Sambo’s burial site is still steeped in enigma, with guests yet placing blossoms on the secluded grave of a youthful enslaved boy who passed away in the 1700s. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
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An arcane grave at Sunderland point, which has sparked verse and persists in captivating tourists who deposit flowers at ‘Sambo’s’ last resting spot, continues to be a draw for guests.
This charming Lancashire village is cut off from the mainland at Overton during peak tide, with merely a slender rural lane that meanders through the marshes offering a connection at low tide. This renders the locality isolated for numerous hours each day.
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Traditionally, vessels would anchor here to barter wares from North America, and it was additionally a layover in the transatlantic slave industry. It is surmised that this is how the puzzling Sambo came to Britain, as stated by Time Travel Britain.
Lancashire’s past is entwined with enslavement. According to Lahs Archaeology, Lancaster possessed a Black populace in the 18th century.
The inaugural slaving expedition didn’t depart from Lancaster until 1745, but consistent commerce with North America had alarmingly been initiated since the 1670s, Lancs Live reports.
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Even though being the fourth largest slave dealing port in Britain, Lancaster’s portion of the trade was noticeably tinier than the main three – London, Bristol and Liverpool.
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There exist differing versions of Sambo’s life, but the most common tale implies he was a young lad from Africa.
The story of Sambo
Enslaved and transported to Sunderland by his proprietor, Sambo became unwell soon after his arrival and perished. It was deemed improper for him to be interred in a churchyard on consecrated ground.
For numerous years, the burial site was left unmarked until an unknown retired educator revealed the narrative and gathered monies for a memorial. He likewise authored the epitaph that now graces the grave:.
‘Full many a Sand-bird chirps upon the Sod.
And many a moonlight Elfin round him trips.
Full many a Summer’s Sunbeam warms the Clod.
And many a teeming cloud upon him drips.
But still he sleeps — till the awakening Sounds.
Of the Archangel’s Trump now life impart.
Then the GREAT JUDGE his approbation founds.
Not on man’s COLOUR but his worth of heart. ‘.
He was entombed in a solitary location beside the sea, distant from any other graves. The initial obtainable printed mention of Sambo occurs in The Lonsdale Magazine of 1822, penned by a writer known merely as ‘JT’, alluding to the brass plate at the burial location.
According to Lahs Archeology, the epitaph, erected in 1796, was written by Reverend James Watson. JT’s account proposes that the recorded tale commences in 1794 or 1795 with conversations between James Watson and George Jackson, innkeeper of the Ship Inn in Sunderland.
Watson had resigned following his spell as head of Lancaster Grammar School and, as per JT, spent most summers in Sunderland where he rented a cottage.
To preserve what has evolved into sacred soil, a fresh sea defence was built in 2018 after the site was judged at significant likelihood of flooding.
Sambo’s grave today Today, visitors will discover a scenic bird lookout and seating zones where they can pause at Sambo’s grave. There’s additionally an artistic structure named the Horizon Line Chamber, showcasing a camera obscura.
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New flowers continue to be deposited on Sambo’s burial site to this day. To locate it, upon reaching Sunderland Point, adhere to the inland trail that eventually guides towards the western coast.
The signposted course snakes past various dwellings and a humble church prior to constricting into a pathway nearly encompassed by hedgerows on both flanks. You’ll then encounter a metal gate with bars.
After proceeding through the gate and veering left, Sambo’s grave can be spotted within a walled space roughly 200 yards along the shoreline.
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To extend your stroll, veer right and amble along the eastern coast where you’ll come across a delightful line of cottages. For nearly two centuries, a cotton tree flourished here until a fierce tempest on New Year’s Day 1998 felled it.
The tree is thought to have been a Kapok tree, native to the West Indies, and may have sprouted from imported goods.