Grave of an unknown African I.D. (d.1801):
Church of St John the Baptist, Bishop’s Castle SY9 5AF
In the far corner of the village churchyard in Bishop’s Castle is a grave that stands out from the neat rows of headstones. Set at a different angle to the other graves, it points westwards towards the corner. Locally, it’s known as the ‘slave’s grave’.
It is not certain who I.D. was, or who paid for his delicately inscribed headstone. However, the burial register records the internment of John Davies on 12 September 1801, and contains an historic annotation linking Davies with the I.D. tombstone.
The headstone received Grade 2 listing by English Heritage in 2007. The listing states:
The quality of the headstone, with its elegant inscription and decoration, suggests that the person commemorated held a certain status, whether as a servant or not. The biblical quotation is one sometimes employed by abolitionists, and its levelling sentiments suggest that the person responsible for erecting the memorial was sympathetic to the movement. The positioning of the tomb is very curious, it being turned away from the other graves in the area.
Inscription:
‘Here lieth the Body of I. D.
A Native of Africa
who died in ths [sic] Town
Sept 9th 1801
God hath made of one Blood, all nations
of Men. Act 17 ch. ver. 26.’
