Fort Langley Cemetery

Fort Langley Cemetery sits right in the village, a short walk from the shops on Glover Road. It’s the Township’s oldest cemetery, and it’s a good one to wander: carved marble, red granite obelisks and a few wrought-iron grave fences still standing.

About

It’s one of three cemeteries the Township runs, and one of two its bylaw treats as historic (Murrayville is the other). The Langley Centennial Museum’s notes point out that when the cemetery opened, the rules said burial grounds had to be away from town. The village simply grew up around it.

History

The museum dates the cemetery to 1881 and names Robert Mackie as its first burial, in 1882. The Langley Heritage Society’s walking tour gives 1884 instead, so you’ll see both dates. Either way, it took over from the Hudson’s Bay Company burial ground by St. George’s Church. The walking tour notes that some family names here, such as Morrison and Allard, go back to the fur-trade days.

The museum’s virtual tour picks out a few stones worth finding:

• The West family monument, the largest in the cemetery: white marble rising to a Gothic canopy over an urn. Henry West came in the early 1870s and ran a steam sawmill east of the village.
• Julia Robertson’s stone, full of Victorian symbols. She was the First Nations wife of Samuel Robertson; the couple ran saloons in Derby and Fort Langley.
• Susannah Yeomans’ marker, cast metal coated with zinc rather than stone, and the only one of its kind in Langley.
• The Mavis family monument, a polished red granite obelisk typical of the early 1900s.

One early burial didn’t stay. Alexander Murray, who drowned in the Fraser in 1884, was first buried here, then moved by his family to the new Odd Fellows cemetery at Murrayville.

Remembrance

The granite cenotaph was put up at the urging of Dr. Marr to honour Langley District men killed in the First World War, according to the walking tour. The Heritage Society says its Celtic cross design was later copied at Murrayville. The museum notes a veterans’ section existed here before 1924. Fort Langley’s Remembrance Day ceremony is held at the cenotaph; see Remembrance Day in Langley for times. On Saturday, November 7, the Township’s Stories from the World Wars walk (12:30 to 2pm, $2, registration required) ends here.

Plots

In its 2019 review the Township said only a handful of traditional casket lots were left and proposed a new section at the west end. The current fee schedule lists Fort Langley premium lots: an adult premium lot is $8,663.55 for residents, before GST. Call the office to see what’s available.

Visiting and nearby

Keep dogs leashed and give funerals space. The Heritage Society’s walking tour pairs the cemetery with St. Andrew’s United Church, which it dates to 1885. A few blocks away is the older Hudson’s Bay Company Pioneer Cemetery at St. George’s. Make a day of it with the Fort Langley village guide, the national historic site and the Centennial Museum. All Langley cemeteries are on our cemeteries page.

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