St. James Cemetery
St James Cemetery, founded in 1863, is a picturesque pastoral paradise located amongst scattered woodlots and farm fields away from urban development in the stunning rolling hills of Northumberland near Roseneath, ON. This isn’t Heaven, but it seems close to it. It has both a natural meadow and manicured areas blending almost seamlessly with the local countryside.
The changing seasons provide a panorama of nature’s artistry including wildflowers, trees with their changing colours and coniferous trees decorating the winter scenes. Evidence of wildlife abounds, songbirds, wild turkeys, rabbits, deer and more frequent the meadow. Three bird boxes are in the Cemetery.
Unrivaled Peaceful Resting Place
St James Cemetery is a non-denominational cemetery associated with St James Anglican Church.
Burial Options
The Cemetery is one of few in Ontario that offers five options for a peaceful resting place away from urban development:
1. Natural eco-friendly burial in a hillside meadow
At St James, natural burial refers to interment in which no embalming fluids have been used, and all interment materials must be completely biodegradable and eco-friendly. There can be no synthetic materials or metals used in the fabrication or decoration of the coffin or container. Grass is cut, on the meadow, late in July to allow for the protection of bobolinks and other meadow nesting birds, and, to assist with control unwanted invasive plant species. Any wildflowers, the family may wish to grow, must fit with this cutting schedule.
Unlike some green cemeteries, St James allows for lots to be purchased individually as required, or ahead, singly or two or more lots together to form a family plot. St James permits a monument to be placed on the lot/plot providing the headstone is of natural stone and comply with St. James cemetery by-laws. All lots or plots must be marked with stone corner markers with the family name engraved on each marker. Visitation is welcome in the natural burial area at St James.
St James can almost guarantee winter burial as heavy equipment to break frost is available in the immediate area. Also, when a death of a loved one is anticipated in advance as winter approaches, frost protection can be put in place to reduce the challenges of digging a grave in the winter.
The current cost of the interment rights for a natural burial lot, including cornerstones, can be obtained from Melissa Surerus 905 296 0196.
2. Traditional Interment with a vault in the original cemetery
3. Traditional burial with a vault in the meadow
4. Scatter Garden
5. Cremation lots
Cemetery Contact Information
For more information about our burial options, please contact the Cemetery Secretary at cemeterysecretary@stjamesroseneath.ca or call:
Melissa Surerus at 905-269-0196
or Gerald Beavan at 905-352-2382