Tomb of Burchell Family Including William Burchell, Located Approximately 2M From the South Elevation of All Saints Church

Reasons for Designation

The tomb of Matthew and Jane Burchell, which is also the resting place of their son, William John Burchell, C19 botanist and explorer, is designated for the following principal reasons: * Special interest for its design and commemoration of a prominent local family: * Considerable historic interest for the association with William Burchell, the traveller, author and naturalist, who amassed an enormous scientific collection from St Helena, South Africa and South America single-handed, that today is still regarded of exceptional historical value; * Group value with the Grade II* All Saints Church, several Grade II listed tombs of the Bishops of London, and the Grade II tomb of Granville Sharpe.

Details

333/0/10110

PUTNEY BRIDGE APPROACH
Tomb of Burchell Family including William Burchell, located approximately 2m from the south elevation of All Saints Church

01-JUL-09

GV
II

Chest tomb, mid-C19, Portland stone.

It is surmounted on a moulded base, the tomb itself widens slightly to the rim evoking a vaguely Egyptian form. Beneath the rim is a continuous carved stone band with imitation rivets, and stone floral carvings that resemble latches or clasps securing the lid. These latches appear twice on the long sides and once at the ends. The top is moulded at the edges, the upper slab is very slightly convex so that it reaches a point in the centre. The inscription is on the south side facing away from the church: 'In this tomb / rest the mortal remains of / Matthew Burchell Esq. / of this Parish who died on the 12th of July 1828 / in the 76th year of his age / And of Jane his wife / who died on the 18th January 1841 / Sacred to their revered memory and to their many virtues / filial piety has caused this stone to be inscribed.'

The tomb is located immediately adjacent (west) to the grave of Jane and William Burchell (d.1799 and 1800 respectively). William was Matthew's uncle who took Matthew into the family nursery business in the early-C19.

HISTORY: The tomb commemorates Matthew and Jane Burchell (d.1828 and 1841 respectively) who lived in the parish of Fulham. Matthew Burchell was a botanist and owned Fulham plant nursery until 1813. Their eldest son, William John Burchell, is also buried in the family vault, although there is no inscription to him on the tomb; the parish registers record his burial on 28 March 1863. His sister, Anna, who is also buried in the family tomb, left £200 in her will for the maintenance of the tomb and relief of the poor.

William John Burchell (1781-1863) was an explorer and naturalist. He was a keen botanist and was employed at Kew Gardens, becoming a member of the Linnean Society in 1803, before setting out on his expeditions in 1805. These started in St Helena where he was employed as a schoolmaster to the East India Company and also as the superintendent of the botanic garden; later he became the company's island naturalist. From there Burchell travelled to Cape Town and spent four years collecting specimens. He was asked by the British Government about the suitability of emigration to South Africa following his travels in the 1810s. In 1815 he returned to England with some 63,000 specimens of plants, seeds, insects, fish etc. From 1825-29 Burchell travelled through South America. The last three decades of his life were spent in England cataloguing his collections. Tragically, Burchell died by suicide at the family home, Churchfield House (demolished) in Fulham. His sister, Anna, donated his botanical collections to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and the entomological materials to the University of Oxford. Burchell wrote two volumes entitled 'Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa' which are considered to be amongst the best geographies ever written on South Africa.

SOURCES: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
CJ Feret, Fulham Old and New (1900)
All Saints Fulham parish burial registers

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The tomb of Matthew and Jane Burchell, which is also the resting place of their son, William John Burchell, C19 botanist and explorer, is designated for the following principal reasons:
* Special interest for its design and commemoration of a prominent local family:
* Considerable historic interest for the association with William Burchell, the traveller, author and naturalist, who amassed an enormous scientific collection from St Helena, South Africa and South America single-handed, that today is still regarded of exceptional historical value;
* Group value with the Grade II* All Saints Church, several Grade II listed tombs of the Bishops of London, and the Grade II tomb of Granville Sharpe.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 1 September 2025 to amend the language in the description and to reformat the text to current standards

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

506071

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Feret, CJ, Fulham Old and New, (1900)

End of official list entry

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