In honor of International Women’s Day, Historic England has listed the grave of pioneering British scientist Rosalind Franklin in the Willesden Jewish cemetery in northwest London as a Grade II historic site.
Franklin, who died from ovarian cancer in 1958 at the age of 37, was instrumental in discovering the structure of DNA.
Historic England states that on the gravestone “There is no mention in the inscription of her work in the discovery of the structure of DNA, as the importance of that discovery had not yet become generally well-known at the time of her death.”
The tomb of Rosalind Franklin, dated 1958, in the Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery (Willesden Jewish Cemetery), is listed at Grade II for the following principal reason: * Historic interest: the tomb commemorates the life and achievements of Rosalind Franklin, a scientist of exceptional distinction, whose pioneering work helped lay the foundations of molecular biology; Franklin’s X-ray observation of DNA contributed to the discovery of its helical structure.[…] The grave is located within the Franklin family enclosure in the north-eastern part of the cemetery, approximately 38m to the E of the funerary prayer hall complex.
MATERIALS: grey-veined white marble
DESCRIPTION: a horizontal rectangular tablet, in two stages, with the incised inscription: ‘IN MEMORY OF / ROSALIND ELSIE FRANKLIN / [Hebrew lettering here represents the Hebrew name of the deceased] / DEARLY LOVED ELDER DAUGHTER OF / ELLIS AND MURIEL FRANKLIN / 25TH JULY 1920 – 16TH APRIL 1958 / SCIENTIST / HER RESEARCH AND DISCOVERIES ON / VIRUSES REMAIN OF LASTING BENEFIT / TO MANKIND / [Hebrew lettering here represents an abbreviation of 1 Samuel, 25:29, ‘May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life’ (this inscription is frequently found on Jewish tombstones)].
With a neo-Gothic ceremonial hall and more than 20,000 graves, Willesden Jewish cemetery is one of the largest and most important of England’s Victorian-era Jewish burial places. It is currently framing plans for the conservation and development of the historic cemetery.
Click here to read an article about this in the Jewish Chronicle