Vault Hill Cemetery - An adventure

One of the things that we often do as Family Historians is visit cemeteries. We drag our families around looking for the graves of our ancestors, and of other peoples ancestors too. For those ancestors that are too far away to visit ourselves there is https://www.findagrave.com/

I am a volunteer on that site, finding graves and taking photos for others so that they can see their long lost ancestors resting places. I do this because it is interesting and a way of giving back for all the times that someone has done the same for me. 

Today Ali and I were out "graving" again, and had a nice lunch at one of our favourite spots in Picton the Smoke 'n' Grill, just in case you are ever in the area. But afterward I was feeling a little maudlin and it reminded me of a most interesting adventure.

The Quest

One such occasion was a request for a photo of the grave of Elizabeth Anne Antill nee Lassetter back in 2017. The request listed the grave at St. Mark's Picton but I had no luck finding it there. Antill's are a pretty well known family in the Picton area so back at home I did a bit of research thinking I might find a reference to where the grave could be located in the cemetery. 

What I did find was a very interesting lady. Elizabeth was a survivor of the sinking of the Lusitania. A great long story about that here https://lusitaniapage.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/lassetter-mrs-elizabeth/?share=google-plus-1

More importantly, in line with my goal I found her obituary...

It seemed that Elizabeth wasn't at rest in the St Marks Church Cemetery after all, but in the family vault on Jarvisfield Estate, part of which is where the Picton Golf Club is situated. 

Major Antill renamed the town of Stonequarry as Picton after General Sir Thomas Picton, a hero of The Battle of Waterloo. Antill retired on half pay and settled on his grant, tending sheep, pigs and cows. He was the squire of the Picton district, a magistrate, pillar of the local church (St. Mark's Anglican, Picton), supporter of the local school. Antill died in 1852, and was buried in the family vault on a hill north of and overlooking the town of Picton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarvisfield,_Picton

This place on the hill is rightly named Vault Hill. I have lived in the area a long time and never knew that it existed. Probably the majority of residents are unaware of it. 

There is a story that Henry Antill is buried upright at his own request, so that he could better overlook his domain. I think I also read that he said while ever he remained upright the land would stay in the possession of his family.

However, I had a quest to take a photo of the grave of Elizabeth Lassetter for her relative who lived overseas.

There was a new estate being built on the Picton side of the Hill and Telstra has towers on the top of the hill as well and the area is fenced. I am not typically a law breaker but I was on a mission. Now before you start thinking I was going to do the wrong thing let me put you straight. I emailed the council, not much of a response at all. I went into the council and asked about it. They weren't very keen to discuss it. It turned out that there had been some vandalism of the site quite a few years back, but I persisted. "All I want to do is take a photo of the graves for a relative". The gent behind the desk, probably out of frustration, spun his computer screen around and showed me a path, up the side of the hill which is on crown land and public access. 

I went home and on the computer found a map of the area and worked out exactly where the path was. Poor hubby didn't want me to go alone so in his normal fashion of long suffering husband, he came along with me. We chose a cloudy day as it is quite a steep hill and 2000ft (612 metres). Now I know that it doesn't sound like a long way, but Paul would have told you about how he was almost on hands and knees for about half of the first 1000.

Well, not long after we set off the clouds started to clear (of course) and the blazing sun came out. We made it up the hill to the corner post of a fence which we had to negotiate. (The picture below is the view back down the hill from that fence post, the red circle is out car.) We were about half way.

View of Picton from the half way point, the red circle is our car!

Then we followed a relatively flat cow track which ran alongside a barbed wire fence for about another 1000 ft (300 metres). 

The cow track

Eventually we reached a spot just below where the cemetery was, and we clambered up the lsat 20 metres of so of a goat track running up the side of a steep slope. 

Eureka! The little cemetery plots, two separate sections with old wrought iron fencing, another large domed vault with the top that had been smashed in by vandals, and one lone headstone facing toward the golf course. It was such a shame to see the state of it.

The tangle of trees and overgrowth

The headstone that I needed was the right one of the 3 visible here

Elizabeth A Lassetter and Robert Henry Antill 

Selena Antill and Celia Antill

Edward Spencer Antill Snr 5th son of Major Antill
 Mary his wife and Harley C his son

We took lots of photos making sure that we could see the inscriptions. I had to wriggle in through the rusty gate to get close enough and clear away dirt from the bottom of some, and I had a spray bottle of water to highlight the text on the stone. I wanted to get all the pics we needed because I was pretty sure we wouldn't be popping back here any time soon!

On our way back we took some photos from the summit out over the town. It truly was a view that most Pictonites wouldn't ever see. Now every time we drive past we wave hello to the Antill's on the hill.

View from the top

This is my favourite picture of the day though. I miss my companion and our adventures. 

Me and my late hubby Paul on our adventure
"Best husband ever", I can't believe he was still smiling!
Jan 2018

PostScript.

I love going to little out of the way cemeteries that other people might not get to.  Another example is this one that we visited at Glenquarry in the Southern Highlands

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172873448/margaret-mitchell