English Cemetery (Linares, Spain)

English Cemetery, also known as the Protestant cemetery, covers an area of only 1.497m2, but contains as many as 65 graves of historical character.

"I can give an example of tolerance. I hardly expected in this part of Spain to find a Protestant cemetery near the General Cemetery of the place". Diary of Thomas Sopwith, 1864.

With this statement, Thomas Sopwith, first vice-consul of Linares, referred to the English cemetery of the town. To understand the reason for its construction, we have to start from two historical facts:

• Influx of immigrants from Northern Europe, especially Britain. The liberalization of mining and other sectors such as railways since 1849 is conducive to the immigration of entrepreneurs and experts. They came to try their luck in the extractive sector; investing heavily and applying technology. This was followed, of course, in the demographic growth of a population and consequently increase of funeral needs.

• Religious intolerance. The Elizabethan purely religious law did not allow individuals from other branches, that was not Catholicism, to spend the same funeral privileges as the Catholic population. In practice that meant, that they could not be buried at the "municipal" city cemetery of Saint Joseph but were usually buried in the "corralillo".

The "corralillo"

The “corralillo” was a separate space and it has an individual entrance inside the cemetery of Saint Joseph. There were buried in deplorable conditions undesirable’s people for the regime: besides to local Protestants, suicidal and people execute by firearm.

Establishment of the cemetery

Given the above mentioned situation, family and colleague of a young British man, Remfry Santiago, who died in 1855, decided to locate its grave close to the south wall of the cemetery built in this same year.

Later, it was proceeded to surround the space that bounded this burial to avoid possible damage and desecration. Finally, Tonkin and Kendall (influential personalities linked to Linares Mining Company, created by UK agency Taylor & Taylor, a pioneer in the development of the mines of Linares) managed the necessary steps to take control of the land and, thus, define the limits within which will be the English Cemetery, since the mid-sixties of the nineteenth century to nowadays.

Cosmopolitanism of the English cemetery

The tolerance is felt in the legal corpus of the Revolutionary “Sexenio” beside the consolidation of economic liberalism advocated by the Bourbon Restoration. In result, foreign immigration didn't stop until the first third of the twentieth century. This leads to a range of consequences.

• From the ideological point of view: The Masonic Lodges and gatherings become spaces where local and British debate on various topics, including politics.

• Respect to the economy: Many British immigrants of both sexes figure were put on the lists of taxpayers, allowing them the privilege of voting in order to maintain their status quo.

• Special interest in education, culture and religious proselytizing: Children of miners received free classes by protestant immigrants. This meant that both, parents and their children, embraced the faith of their employers.

The English Cemetery reflects a cosmopolitanism that characterizes the city of Linares, and this will be cut off as we move into the Spanish civil war and the consequent establishment of the Franco regime in Spain.

Spanish civil war

Both events, Spanish civil war and the establishment of the Franco regime, along with the decline of mining since the thirties of the twentieth century, contributed ti the decline in foreign immigration.

Furthermore, falangist and local ultra-catholic of the regime of Franco wanted to destroy the last vestiges of Protestants in Linares, as well as any persona non grata for Franco, making them victims of persecution and harassment of all types.

Friendship between Franco and Churchill

The friendship between Franco and Churchill, resulted in the following consequences:

• On one hand, the British Prime Minister tertiary to the international community in exchange for the dictator.

• On the other hand, and at the local level, the "openness" by the City Hall would result in not destroying the cemetery, but also ensure its preservation.

The desire of bind together the the local Protestant community to those who brought a new way of seeing Christianity, caused that local Protestants sponsored the legislation and resorted to the last descendant of Hasselden, Enrique Montes Hasselden, so that he could transferred them ownership. Thus, since 1968, they could make use of the space that once was primarily built by the British for their eternal rest.

Reflection of the past

The tombstones in this cemetery show something more than a chronological succession of burials. We can unravel the British idiosyncrasies along 102 years (1855-1957):

• Cultural and religious influence of the British community on the rest of the foreign population, as we also find German, French and Swiss.

• Bilingual tombstones, in English and Spanish. This reflects a clear intention of bearing witness to their faith and their pass through Linares to the greatest number of people.

• Obelisks and St. Andrew's crosses reflect the importance of Freemasonry in Linares.

• Botanical architectural elements (palms) and architecture of oriental inspiration. Those were indicators of colonialism practiced by the British Empire during the Second Industrial Revolution.

At the present time, it is a space owned by the Assemblies of Brethren of Linares, only and exclusively. Like formerly, the use of English cemetery it’s related to the field of private property.

Important graves and monuments

• Bilingual tomb with a shaped Celtic cross (1904): It was raised by the mine engineer Reginal Boham Carter (Don Regino). It is speculated that it could be the ancestor of the American actress (but of British descent), Helena Bonham Carter.
• Masonic Graves at the English Cemetery (Late nineteenth century): Tomb with obelisk-shaped that belongs to two British-Masonic men.
• Entrance of the English Cemetery (1860-1864): Door with slope-shaped, similar to the Egyptians and Oriental temples of antiquity. Something that was logical in the British colonialism.

Cemetery Contacts

English Cemetery
Brethren. Evangelical Community.
C/ Cambroneras, 27 - 23700 Linares (Jaén)

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José María de Rus (administrator)
Phone: (+34) 697 95 05 60
Email: josemariaderus@gmail.com

Miguel Palomares (administrator)
Phone: (+34) 639 90 94 57
Email: josemiguelpalomares@yahoo.es

City Hall of Linares Contacts

Yaiza López Sánchez (Responsible of Tourism Area of the City Hall)

El Pósito de Linares.
Museo Raphael y Centro de Interpretación de la Ciudad.
Iglesia, 5 - 23700 Linares (Jaén)

Phone: +34 953 10 01 83 or +34 607 25 75 52
Email: turismo@aytolinares.es or ylopez@aytolinares.es

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Juan Parrilla Sánchez (Technical of Heritage Area of the City Hall)

Centro de Interpretación del Paisaje Minero. Antiguo Muelle de Carga de la Estación de Madrid.
Paseo de Linarejos, s/n. 23700 Linares (Jaén)

Phone: +34 953 60 78 12 or 607 28 83 34
Email: turismo@aytolinares.es or jparrilla@aytolinares.es