Back in September we had a few days away in the Lake District, and visited St Martin’s Church in Bowness on Windermere. While Jack was looking for  Commonwealth war graves I had a walk around the outside of the church and when I got to the back of the church I found this lonely gravestone.

If you click on it you’ll be able to read it, anyway the inscription says:

In memory of Rasselas Belfield,

A native of Abyssinia,

who departed this life on the 16th Day of January 1822.

Aged 32 years.

A slave by birth I left my native land

And found my freedom on Britania’s Strand

Blest Isle! Thou glory of the Wise and Free!

Thy Touch alone unbinds the Chains of Slavery!

I suppose that there were people in the congregation who objected to a black man being buried in the church graveyard, and a compromise was sought resulting in poor Rasselas being buried on his own at the back of the church in a very gloomy dark spot, on his own.

I doubt if many people ever find his grave. My first reaction was surprise that he had been allowed to be laid to rest in the churchyard – swiftly followed by outrage at them sticking him out of sight of any others, for fear of the burial ground being contaminated presumably. Apparently there is also the gravestone of a slave trader in the same graveyard but no doubt he has a better location.

It seems that Rasselas was bought by an army officer who hailed from Bowness, and he became part of his household.

St Martin’s has unusual decoration on the walls, it seemed a bit Eastern in design, but beautiful.

Below is a photo of the side chapel.