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St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery Municipal Heritage Site

Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2009/09/04

View of St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery, Twillingate, NL. Photo taken 2009. ; Town of Twillingate 2010
St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery, Twillingate, NL
Monument erected in remembrance of Georgina Stirling in St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery, Twillingate, NL. Photo taken 2010. ; David Burton 2010
St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery, Twillingate, NL
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Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2010/03/23

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery is located on St. Peter’s Church Road in Twillingate, NL. It is a grassy, fenced cemetery on a piece of land overlooking the ocean. The municipal heritage designation includes all the fenced area of cemetery land and the gravemarkers within it.

Heritage Value

St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Twillingate because of its historic, aesthetic and spiritual values.

St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery has historic value as one of the longest used cemeteries in Twillingate. Its headstones contain historic and genealogical type information and may be considered artifacts on the community’s landscape. The earliest death date appearing on extant gravemarkers at the cemetery is 1874 and the latest date from the first decade of the 21st century. The materials of the headstones coincide with these dates. It is possible that earlier burial places are now unmarked and that the cemetery was used as a burial place for well over a century.

St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery has additional historic value as it is the resting place of Prima donna soprano Georgina Stirling, also known by her stage name Marie Toulinguet. Stirling was born in Twillingate in 1867, the youngest of Ann (nee Peyton) and William Stirling’s 10 children. Georgina’s father nurtured an appreciation of music in his children, and their home had two pianos, a violin and a flute. By age 15, Georgina was playing the organ at church services and performing in local concerts. In 1883, Georgina attended the Toronto Ladies’ College, where she studied liberal arts and music. In 1888, Georgina travelled to Paris to receive voice training, becoming a student of Mathilde Marchesi. During one of Madame Marchesi's concerts, her talent was recognized by a representative of a Milan opera company. This was the beginning of a career that saw Georgina singing with opera companies in Europe and the United States. By the early 1900s, a throat ailment had damaged Georgina’s voice to the point that she could no longer sing opera, although later she gave occasional performances as a concert artist. Following her early retirement from opera, she lived with her two sisters in England. Around 1930, following the deaths of her sisters, Georgina returned to Twillingate to live with her sister Rose. She occupied herself with her flower and vegetable garden and by helping local charitable organizations. She died at Twillingate on April 23, 1935.

St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery has aesthetic value due to its picturesque setting overlooking the ocean. Located in a tranquil setting at the end of St. Peter’s Church Road on Twillingate’s North Island, the cemetery provides a spectacular view of the undulating northwestern shore of New World Island and the smaller islands that dot its shores.

St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery has spiritual value due to its long association with the Church of England and Anglican religion in Twillingate.

Source: Town of Twillingate Regular Council Meeting Motion 09-162 September 4, 2009.

Character-Defining Elements

Those elements which contribute to the site’s historic, aesthetic and spiritual value including:
-style, size, placement and materials of historic gravemarkers;
-grassy groundcover;
-existence of wooden fencing to contain the site, and;
-dimensions and location of site.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Newfoundland and Labrador

Recognition Authority

NL Municipality

Recognition Statute

Municipalities Act

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land

Recognition Date

2009/09/04

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1874/01/01 to 1874/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Mortuary Site, Cemetery or Enclosure

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
1 Springdale Street
St. John's, NL A1C 5V5

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

NL-4572

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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