See also
| Husband: | Matthew Burchell (c. 1752-1828) | |
| Wife: | Jane Cobb (c. 1754-1841) | |
| Children: | Mary Burchell (c. 1779-1864) | |
| William John Burchell (1781-1863) | ||
| George Matthew Burchell (c. 1785-1821) | ||
| Sarah Burchell (1791-1872) | ||
| Anna Burchell (c. 1793-1865) | ||
| Charles Burchell (1795- ) | ||
| Caroline Burchell ( -1824) | ||
| James Burchell ( - ) | ||
| Harriet Burchell (c. 1802- ) | ||
| Marriage | 1774 | St George Hanover Square, Westminster, Middlesex |
| Name: | Matthew Burchell | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | John Burchell ( - ) | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | c. 1752 | |
| Death | 12 Jul 1828 (age 75-76) | Fulham, Middlesex |
| Name: | Jane Cobb | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | Hewett Cobb ( - ) | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | c. 1754 | |
| Death | 18 Jan 1841 (age 86-87) | Fulham, Middlesex |
| Name: | Mary Burchell | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | c. 1779 | Fulham, Middlesex |
| Census | 1841 (age 61-62) | Living with brother William |
| Census | 1861 (age 81-82) | Living with brother William (unmarried) |
| Death | 29 Jan 1864 (age 84-85) | Churchfield House, Fulham, Middlesex |
| Name: | William John Burchell | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 23 Jul 1781 | Fulham, Middlesex |
| Census | 1841 (age 59-60) | Independent, Kings Road, Fulham |
| Census | 1861 (age 79-80) | Landed proprietor, Churchfield House, Kings Road, Fulham (unmarried) |
| Death | 23 Mar 1863 (age 81) | Churchfield House, Fulham, Middlesex |
| Name: | George Matthew Burchell | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Spouse: | Susan (Sukey) Butcher (1787-1856) | |
| Birth | c. 1785 | |
| Residence | Scotsland, Bramley, Surrey | |
| Occupation | 29 Oct 1817 (age 31-32) | Gentleman, Scottsland, Bramley |
| Death | 1821 (age 35-36) | Hascombe, Surrey |
| Burial | 16 Apr 1821 | St Peter, Hascombe, Surrey (aged 36) |
| Name: | Sarah Burchell | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | John Hunt Butcher (1781-1839) | |
| Birth | 1791 | |
| Death | 28 Dec 1872 (age 80-81) | Lowlands, Richmond, Tasmania |
| Name: | Anna Burchell | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | c. 1793 | Fulham, Middlesex |
| Census | 1861 (age 67-68) | Living with brother William (unmarried) |
| Death | 2 Oct 1865 (age 71-72) | Churchfield House, Fulham, Middlesex |
| Name: | Charles Burchell | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 18 Jun 1795 | Fulham, Middlesex |
| Baptism | 12 Jul 1795 (age 0) | All Saints, Fulham, Middlesex |
| Name: | Caroline Burchell | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Death | 1824 | Fulham, Middlesex |
| Name: | James Burchell | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Name: | Harriet Burchell | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | William Goddard Jackson (1803-1890) | |
| Birth | c. 1802 | Fulham, Middlesex |
Tomb of Burchell Family including William Burchell, located approximately 2m from the south elevation of All Saints Church, Fulham.
GV II
Chest tomb, mid-C19, Portland stone.
It is surmounted on a moulded base, the tomb itself widens slightly to the rim evoking a vaguely Egyptian form. Beneath the rim is a continuous carved stone band with imitation rivets, and stone floral carvings that resemble latches or clasps securing the lid. These latches appear twice on the long sides and once at the ends. The top is moulded at the edges, the upper slab is very slightly convex so that it reaches a point in the centre. The inscription is on the south side facing away from the church: 'In this tomb / rest the mortal remains of / Matthew Burchell Esq. / of this Parish who died on the 12th of July 1828 / in the 76th year of his age / And of Jane his wife / who died on the 18th January 1841 / Sacred to their revered memory and to their many virtues / filial piety has caused this stone to be inscribed.'
The tomb is located immediately adjacent (west) to the grave of Jane and William Burchell (d.1799 and 1800 respectively). William was Matthew's uncle who took Matthew into the family nursery business in the early-C19.
HISTORY: The tomb commemorates Matthew and Jane Burchell (d.1828 and 1841 respectively) who lived in the parish of Fulham. Matthew Burchell was a botanist and owned Fulham plant nursery until 1813. Their eldest son, William John Burchell, is also buried in the family vault, although there is no inscription to him on the tomb; the parish registers record his burial on 28 March 1863. His sister, Anna, who is also buried in the family tomb, left £200 in her will for the maintenance of the tomb and relief of the poor.
William John Burchell (1781-1863) was an explorer and naturalist. He was a keen botanist and was employed at Kew Gardens, becoming a member of the Linnean Society in 1803, before setting out on his expeditions in 1805. These started in St Helena where he was employed as a schoolmaster to the East India Company and also as the superintendent of the botanic garden; later he became the company's island naturalist. From there Burchell travelled to Cape Town and spent four years collecting specimens. He was asked by the British Government about the suitability of emigration to South Africa following his travels in the 1810s. In 1815 he returned to England with some 63,000 specimens of plants, seeds, insects, fish etc. From 1825-29 Burchell travelled through South America. The last three decades of his life were spent in England cataloguing his collections. Tragically, Burchell committed suicide at the family home, Churchfield House (demolished) in Fulham. His sister, Anna, donated his botanical collections to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and the entomological materials to the University of Oxford. Burchell wrote two volumes entitled 'Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa' which are considered to be amongst the best geographies ever written on South Africa.
SOURCES: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
CJ Feret, Fulham Old and New (1900)
All Saints Fulham parish burial registers
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The tomb of Matthew and Jane Burchell, which is also the resting place of their son, William John Burchell, C19 botanist and explorer, is designated for the following principal reasons:
* Special interest for its design and commemoration of a prominent local family:
* Considerable historic interest for the association with William Burchell, the traveller, author and naturalist, who amassed an enormous scientific collection from St Helena, South Africa and South America single-handed, that today is still regarded of exceptional historical value;
* Group value with the Grade II* All Saints Church, several Grade II listed tombs of the Bishops of London, and the Grade II tomb of Granville Sharpe.
Source: English Heritage
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-506071-tomb-of-burchell-family-including-willia