Description

779/15/10038 LEE TERRACE
01-JUN-07 LEE
Monument to Charles Leslie, Lee Old Ch
urchyard

GV II
Raised ledger slab. c.1775 to Captain Charles Leslie (d.1775), and Captain Matthew Smith of the Royal Navy. This tomb consists of a raised ledger slab on a shallow base. The ledger slab has a partially legible inscription with an armorial roundel above. One corner of the ledger slab is broken.

HISTORY: Lee old churchyard contains many notable monuments which reflect the area's Georgian past as a place of retirement for City merchants and those involved with Greenwich and the Deptford shipyards. In the centre of the churchyard stand the remains of the tower belonging to the former medieval Church of St Margaret (listed Grade II). The current Church of St Margaret stands to the south side of Lee Terrace (1839-41, listed Grade II*). The churchyard of the current church contains later tombs, being used principally between the 1840s and 1870s. A decline in usage came with the opening of Hither Green Cemetery, Lee in 1873.

SOURCES
E and J Birchenough, Monumental Inscriptions in the Old Churchyard, St Margaret's, Lee (1967 typescript in Manor House Library)
C P Gwilt (1830), F Bamping (2001) et al, Lee - Kent Archaeological Society website.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The tomb of Captain Charles Leslie (d.1775), and Captain Matthew Smith of the Royal Navy in Lee old churchyard, Lewisham, consists of a raised ledger slab on a shallow base, with a partially legible inscription. The tomb meets the criteria for listing of commemorative monuments as a late C18 tomb with an attractive armorial roundel. The naval connection is also of interest.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q27087126

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)