Headstone Of Charles Bacchus Approximately 1 Metre East Of The South Porch Of The Church Of St Mary

Headstone of Charles Bacchus, approximately one metre east of the south porch of the Church of St Mary, Culworth.

A very simple rectangular headstone dated 1762, crowned with a shallow segmental arch. The inscription reads: "In Memory of / CHARLES BACCHUS / (an African) / who died March 31. 1762. / He was belov'd and Lamented / by the Family he Serv'd / was Grateful, and Humane / and gave hopes of Proving / a faithful Servant / and a Good Man. / Aged 16 // Here titles cease! Ambitions oer! / And Slave of Monarch, is no more. / The Good alone will find in Heav'n, / Rewards assignd, and Honour giv'n." The back of the gravestone bears the intertwined initials "ED" and "CB". The headstone was re-tooled and the inscription re-cut in the late 1970s.

Charles Bacchus probably began his life in Jamaica, where the two brothers of his master, Richard Bond, had sugar and coffee plantations. He was likely born into a slave family but appears to have been favoured from early in life. By the age of eight he had been brought to England to work as a domestic servant. By 18 October 1754 he was living with Bond at Haselbech, when his baptism was registered as "Charles Bacchus, a Negro belonging to Richard Bond". It is not known whether or not he was ever legally freed.

Richard Bond moved to Culworth in 1757 after the death of his wife Dorcas, becoming a major landowner. He had two daughters, Sarah and Rebecca, presumably born between 1752 and 1757, who formed part of the family by whom Bacchus was "beloved and lamented". Bacchus died on 31 March 1762 and was buried on 6 April. The affectionate epitaph and memorial stone demonstrate that the 16-year-old had won a valued place in the Bond household. The verse suggests that to the Bonds, Bacchus's status as a servant or slave was a worldly matter, and that as a good man he would rightfully find himself equal with other good men in heaven.

The grave has long been an object of interest in Culworth. In the late 1970s Anne Lindsey Brookes had the headstone restored in memory of her parents, who had lived in the village since the 1920s, as her mother had been concerned about its increasingly decayed condition.

Graves represent one of the few forms of tangible evidence regarding the existence of slaves in England, and such graves are rare. The survival of a tomb commemorating Charles Bacchus makes him exceptional and helps us understand more about the lives of others whose graves were not marked. The tomb lies in the churchyard of St Mary, which is listed, as are the churchyard walls, gateway, and a number of other listed chest tombs and headstones.