To assist in an assessment of the cultural significance of the Byng Chapel and the site area as a whole for a heritage grant, the Byng Church Trust and the Cornish Association of New South Wales put forward a list of reasons in 1984 for seeking a grant. Apart from the Chapel itself, the submission laid emphasis on the significance of the cemetery and its surroundings. Some of the points made bear repeating here:
a) The area was one of settlement early in the colony in the 1830s and 40s.
b) The Church cemetery contains the graves of many early settlers and their descendants.
c) The cemetery is of interest to family historians.
d) The complex of Church, grounds (including slip-rail fences and early plantings), and cemetery act as a cogent statement of an early Australian lifestyle. It has been in use for 112 years.
To these basic reasons were added two more which were classed as Cornish Reasons:
a) The contribution of the Cornish to our history and culture is demonstrated in this site area.
b) The Church, grounds and cemetery provide a concrete link between modern Cornish born or descended Cornish Australians and their kinsmen of last century.
 |
SARAH SUSANNA TOM Died Sep, 23, 1890. Aged 60 Years. "Thy Will be done". Also WILLIAM TOM One of the first Gold Discoverers In Australasia in 1851, Died July 3, 1904, Aged 80 Years. |
 ------------->>>One man went to mow ------>>>And there were more to help elsewhere. |
After contacting Raymond Hawke and discussing a proposal to provide a group who would assist in a tidying up campaign around the Chapel and the cemetery, CANSW members went to Byng in 1976 to start on mowing grass and clearing undergrowth. This activity has become a regular effort by CANSW members over the years since that time. One concern in the summer months was Beware Snakes.
With the provision of a heritage grant in 1987, it became possible to launch other site activities, well supported by local folk who had noted the effort being put into the improvement of the site as well as the Chapel. A new slip-rail fence was constructed by Colin Harris and his son, using age-old methods, and the fencing around the Chapel was also remade. Colin lived in the area with his wife Evelyn nee Spicer who was also very active in the work being done. CANSW members gave assistance in fencing efforts. The appearance of the cemetery was completely changed by the clean up which had taken place and by the new fencing. Another extremely active couple were the Campbells, Barry and Kerry nee Spicer. Towards the end of 1987, Barry worked through five consecutive weekends on the upgrade of the Chapel and its surrounds. The whole operation had become very much a joint effort with CANSW members and the local folk, so much so that a splendid vellum, created by member Geoff Ford, is now in the Chapel, listing the names of CANSW members involved with the maintenance and restoration work.
By October 1980, the inscriptions on the tombstones in the Byng Cemetery had been transcribed by G.E. and Y.M. Tracey. These records cover an surprising span of time from 1834 up to 1970. Ultimately, it is hoped that records of births and marriages can also be extracted and placed in these Web pages because they do represent a very "concrete link" to the descendants of the people who once lived and worked around the Cornish Settlement and then Byng. Who knows? It may also be of value to those elsewhere in Australia and overseas, wishing to establish some link with "kinsmen of the last century"! The CANSW is grateful for the opportunity to present at least part of the records in the table below.
