Quaker Cemetery
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2014) |
| Quaker Cemetery | |
|---|---|
_Leicester_MA.jpg) | |
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| Details | |
| Location | |
| Country |  United States |
| Coordinates | 42°15′46″N 71°53′48″W / 42.2628°N 71.8967°W [1] |
| Type | Private |
| Owned by | Worcester Friends Meeting |
| Website | Worcester Friends Meeting |
| Find a Grave | Quaker Cemetery |
The Quaker Cemetery is a privately owned cemetery in Leicester, Massachusetts. It lies on land donated to the local Quakers that is positioned between the Worcester Regional Airport and Worcester Reservoir. The actual name is the Friends Cemetery but it is more commonly known as the Spider Gates Cemetery.
History[edit]
Among the first Quakers in Leicester were the Ralph Earle family and the John Potter family. Ralph Earle moved to Leicester around 1717. Although he was probably the son of Quaker parents, he did not publicly declare himself Quaker until 1732 when the declaration allowed him to avoid a parish tax.[2] His homestead and main farm lay on both sides of Mulberry Street in Leicester and included the slope where the Friends' meetinghouse and cemetery would be located.[2]
The first burial, that of John Potter, was in 1740.[3] A small meetinghouse was built on the property in 1741.[4] It was replaced with a larger meetinghouse in 1791. At that time, the original meetinghouse was sold to Luther Ward, who moved it to another location (the intersection of Rutland Road and what was once called Tea Lane) and fitted it out for his residence. The more recent meetinghouse was still standing among the graves in 1860 but was no longer in use at that time as most of the Quakers had moved away, many to Worcester.[5]
The first Southwick, Amasa, didn't arrive in Leicester until 1800 and had nothing to do with the founding of the cemetery in 1740. The Southwick family probably joined in 1810 or thereabouts and became one of the largest groups to be buried in the cemetery. The Leicester Quakers closed the meeting around 1850 and transferred it to the Worcester meeting.
The stone precinct wall, granite posts and iron gates (since removed) were installed under the terms of a bequest made by Dr. Pliny Earle, whose parents and other family members were buried there.[6] The design of the gates was originally meant to represent the rays of the sun but have since taken on their more popular name of Spider Gates.[7] The cemetery is currently maintained and in use by the Worcester Friends Meeting with the most recent burial being 2024.
References[edit]
- ^ "Quaker Cemetery". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ a b Sanborn, Franklin Benjamin (1898). Memoirs of Pliny Earle, M.D. Boston: Damrell and Upham. pp. 2–3.
- ^ Denny, Christopher (1955). Warren, Dorothy (ed.). Cemeteries of Leicester, Massachusetts. New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society: Hartman Collection. pp. 11–15.
- ^ Sanborn, Franklin Benjamin (1898). Memoirs of Pliny Earle, M.D. Boston: Damrell & Upham. pp. 3–4.
- ^ Washburn, Emory (1860). Historical Sketches of the Town of Leicester, Massachusetts. Boston: John Wilson and Son. pp. 116–117.
- ^ Sanborn, Franklin Benjamin (1898). Memoirs of Pliny Earle, M.D. Boston: Damrell & Upham. p. 392.
- ^ "Spider Gates Cemetery, Friends Cemetery, Leicester". www.boudillion.com. Retrieved 2021-04-17.