People buried here

Mrs Beeton (1836 – 1865)

Mrs Isabella Mary Beeton is probably the most famous Victorian buried in Norwood Cemetery. Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management was published in 30 parts in The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine, and appeared in book form in1861. It was the most comprehensive work on domestic management ever attempted. By 1868 it had sold 125,000 copies, and it is now widely appreciated for its commonsense style, recipes and as a social document of the middle class Victorian way of life. It is likely that Isabella was more of an editor, putting together recipes and advice from a number of different sources.

Her first two children died in infancy. The day after the birth of her fourth child, in January 1865, Isabella contracted puerperal fever. She died a week later, aged 28. Her widower lived for another twelve years and died of tuberculosis in June 1877 at the age of 46. You can find out more and read her recipes at www.mrsbeeton.com.

A page of puddings, and frontispiece from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management