The Churchyard

The oldest attributable grave in the churchyard is that of Rev Henry Wyatt, who was Rector from 1661 and died in 1683, but the inscription is almost illegible now. There are several other burials from the first decades of the 18th century, including that of Robert Cromwell who died in 1723 and is buried near the East wall of the church. He left a bequest of £6 for a sermon to be preached at the church on the first Sunday of each month. He is thought to be from the same family as Oliver Cromwell. Old drawings from the 18th century show that most of these were originally chest tombs, but have collapsed and become flat tombstones over the years.

The churchyard expanded rapidly in the 19th century, despite the tiny population of Perivale, as it became a popular burial place for better class London citizens, being in the countryside yet only 8 miles from Marble Arch. Rev Hughes, who was Rector from 1861 to 1907 used a large part of his rectory garden to enlarge the churchyard in 1884, and sold off burial plots for exorbitant sums to individuals with no local connections. Only about 10% of the 416 burials between 1813 and 1900 were of parishioners. In 1906 a churchwarden, Mr L Roberts, took legal action against Rev Hughes and won his case. Thereafter, internment of non-parishioners ceased, apart from those with family graves. The churchyard now provides modern visitors with a source of interest, relating to the various minor Victorian ‘celebrities' who are buried there, listed in subsequent pages. There are many other photos in the Image Gallery section