in and around the Maitland area and can provide a headstone photograph with inscription for a small fee. 
  
• Australian Cemeteries - an Australian Family History dedicated website.
  
• National Archives of Australia - Family History - a webpage of the ACT based National Archives of Australia (NAA) website dedicated to Family History searches.
  
• Australasian Association of Geneologists & Record Agents Inc - the Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents (AAGRA) was founded in 1977. It aims to offer the services of reliable and competent genealogists and record agents to those wanting professional Family History and genealogy services and general record searching.
  
• NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages - this government department registers New South Wales life events accurately and securely for all time, ensuring their integrity and confidentiality. This includes the registration of births, deaths and marriages and official changes of name and sex.
  

• National Trust of Australia - Cemeteries - discover vital heritage related information relating to the management of cemeteries in Australia.