Tomb Of Granville Sharp, All Saints Churchyard

Chest tomb commemorating Granville Sharp (1735-1813) and later members of his family, located in All Saints churchyard, Fulham. The tomb is constructed of Portland stone and comprises a simple chest form with a gently pitched plain capstone, all set on limestone landing stones.

The long north face bears a lengthy tribute to Granville Sharp, written by Reverend John Owen of Paglesham, Essex, and framed with simple roll mouldings. The inscription reads: "Here by the Remains of the Brother and Sister whom he tenderly loved lie those of GRANVILLE SHARP Esqr at the age of 79 this venerable Philanthropist terminated his Career of almost unparalleled activity and usefulness July 6th 1813 Leaving behind him a name That will be Cherished with Affection and Gratitude as long as any homage shall be paid to those principles Of JUSTICE HUMANITY and RELIGION he promoted by his Exertion and adorned by his Example"

The inscription on the east face was largely illegible at the time of inspection in 2007, while those on the south and west faces are only partly legible, these relating to other members of Sharp's family. The tomb was formerly surrounded by iron railings, which have since been removed.

The tomb displays early 19th-century restrained neo-Classical architectural character, featuring fluted corner pilasters, moulded cornice and shallow pitched plain top slab.

Granville Sharp (1735-1813) was born in Durham into a religious family. His father was archdeacon of Northumberland and his grandfather Archbishop of York. At age 15 he was apprenticed to a Quaker linen draper in London, where he developed awareness and skill in theological discussion and research.

Sharp's interest in the abolition of slavery developed in the 1760s when, at his brother's house (his brother was an Anglican clergyman), he met Jonathan Strong, a slave who sought medical help after being brutally beaten by his owner, David Lisle. Sharp took on Strong's case after he was arrested for escape and accused of violating his owner's property rights, meticulously researching the legal status of slaves in Britain. Sharp took up cases of other enslaved people in England, most notably that of James Somerset in 1772, a runaway slave whose owner attempted to take him back to Jamaica. The case was overseen by Lord Chief Justice William Mansfield, whose ruling, whilst not outlawing slavery, was a key decision that disallowed taking a slave by force to be sold abroad. Sharp was a founding member of the London committee of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1787, and he and Thomas Clarkson were the only Anglicans amongst the strongly Quaker committee. Although less radical than he had hoped, Sharp endorsed the motions for abolition of the British slave trade introduced by William Wilberforce into the House of Commons, as well as the ill-fated Sierra Leone resettlement project in 1787. He played an active role in the anti-slavery movement until his death in Fulham in 1813, six years after the 25 March 1807 passing of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which effectively abolished the slave trade in the British Empire and led to total abolition of slavery. Sharp published 61 works in total, including the first major work on anti-slavery by a British author.

The tomb inscription states that Sharp died aged 79, but his date of birth reveals he was actually 77. An additional monument marking his achievements stands in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey.

The tomb has group value with the Grade II* Church of All Saints, four Grade II monuments in the churchyard, and Grade II Sir William Powell's Almshouses.