The subsoil was so hard that the graves were scarcely more than two feet deep, "attracting native dogs to the spot & causing a noxious effluvia (sic) to passengers on the road". A sexton was appointed in May, 1832. The burial ground was extended in 1835, consecrated in 1843 (on the same day as St Peter's Church) and extended, again, in 1850, by fencing the former access road to the quarry. The earliest gravestone in the cemetery dates from 1828, the burial having been moved there from elsewhere in 1835. The headstone of Andrew Sparke marks the first identified original burial in November, 1830. Subsequent monuments are notable for their quaint spelling, lurid descriptions and other idiosyncrasies. They provide a valuable insight into life - and death - in colonial NSW. The Glebe Cemetery is the resting place of several notable pioneers of the district including, reputedly but unmarked, Colonial Architect Francis Greenway. The cemetery remained in regular use until 1892. Title to was transferred to Maitland City Council in 1994. The Church Group is on ground rising from near Newcastle Street (New England Highway) up to St. Peter's Church which stands on the commanding eminence of Stockade Hill, East Maitland. It is thus situated at the western end of William Street, the principal axis of colonial East Maitland. This broad avenue still connects St Peter's visually and spatially to the Maitland Courthouse and the Maitland Gaol at the eastern end, providing a powerful reminder of the interplay between church and state in colonial NSW. The site, which has a double street frontage to Banks Street and William Street, slopes away to the north-west. The walls of the church, which was completed in 1885, are constructed in substantial white sandstone quarried at nearby Two Mile Creek. The roof is of kauri pine, and is covered in best Welsh slate. A planned tower and steeple have never been built, although massive foundations are in place. The interior of the church conforms with the gothic scheme of the exterior. A lofty nave runs between the western door and the marble chancel steps. Beyond this is the chancel, flanked by a vestry and an organ chamber, while the sanctuary contains the altar and reredos. The sides of the nave are marked by granite columns with rounded capitals, with a series of lancet arches supporting the clerestory roof.