William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) of Vaucluse House died in England in March 1872 but in his lifetime he had told his family that he wished to be buried near a rocky outcrop on the hill above Parsley Bay, a site visible from the front verandah of Vaucluse House and overlooking both Sydney Harbour and the Vaucluse estate. In accordance with these wishes a vault was hewn out of a large single rock on the slope and 'left in its natural state outside'. A chapel was erected over the vault and the site was enclosed in a stone and iron palisade fence. [ref: Robert Griffin, Joy Hughes, editors
Vaucluse House: a history & guide Museums of History NSW of NSW, 2007].
