POCAHONTAS’S GRAVE

Evening Star, Issue 21316, 21 January 1933, Page 17

POCAHONTAS’S GRAVE

SEARCH IN CRYPT OF A LONDON CHURCH An attempt was made recently in the crypt of the church of St. John tlio Evangelist, Waterloo road, London, to solve a mystery concerning the resting place of the famous Princess Pocahontas, who was a prominent figure in the life of Captain John Smith, Colonial Governor of Virginia more than three centuries ago. The Princess was the daughter of Pewhattan, an Indian chieftain of Virginia, and when Captain Smith, a pioneer among the settlers of Virginia, was sentenced to death by Powhattan, she is. said to have saved bis life at the risk of her own. She was friendly to the settlers, preventing discord and bloodshed by her mediation, and eventually she married 1 a young British colonist named John Rolfe. In 1616 she came with her husband to England, was received with much honour, and was admitted to the friendship of Queen Anne. She died 1 when beginning the return journey to Ivor own country, and was buried at Gravesend. Eighteen years ago the late Dr Page, American Ambassador, unveiled in the parish church of Gravesend two memorial windows to the Princess, the gift of the American Society of Colonial Dames. Unsuccessful attempts have been made to find the grave of Princess Pocahontas. Permission _ has been given at the Norwich Consistory Court for the erection in the church at Hencham, Norfolk, of a monument to the Princess. John Rolfe, whom she married, was a Norfolk man. The proposal to erect the memorial prompted inquiries concerning her grave, and in-

formation was received which resulted in the search at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Waterloo road. It was stated that the writer of a letter described how in 1872 his great uncle, then verger at St. John’s Church, took him to the vaults in the crypt and showed him, resting on a shelf, a silver casket, somewhat dirty. A piate stated that it had been interred at Gravesend. The verger, it was added, explained that it had been brought up by barge and had been exhibited at a show, but the authorities bad placed l it in the crypt, and that the casket contained the body of an American Indian Princess. Permission was given for an inspection of the crypt, and more than an hour was spent in the search by visitors interested in the subject. But the inspection was abortive —the place in the crypt referred to in the .letter giving the story of the verger in 1872 could not be identified. j The records of burials at the church do not contain any reference to Princess Pocahontas, but :fc is stated that they do include a newspaper cutting which roads as follows; “ IStlv January, 1835. The favourite squaw of an Indian chief who harj come to London died this clay at her lodgings in. the Waterloo road. Her name was Ah-mik-waw-begum-o-je (beaver or the diving mouse). She was baptised a few hours before her death by the name of Antoinette 0 Whow, 0 Qua. She _ was buried in an elegant black coffin, richly ornamented 1 , at St. John’s, Waterloo road. The body was dressed in the usual habiliments of the country over which was an elaborately worked shroud; down each side was a strip oi green cloth trimmed with rod; a few leaves of laurel, bearing a bouquet, were on her breast, and her checks were painted red. The whole was covered frith a, splendid Indian shawls’* 1 t. •