This monument is another example of the more ornate approach of Victorian era design. Melbourne General Cemetery was opened during the Pioneer era, from the 1850s to 1880s, and early monuments during this time featured simpler designs with a lack of ornamentation.
The Victorian era was much more extravagant by comparison. Not only did the height of headstones increase, but the use of obelisks, like the one for Lady Janet Clarke, or columns became increasingly popular. Obelisks are topped in a variety of ways, including a point, or in this case a cross. The wealth of the Clarke family at the time is evidenced through the intricate details on obelisk, and the iron fence around the family plot.
From the early 1900s to the 1920s a more conservative approach was taken. Monuments became simpler and smaller again, with heights reduced to around half of that popular during the Victorian era. Overt displays of wealth on a monument or grave also decreased. This monument was constructed in the late 1890s to accommodate Clarke’s husband’s wealth. The design favours the opulence of the time rather than the more conservative approach taken at the time of Lady Janet Clarke’s passing in 1909.
As noted on the plaque sitting below the obelisk monument, this grave has also undergone a restoration in collaboration with Freemasons Victoria, the University of Melbourne, and with the support of the Clarke family.
Lady Janet Clarke (nee Snodgrass) was born on the Goulburn River in Victoria in 1851, and married William Clarke in 1873 at age 22. She had worked for the family for a few years prior, and the marriage elevated her from governess to mistress of the house. The Clarkes were incredibly wealthy through land ownership. Lady Janet Clarke used this wealth to help people and organisations in need. She supported a wide range of philanthropic, cultural, political, and educational movements.
It is suggested that Lady Janet Clarke also holds an historical role in the now world renowned biennial cricket series, the Ashes. At the time, the concept of a test match, a game played over 5 days, was relatively new. The first test match was played by England and Australia in Melbourne in 1877, but the competition wasn’t named. In 1882 the English cricket team lost to Australia for the first time in England. A mocking obituary of English cricket was printed in an English newspaper, “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. In Christmas that year the Clarkes hosted the English cricket team at their property in Sunbury. The English team played a social match against the staff and Sunbury locals, and legend has it that after the English team won, Lady Janet Clarke presented English captain Ivo Bligh with a small urn containing the burnt ashes of the cricket stumps – sparking the name of one of the most loved cricket series.
Directions
To proceed with the tour, continue along the Second Avenue and follow it to the right. You will pass a small building on your left which is the Jewish Mortuary Chapel. The Chapel is the oldest building in the cemetery, built in 1854.
From here, you can choose how you would like to continue with your tour – pause, explore more history or discover Project Cultivate.
Pause the tour
To pause and exit the cemetery, continue along this road to the next intersection. At the intersection you can go straight to exit the cemetery via the gate onto Cemetery Road East. Or you can turn right at the intersection to follow First Avenue and the pathway between the rose beds to return to the gatehouse on College Crescent.
Continuing or skipping forward
To continue the tour or skip ahead please continue around the chapel and follow the path through the memorials. This path begins paved but does become compacted ground part way.
If you would prefer to stay on paved roads, please continue past the chapel and turn left at the first intersection onto Sixth Avenue. At Fifth Avenue, which is the next road, turn left again and follow the road up.
If you took the path through the memorials, please turn left when you reach Fifth Avenue.
Continue along Fifth Avenue until you reach the junction with Fourth Avenue and Centre Avenue. At this crossroad you can continue or skip forward. Please follow the directions that suit you.
Continuing the tour
At the crossroad take the Fourth Avenue, which is on your right. Follow this road to where the trees create a canopy over the road. There will be a path on the right that leads through the monuments. Stop at this path.
Skipping forward
If you are skipping forward, or pausing the tour to return another time, please continue straight along Centre Avenue. Continue in the same direction when you reach another crossroad, stop 12 will then be further along on your left.
