The Barton Road Cemetery in St. Philips is believed to be the first in Bristol following the return of Jews to England after the expulsion. There is documentary evidence to suggest that it was first established between 1740 - 1750. (The earliest identified tombstone dates from 1762). Because of the restrictions on Jews owning land it was leased for a number of years, finally being acquired by the Bristol Jewish Community on 8th August 1859. It continued in use until the early 1900s with the final burial taking place there in 1944. A fire in an adjoining building in 1901 resulted in one the Cemetery walls being demolished by firemen to gain access to the blazing building. As a consequence, a number of tombstones were toppled and graves flattened. The stones were subsequently removed from where they had fallen and laid against the boundary wall without any record of their original location.

In 1811 Lazarus Jacobs, an eminent glass maker, set aside part of his Great Gardens dwelling in Rose Street for use as a private burial ground. This burial ground was purchased from Isaac Jacobs by Moses Abraham in 1830 and, during the mid to late 1800s, was used for a relatively small number of burials, the majority being in the St Philips Cemetery. The Great Gardens site was compulsorily purchased by the Great Western Railway in 1913 to extend the Goods Yard at Temple Meads but it was not until September 1924 that 27 graves and tombstones were removed from there to be re-interred in the Ridgway Cemetery under the supervision of Mr. M. Nathan. Only about 50% of these tombstones remain partially legible today.

The Ridgway Cemetery was purchased in several stages, the first section being acquired in the late 1890s (the first burial was in 1898). The second section was purchased in the late 1920s with the present prayer house being dedicated in 1933. This cemetery continues in use today.

The information provided in this database covers over 200 years of Jewish Burials in the following cemeteries -

Details of all burials are available on this database, together with images of all legibile and partially legible tombstones as well as most of the 20th century Burial Certificates. Required information for any individual may be displayed by first selecting a cemetery and then higlhlighting the required name from the drop-down list given below. To obtain an enlarged display of a tombstone, click on its image. To view the Burial Certificate, click on the 'Y' if given in the Cert box.

Burial Certificates may be viewed in a separate database by selecting the required name form the drop down list.

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