| Surname | Other Names | Year of Death | Age | Inscriptions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.E.A. | -- | 1871 | -- | -- | |
| Abrahams | Margarite | 1970 | 80y | Aunty Madge | |
| Adamson | Anne Elizabeth | 1871 | 19y | Wife of Robert | |
| Adamson | Robert James | 1871 | 6wks | Son of Anne & Robert | |
| Bennett | Mary | 1898 | 2y | Sister & Daughter | |
| Bennett | James | 1912 | 46y | Dear Brother | |
| Bennett | Herbert George | 1920 | 21y | Son & Brother | |
| Bishop | William | 1864 | 70y | -- | |
| Bray | John | 1843 | 21y | -- | |
| Bray | Nicholas | 1864 | 75y | -- | |
| Bray | James | 1865 | 19y | -- | |
| Bray | William | 1866 | 17y | -- | |
| Bray | Mary Ann | 1867 | 58y | -- | |
| Bray | Johanna | 1865? | 80y | -- | |
| Burns | Henry Bertram | 1883 | 1y11m | -- | |
| Burns | Mary | 1897 | 55y | -- | |
| Caro | Catherine Mary | 1967 | 90y | Last Descendant of Thomas & Jane Geake Webb | |
| Cornwall | Mary E. | 1863 | 12y | Dau. of Sally & Francis | |
| Cornwall | Sally | 1870 | 16y | Wife of Francis | |
| Cornwall | Frank | 1875 | 20y | Only son of Sally & Francis | |
| Cornwall | Anne | 1894 | 62y | Wife of Francis | |
| Cornwall | Francis | 1906 | 81y | -- | |
| Cross | Ada | -- | -- | -- | |
| Dowton | Ada Violet Randall | 1914 | 28y | Rem. by Claude | |
| Dunlop | William | 1903 | 69y | -- | |
| Dunlop | Jane | 1903 | -- | Wife of William | |
| Ellis | John | 1909 | 78y | -- | |
| Ellis | Emma | 1923 | 87y | -- | |
| Evans | Celia Bertha | 1888 | 18y11m | -- | |
| Field | May Beryl | 1922 | 2y | -- | |
| Field | Arthur | 1963 | 72y | Husband & Father | |
| Field | Sarah Ellen | 1966 | 69y | Dear Mum | |
| Fuller | Harriet | 1873 | 60y | Wife of Edward | |
| Geake Webb | Thomas | 1879 | 53y | -- | |
| Geake Webb | Jane | 1897 | 51y | -- | |
| Glasson | Annie | 1872 | 32y | Wife of Gustavus | |
| Glasson | Irene Millicent | 1962 | 79y | Wife of Wesley | |
| Goodlock | Vic. May | 1941 | 48y | Our Dear Parents | |
| Goodlock | Albert Ed. | 1953 | 71y | Our Dear Parents | |
| Grenfell | Richard | 1873 | 86y | Native of St Just CON | |
| Harvey | Henry | 1907 | 54y | -- | |
| Harvey | Mary | 1912 | 54y | -- | |
| Hawke | Mary | 1865 | 1y6m | 3rd Daughter of Anne & Frederick | |
| Hawke | Frederick | 1867 | 46y | Beloved Husband of Anne | |
| Hawke | Jane | 1875 | 68y | Wife of George | |
| Hawke | George | 1882 | 80y | Of Pendarves | |
| Hawke | Ada Alice | 1894 | 28y | Daughter of Ann & Francis | |
| Hawke | Mary Wilkinson | 1896 | 46y | Wife of William | |
| Hawke | William | 1902 | 56y | -- | |
| Hawke | Edith Violet | 1919 | 41y | Born at Pendarves | |
| Hawke | Alma Jane | 1944 | 63y | Daughter of William & Mary Hawke | |
| Hayward | Annie Marion | 1936 | 72y | Wife of William | |
| Hayward | William Edward | 1943 | 79y | -- | |
| Howarth | Harriet | 1894 | 44y | -- | |
| J.X.H. | -- | 1872 | 18y? | -- | |
| Lane | James | 1865 | 19y | -- | |
| Lane | Eliza | 1865 | 62y | Beloved Wife of Richard | |
| Lane | Mary | 1872 | 58y | Beloved wife of John | |
| Lane | Richard | 1875 | 86y | -- | |
