Summary
Grave slab of Sarah Smith of 1763.
Description
Grave slab of Sarah Smith of 1763.
Stone, rectangular grave slab with incised carving including a border. The inscription reads: 'HERE/ lieth the Body of/ Sarah Smith Daughter of/ Samuel and Martha Smith/ of Bradwell Park who/ departed this life Novbr 29th 1763/ and in the 21st Year of her Age/ It was C-----s B----w / that brought me to my end / Dear Parents mourn not for me / For God will stand my friend / With half a Pint of Poyson / He came to visit me / Write this on my Grave / That all that read it may see'. There are fractures to the upper part of the gravestone.
History
Sarah Smith was born to Samuel and Martha Smith of Bradwall (now Bradwell) Park, north-east of Wolstanton, in 1742. Details of her life are not known. She died on the 29 November 1763 when she was 21 years of age, and was buried four days later in the churchyard of St Margaret’s Church in Wolstanton. The baptismal register for 4 December 1763, the day of Sarah’s funeral, records the baptism of ‘Sarah Dtr. Of Sarah Smith.’ No father is named in the entry, suggesting that the daughter who had been born to Sarah Smith may have been illegitimate. The child sadly died a short time after her mother on 13 December 1763.
The enigmatic inscription on Sarah Smith’s gravestone alleges that she was murdered by poisoning and also includes the first and last letters of the names of the man her family believed were responsible. Documentary research (Crick, see SOURCES) has established that the man accused is most probably Charles Barlow, who was some six years older than Sarah, and whose family were neighbouring tenants to Sarah’s family. There is much speculation as to the relationship Barlow held with Sarah, including the possibility that he fathered her child and may have been responsible for Sarah’s death.
Reasons for Listing
The grave slab of Sarah Smith, who died in 1763, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* for its highly unusual and poignant epitaph which records the infamous and tragic circumstances surrounding her death.
Architectural interest:
* as a good example of a mid-Georgian monument which, despite some damage, survives in its essential form with a legible inscription.
Group value:
* with the Grade-II* listed Church of St Margaret.
External Links
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
Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)