The long-forgotten, vandalised and overgrown grave of the son of an Irish Lord has been found in a Brisbane cemetery and restored to its former glory.

Heritage‑listed Toowong Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Queensland, with its first burial taking place in1871. A group of volunteers, Friends of Toowong Cemetery, restores broken headstones and researches the history of the monuments, as well as conducting tours. 

Darcy Maddock from Friends of Toowong Cemetery recently lifted a broken headstone to discover that the grave belonged to the son of an Irish Lord. 

Darcy contacted Queensland Irish Association seeking help with lifting the small marble headsone back onto its base and restoring it. 

Darcy said at the time: “I found an Irishman who deserves to be visited but the headstone has been vandalised. I am sure it can be repaired. The lovely cross is in two pieces which I can put back together with a special adhesive.”

Speaking about the inscription on the headstone, Darcy said: “His name is Bentinck Yelverton Bingham, he is the third son of John Charles Robert Bingham, fourth Baron of Clanmorris, Creg Clare, Co. Galway.”

Queensland Irish Association Friends and Supporters group ran a request for help from the Irish community. They are very grateful to Kevin Morrissey, who volunteered to help. 

Research is ongoing by Friends of Toowong Cemetery on the history of the young man in the grave, and so far it is a very sad story. 

According to the research undertaken by Darcy Maddock so far, Bentinck Yelverton Bingham was born in Galway and came out to Australia when he was just 20 years old. He was notified of an inheritance and went home to Ireland, then came back to Queensland with money. He invested in property but was ripped off and became mentally disturbed. He ended up in an asylum in the year he died, aged 36. The headstone was erected by his brother and sister.

Work undertaken on the grave included cleaning, painting the railings and putting down artificial grass. 

The grave will be included in Queensland Irish Association’s Irish history tour of the cemetery, in association with Friends of Toowong Cemetery, as part of their St Patrick’s Day celebrations. 

This will be a guided walk and fascinating talk on the lives of the prominent Irish people buried in the cemetery as participants visit their grave sites. 

The tour will take place on Sunday, 10th March at 10am. If you’d like to join in, meet at the flagpole at the Frederick Street entrance. 

Pictures: The grave of the son of Lord Clanmorris was located broken at Toowong Cemetery. It has been restored thanks to the work Darcy Maddock, pictured with his wife Lynette nee Bell. Credit: Friends of Toowong Cemetery/Supplied