Huguenot cemetery, Dublin
Encyclopedia
The Huguenot Cemetery is a small cemetery dating from 1693 located near St. Stephen's Green
, Dublin, Ireland
, beside the Shelbourne Hotel
. Although often described as being on the green, it is actually on the north side of Merrion Row, a small street linking St. Stephen's Green with Upper Merrion Street and Ely Place
.
Those buried there are descendants of Huguenot
s who fled persecution in France
following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes which had guaranteed religious freedom. They were encouraged to come to Ireland by James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
, who had spent twelve years in exile in France, after the Irish and Royalist forces were defeated by those of Oliver Cromwell
. Ormonde's return to Ireland as Viceroy in 1662 coincided with the consolidation of power by Louis XIV, which put extra pressure on the Huguenots in France. Ormonde had come into contact with Huguenots in Paris and Normandy, and hoped that their skills and capital could help stimulate the Irish economy and introduce new industries.
The Huguenots quickly established a thriving community in Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland based on their skills in textiles, watchmaking and finance. Within a short time they had become an integral part of the commercial and civic life of Dublin. Huguenot families in Ireland included the naturalized names of
Busse, Des Voeux, Chaigneau, D'Olier, Gardie, Le Fanu, L'Estrange, Maturin, Saurin, Lefroy, Le Nauze, Perrin, Cromelin, Borough (derived from Boroher) and La Touche.
The cemetery is not open to visitors, though it is visible through the railings and a list of 239 surnames of those buried is inscribed on the wall plaque to the left. These include Becquett (relatives of Samuel Beckett
) and Dubedad. Jean-Paul Pittion, one of the editors of The Hugenots in Ireland, an Anatomy of an Emigration, was instrumental in having the cemetery restored, which by the late 1970s had fallen into a serious state of disrepair.
St. Stephen's Green
St Stephen's Green is a city centre public park in Dublin, Ireland. The park is adjacent to one of Dublin's main shopping streets, Grafton Street, and to a shopping centre named for it, while on its surrounding streets are the offices of a number of public bodies and the city terminus of one of...
, Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, beside the Shelbourne Hotel
Shelbourne Hotel
The Shelbourne Hotel is a famous hotel situated in a landmark building on the north side of St Stephen's Green, in Dublin, Ireland. Currently operated by Marriott International, the hotel has 265 rooms in total and reopened in March 2006 after undergoing an eighteen-month refurbishment.John...
. Although often described as being on the green, it is actually on the north side of Merrion Row, a small street linking St. Stephen's Green with Upper Merrion Street and Ely Place
Ely Place, Dublin
Ely Place is a street in central Dublin with Georgian architecture. It is a continuation of Upper Merrion Street and the place where Lower Baggot Street and Merrion Row meet. Both the latter and Hume Street link it to St...
.
Those buried there are descendants of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s who fled persecution in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes which had guaranteed religious freedom. They were encouraged to come to Ireland by James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde PC was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the second of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom. He was the friend of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, who appointeed him commander of the Cavalier forces in Ireland. From 1641 to 1647, he...
, who had spent twelve years in exile in France, after the Irish and Royalist forces were defeated by those of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. Ormonde's return to Ireland as Viceroy in 1662 coincided with the consolidation of power by Louis XIV, which put extra pressure on the Huguenots in France. Ormonde had come into contact with Huguenots in Paris and Normandy, and hoped that their skills and capital could help stimulate the Irish economy and introduce new industries.
The Huguenots quickly established a thriving community in Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland based on their skills in textiles, watchmaking and finance. Within a short time they had become an integral part of the commercial and civic life of Dublin. Huguenot families in Ireland included the naturalized names of
Busse, Des Voeux, Chaigneau, D'Olier, Gardie, Le Fanu, L'Estrange, Maturin, Saurin, Lefroy, Le Nauze, Perrin, Cromelin, Borough (derived from Boroher) and La Touche.
The cemetery is not open to visitors, though it is visible through the railings and a list of 239 surnames of those buried is inscribed on the wall plaque to the left. These include Becquett (relatives of Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
) and Dubedad. Jean-Paul Pittion, one of the editors of The Hugenots in Ireland, an Anatomy of an Emigration, was instrumental in having the cemetery restored, which by the late 1970s had fallen into a serious state of disrepair.