The Dutch Graveyard is another historical site in Malacca. It is located in a secluded corner at the foot of St. Paul’s Hill. Definitely not easy to spot on unless you make a tour around the foot of the hill.
The Dutch Graveyard was first used in the last quarter of the 17th century. Despite its name, only five of the graves in the cemetery contain remains of the Dutch officers, the other 33 belongs to the British administrators and their spouses. This cemetery was used in two stages – by the Dutch, between 1670-1682 and by the British, between 1818-1838.
When the British took over Malacca in 1795, they initially used St. Paul’s Hill as their burial ground. It is still visible until this very day nearby St. Paul’s Church. Only in 1818 did they began to switch and make use of this cemetery. The first British person to be buried at the Dutch Graveyard was Captain John Kidd, a captain of a ship while the last British person to be buried was the wife of a British army officer in 1838.
The grave that attracts the attention of most visitors is the one that has a tall column on it where two army officers were killed during the Naning War (1831-1832). Naning War is a war waged against the British by the ninth ruler of the Naning district, Dol Said. Dutch Graveyard has been gazetted a National Monument under the Antiquities Act 1976.
Location
Address: Jalan Chan Koon Cheng, 75000 Melaka
GPS Coordinate: N 2.193795, E 102.25066
GPS Coordinate: N 2.193795, E 102.25066
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