Blackmere Cemetery

**Blackmere Cemetery** was an old family graveyard belonging to the Black family. It was located on the grounds of Blackmere House, also known as *The Summer House*, in Castle Gate, west Cornwall. It was the final resting place of many members belonging to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

## History

### Early history

Blackmere House was constructed in the year 1817 for Corvus Black, son of Betelgeuse, and brother of Cygnus Black I. Corvus Black participated directly in the laying out of the estate, gardens and woodlands to prove his knowledge of forestry and landscaping. An earlier smaller house on the site was demolished to make way for a new and far larger house.

When Corvus Black died, childless, in 1848, his elder brother inherited the property and made use of it as a summer home, burying his brother near a large English Oak tree located on the estate.

Many members of the family thought at the time that the Summer House was a very beautiful place to be laid to rest, and so Cygnus Black I too, was buried there, followed shortly by his wife, Aphra. Then Cygnus's son, Cygnus Black II and his wife Elladora were buried there. Three more burials were made there, including Arcturus Black I, who died in 1859, and Sirius Black I, who died as a child that same year, as well as Misapinoa Black, who died in 1867.

#### Disuse

After the burial of Misapinoa, the graveyard fell into disuse, though many members of the Black family kept coming to the Summer House. Sirius Black I's brother, Phineas Nigellus Black, died in 1925, and was buried on one of the other Black family properties, Black Manor, in Tisbury, which had a far larger and more historic collection of gravestones. His sister Elladora II followed in 1931. After that, there was no one close enough to the original branch which had used Blackmere House for their burial place.

### Later history

Many members of the Black family have kept coming to Blackmere House over the years, but as the house fell into disrepair, they stopped coming there. Pollux Black and his wife Irma were the last to make use of the property, being less senior members of the family, they still desired for a large estate to summer in. They brought their daughter, Walburga, and their two sons, Alphard, and Cygnus IV, for many summers before Pollux and Irma moved there permanently in their later years, after Cygnus IV moved fully into Black Manor, and Walburga into Grimmauld Place in London with her new husband, Orion Black.

#### Renewal

Their son, Alphard, was buried on the grounds here in 1977, a little ways from the original cemetery, perhaps reflecting his disowned status.

Pollux had an honorary grave constructed for his grandson, Regulus Black IV, son of Walburga, whose body was never found, in 1979. In 1989, he buried his wife Irma inside the graveyard, and this was the first burial there since Misapinoa Black was laid to rest in 1867.

Pollux Black himself was buried inside this cemetery in 1990. A year later, his grandson, Altair, was buried in an unmarked grave by Orion and Walburga Black, beside the honorary grave of their son Regulus, underneath the large oak tree.

## Known Graves and Inscriptions

#### Main Cemetery

* ***Corvus Delphinus Black*** (5 Oct. 1775 - 2 Dec. 1848) *"Brother"*
* ***Aphra Margravine Black*** (20 Oct. 1774 - 18 Oct. 1849) *"Darling Aphra she has left me, yes forever more. But I hope to meet my loved one on that bright and happy shore"*
* ***Cygnus Betelgeuse Black*** (3 Jun. 1770 - 24 Dec. 1853) *"Reunited"*
* ***Sirius Cygnus Black*** (1845 - 1853) "*Safely anchored*"
* ***Merope Black*** (1 May 1832 - 17 Aug. 1841) "*I have chosen you"*
* ***Mira Black*** (14 Jul. 1834 - 27 Dec. 1853) "*Beneath this stone two sisters sleep who’ve left us here a while to weep; in bloom of youth were call’d away, transient as theirs may be our stay*"
* ***Elladora Black*** (11 Apr. 1830 - 5 Aug 1857) "*Beneath this dolesome veil she rests, her weary head serene, from busy life, she's peaceful laid, no sorrows intervene"*
* ***Cygnus Betelgeuse Black Jr.*** (13 Jan. 1810 - 7 Jul. 1859) "*Beloved companion he shall join Ella"*
* ***Arcturus Phineas Black*** (9 Sep. 1814 - 12 Dec. 1859) "*Brother of mine*"
* ***Misapinoa Adeliza Black*** (14 Jun. 1806 - 11 Apr. 1867) "*Beloved aunt she took us in for her own, she is in His Arms"*
* ***Regulus Arcturus Black** "Born 23 April 1961 he was taken from us at seventeen. Beloved son, and friend: we who loved you will watch for you in the night sky; for surely you will race across the heavens faster than any star"*
* ***Altair*** (inscribed at the bottom of headstone laid for Regulus, otherwise unmarked)
* ***Irma Wilhelmina Black*** (9 Nov. 1902 - 2 Dec. 1989) "*I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness"*
* ***Pollux Phineas Black*** (3 Mar. 1902 - 5 Oct. 1990) *"Reunited"*

#### Other (outside gates)

* ***Louisa*** (unknown), later found to be the grave of Louisa Walkin, mistress of Corvus Black
* ***Alexa Walkin Black*** (12 Oct. 1819 - 19 Jul, 1844) ***"**born 12 October 1819, taken from this place on 19 July, 1844: step softly, a dream lies buried here."*
* ***Alphard Rigel*** (11 Jul. 1929 - 28 Aug. 1977) "*An unfortunate but good man"*