Tomb Of Myrtilla Approximately 3 Metres South Of Chancel Of Church Of St Lawrence

Tomb of Myrtilla, approximately 3 metres south of the chancel of Church of St Lawrence, Oxhill

A headstone dated 1706 (recorded as 1705 according to the Old Style or Julian calendar), made of the same local ironstone as the church and most other gravestones in the churchyard. The design is a fairly simple version of a local template: rectangular with a curved scrolled top, the inscription contained within a plain moulded frame. The inscription, in Roman letters, reads: "HERE / LYETH THE BODY OF / MYRTILLA, NEGRO SLAVE / TO MR THO BEAUCHAMP / OF NEVIS / BAPD OCT HY 20TH / BURIED JAN HY 6TH / 1705". The headstone was cleaned in 1969 to make the inscription more legible.

This is one of the earliest known tombs established in England commemorating a person of African descent. The inscription identifies Myrtilla as the slave of Thomas Beauchamp, whilst the burial register of St Lawrence Church describes her as "a negro girl of Mrs Beauchamps". Thomas Beauchamp appears to have been connected with the prominent local family formerly including earls of Warwick. His description as being "of Nevis" suggests his business interests centred on that West Indian island, whose principal product was sugar. Beauchamp family members are recorded on Nevis in the 18th century: a Thomas Beauchamp was left a share of land at Saddle Hill in 1720, and in 1744 a sugar plantation was sold by several people, including a Thomas Beauchamp and the widow of a Thomas Beauchamp the Younger. Myrtilla's master appears to have married Perletta, believed to be the daughter of Nicholas Meese, rector of Oxhill and Idlicote. After the birth of Thomas (possibly in 1705), the couple had three more children whilst living in Oxhill.

The grave originally had a footstone giving Myrtilla's age, transcribed in 1910 by the antiquarian Rev. J. Hervey Bloom as "aetatis suae 72", though all footstones in the churchyard were moved to stand against the fence in the 1970s and can no longer be individually identified. The description of Myrtilla as a "girl" may indicate she was a servant, or Bloom's transcription may have been inaccurate. West Indian planters commonly brought favoured slaves to England for domestic service, and these were typically young. The evidence suggests Myrtilla was brought for such purposes, possibly to care for the newborn Thomas. According to the headstone dates, Myrtilla was baptised only a few months before her death, likely soon after arriving in England. The shock of the English winter may have contributed to her death. The gift of a dignified grave with a decoratively carved headstone and footstone indicates she was valued by the Beauchamp family.

The tomb lies in the churchyard of the Grade I Church of St Lawrence, approximately 2 metres south of the chancel. The churchyard also contains the listed base of a medieval preaching cross and several other listed tombs, including nine headstones and two chest tombs.