“Sacred to the memory of Rasselas Morjan, who was born at Macadi on the confines of Abyssinia and died at Wanlip Hall August 25th 1839 in the 19th year of his age. Rescued from a state of slavery in this life and enabled by God’s grace to become a member of his Church. He rests here in the hope of a greater deliverance hereafter. This stone is raised in remembrance of his blameless life by one whom he loved.”
The words above come from the gravestone of a slave buried in Our Lady and St Nicholas Church in Wanlip.
In my blog post called 'The Glory of Birstall' I mentioned about a slave that was buried in a church near to where I live. Today I woke up and decided that it was time for me to seek out this grave, walk around and look at the history of the surrounding area for a bit. I was not disappointed in the slightest.
It took me no more than fifteen or so minutes for me to get to Wanlip and only a tiny amount of time until I got to Our Lady and St Nicholas Church. It was a tiny churchyard and a tiny church, a stereotypical country place of Christain worship which I learned was built in 1393.
Wanlip was once an isolated settlement, and its old English name ‘anliepe’ means isolated.
I was lucky to find the rector walking through the church. He asked me who I was looking for when he saw me walking and bending down to read the stones. He guided me to the headstone I wanted and this is what I saw...
As I got talking with the rector we began chatting about history. The slave was an Abyssinian called Rasselas Morjan and was employed by the members of the local Palmer family in the early 1800's. It is not known how he got employment at the hall in Wanlip, but it is known that the Palmers were friends with the Babbingtons of Rothley, (another nearby village) who were greatly involved in the anti-slavery campaign in the 19th century. It is not recorded when Rasselas Morjan was rescued from slavery or whether it was one of the Babbingtons who had helped secure his freedom, but it is thought that this may have occurred around 1835- 6, when Morjan was in his early teens. The Babbingtons may have asked their friends, the Palmers, to provide a home for Morjan. This is what happened, and some years later he was baptized in the church where his grave now was. He died when he was nineteen years old in 1839 of some illness... fascinating.
I was told that the diaries from the family mentioned ol' Rasselas. An extract of the family diary talked about Rasselas being proud of gaining a new button on his uniform because it meant that he had just been promoted.
I asked if I was allowed to have a look in the church and to my great excitement and happiness he gave me permission. It was a beautiful church inside, plaques on walls and a tiny organ to the right of the altar, wooden seating. I tasted a past age and it was wonderful.
I was guided to the front of the altar where the rector pulled away a sandy coloured carpet, revealing this...
“Here lyes Thomas Walsch knyght lorde of Anlep and dame Kat’ine his wife whiche in yer (their) tyme made the kirke of Anlep and halud the kirkyerd first in wirchip of god and of oure lady and seynt Nicholas that god have yer soules and mercy… 1393.”
The relic is the Wanlip brass, which commemorates the building of the church by Sir Thomas and Lady Katherine Walsh. Following the marriage of Roger Walsh to Maud, daughter of Henry of Wanlip, circa 1230, until the death of Thomas Walsh in 1893, eight generations of the Walsh family lived at Wanlip.
I can't exactly remember the exact words that the rector said but it went something along the lines of the relic being the first brass something- or- other in the country ever.
As I left the church I thanked the rector and was uplifted by the new history that I had discovered. I want to buy a history book of the whole area of Birstall, Wanlip and Rothley. The rector also told me about the Birstall History Society that meets up for talks about local subjects in the local library or the village hall... yeah I'm joining that.
You can go anywhere and find inspiration. It is easy to become obsessed with local landmarks, history and the stories that surround it. I love my place of origin. As I have already said in a previous post, I have been inspired no end through my local area.
Tonight I raise a glass to Rasselas, I hope your life was good and full of happiness. I would have liked to meet you if I lived in an early time. Cheers.
Over and Out.
ED.
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