​Roxburgh, named by the early settlers after the town of Roxburgh in Scotland, was originally a gold mining settlement established in the 1860s at the time of the Otago gold rush. The cemetery is thought to have been established around the same time, although records prior to 1890 were lost in a fire.

The cemetery is divided into two parts, the old and new. The old section is dominated by its elaborate decorated gravestones with their original surrounds of wrought ironwork and wood. The new cemetery is in the form of a modern lawn cemetery with small memorials marking each grave. A large kiosk is present on site listing those known to have been interned in the cemetery.

Located on Ladysmith Road in Roxburgh East, Roxburgh Cemetery is administered and maintained by the Roxburgh Cemetery Trust. The Trust has completed a significant amount of work to tidy up the cemetery over the past decade.

All cemetery records and burials are managed by the Trust.