| Martin | John A.E. | 1935 | 60y | -- | |
| Martin | Amy Maud | 1953 | 65y | -- | |
| Moore | Robert | 1931 | 55y | Dear Husband | |
| Oates | Elizabeth | 1867 | 66y | -- | |
| Oates | Elizabeth Mary | 1869 | 12y | Daughter of Wm. & Eliza | |
| Oates | Francis James | 1870 | 11m | Son of Wm. & Eliza | |
| Oates | Eliza | 1892 | -- | 1834-1892 Of St Kevertine CON | |
| Oates | William John | 1893 | 17y | -- | |
| Oates | William | 1900 | -- | 1832-1900 Of St Kevertine CON | |
| Oates | Thomas | 1906 | 71y | -- | |
| Oates | Elizabeth | 1915 | 72y | Wife of Thomas | |
| Pasker | William John | 1865 | 24y | SARAH JEFFERY Erected by Mother | |
| Pearce | Thomas | 1846 | 30y | -- | |
| R.J.A. | -- | 1871 | -- | -- | |
| Richards | Thomas | 1902 | -- | 1822-1902 | |
| Robinson | Peter | 1926 | 60y | Our Dear Brother | |
| Spicer | Mary | 1905 | 18y | Daughter of Charles & Matilda | |
| Spicer | James Caleb | 1920 | -- | Private 5119 5th Mach. Gun Btn. | |
| Spicer | Samuel Archibald | 1923 | 33y | Dear Son | |
| Spicer | Matilda Mary | 1934 | 72y | -- | |
| Spicer | Charles | 1939 | 78y | -- | |
| Spicer | Margaret | 1941 | 77y | Our Dear Mum | |
| Spicer | Valma Jeanette | 1942 | 9y | Daughter & Sister | |
| Spicer | Claude | 1946 | 38y | Our Dear Son & Brother | |
| Spicer | Robert Samuel | 1946 | 89y | Our Dear Parents | |
| Spicer | James | 1953 | 76y | Our Dear Father | |
| Spicer | Ellen Hetherington | 1957 | 76y | Our Dear Parents | |
| Stevens | David | 1876 | 20y | 3rd son of Alfred | |
| Thomas | Mary | 1862 | 59y | Wife of William | |
| Thomas | Thomasine | 1917 | 59y | -- | |
| Tom | Annie Selena | 1861 | 4y6m | Eldest daughter of James & Marion | |
| Tom | Ann | 1870 | 74y | Wife of William | |
| Tom | William | 1883 | 91y | Born at Bodmin CON | |
| Tom | Nicholas | 1888 | 59y | Born at Tarana | |
| Tom | Sarah Susanna | 1890 | 60y | -- | |
| Tom | William | 1904 | 80y | First discoverer of gold in Australia | |
| Tom | Eliza | 1906 | 73y | Wife of Nicholas | |
| Tom | William Wesley | 1937 | 76y | -- | |
| Tom | Mathew Henry | 1948 | 88y | -- | |
| Tom | Annie Theresa | 1949 | 79y | -- | |
| Tom | Lilyon | 1962 | 93y | -- | |
| Webb | Charles Edward | 1834 | 76y | Son of Emma & Thomas | |
| Webb | Horace Wesley | 1870 | 14m | 7th Son of Emma | |
| Webb | Emma Fletcher | 1872 | 39y | -- | |
| Webb | Alfred Norman | 1872 | 2m | 8th Son of Emma | |
| Webb | Florence Ellen | 1884 | 7m | Daughter of E.R. & Lilly | |
| Webb | Hugh Claude | 1937 | 73y | -- | |
| Webb | Isabella Alice | 1942 | 80y | Wife of Charles Edward | |
| Webb | Gertrude Maria | 1956 | 83y | Died at Brisbane: Wife of Hugh Claude |
NOTES:
Messages Received
On 22 June 2003, Janine Wakefield provided the following death certificate information about her 2xGGF Joseph Stock who was buried at Byng:
Joseph Stock, d. 26 April 1880, certified by John Randell, a friend at Lewis Ponds; buried 28 April 1880 at Byng.
Occupation, Labourer: 26 years in NSW.
Wife: Mary Anne Denning (deceased 1862).
Children: One Daughter - Lydia; One Son, Joseph Denning Stock (deceased 1871)