An 1843 newspaper report states that the Marquess of Bute “granted a site for a burial place to the members of the Jewish persuasion residing in Cardiff.” However, there seems to have been a delay in completing the formalities. The Bute Estate has a letter dated 1850 from Solomon Marks who wrote that they could not use the ground they had taken possession of “about 4 years since” because they had not been sent the deeds. Contemporary newspapers reported that in 1851 the ground was being enclosed with a wall and Abraham Lyons was the “first to be interred according to Jewish rites in the new burial ground” on 8 July 1852.

 

 

We do not know by whom, when or where the ‘1841’ plaque was originally erected. It seems at least some of the cemetery wall was rebuilt around 1951, when the plaque may have been moved.

 

You can still see the remains of a wall that was built to divide the East Terrace/Cathedral Road and Edward Place communities. This was demolished after the two communities united.

In the early 1960s, it became apparent that cemetery was not large enough to accommodate the needs of the orthodox congregation, which had already reached its peak of over 700 members. A second cemetery in Ely was opened in 1968. The Highfield Road cemetery is now full and it has about 1600 graves. There is still the occasional burial there and there are about five reserved plots waiting for use.