Restoration of Protestant Cemetery

Restoration of Protestant Cemetery

cemetery

Dating from 1789, the Protestant Cemetery is the final resting place of Penang’s European pioneers such as Francis Light, the early Governors of Penang, the brother of Stamford Raffles, Quintin Dick Thomas and the husband of Anna Leonowens, inspiration for “The King & I”.

The Penang Heritage Trust was responsible for carrying out a full restoration of the Cemetery in 1994, exactly 200 years after the death of Captain Francis Light, whose tomb had been restored by the pious of Penang 100 years earlier. Works involved repairs and cleaning of boundary walls, tombs and re-inking of inscriptions. A large signboard with site plan and location of important tombs was also erected by the Trust. Donations for the restoration came largely from the French plantation company of SOCFIN. Further funds are required to maintain the cemetery.