The Royal Naval Cemetery

About

Ireland Island within Sandys Parish is home to the Royal Naval Cemetery, a regal sprawl of over 2.7 acres that contains around 866 gravesites. The cemetery sits near Parson’s Bay, across the island's widest part. This site was once open to the public for burials but was later limited to residents of the Island and those in the Royal Navy in 1853. Many of the 19th-century burials followed the yellow fever epidemic that swept through the Royal Navy. The oldest headstone with still-legible writing dates back to 1819. Unique features of the cemetery include the “Oration Stand” from which speeches were given at naval funerals. The site is sometimes referred to as “The Glade,” by locals, and true to this name, the area offers visitors a peaceful, shaded stroll for a moment’s reprieve from the Bermudian sun.