The Protestant Graveyard in Tunis: A Catalogue of the Inscriptions, 1648–1885
Denys Pringle
INTRODUCTION
Tradition maintains that the Protestant graveyard which lies outside Bab Carthagene in Tunis was established on a plot of land given by Hammouda Pasha Bey (1631 59) to the British consul Thomas Campion around 1645 (Flad 1902; Darmon 1930: 133). Unfortunately no contemporary record of the gift survives; and, although Campion was himself buried in the graveyard in 1661 (no. 3), he had only been appointed consul in 1655. The consul in 1645 would have been William Woodhouse (Macleod 1928; Fisher 1957: 307 8), who would also have been in post when the earliest dated interrment, that of Samuel [?W]ebbe, was made in October 1648 (no. 1). Twelve tombstones survive from the 17 th century. Most of them record English dead, though they also include a Frenchman, a Dane and a Portuguese.
In 1804 the wall of the burial ground, by then know as St George’s, was repaired by the agreement of the consuls of Britain, the United States, Denmark, Sweden and ? (Rawlinson 2001: 7). The ground was consecrated by the bishop of Gibraltar on 9 May 1852. In 1853, a plan of the graveyard was made by the British Vice Consul, showing 83 graves in all, including 29 English, 7 French, 12 Swedish, 6 Danish, 3 American, and 26 unattributed (Rawlinson 2001: 8).
The first Protestant church to be established in Tunis was St Augustine’s. This was a small iron building sited on the west side of rue d’Espagne near the fish market south of the Sea Gate, on land obtained by the British Consul, Sir Richard Wood, who was himself a Roman Catholic (Rawlinson 2001: 11 15). The present Anglican church of St George was built in 1899 1901 on part of the old cemetery, which had not been used for burials since 1885, when a new evangelical section was opened in the municipal cemetery for Europeans at Bab al Khadra (Soumille 1971: 146, 166 8). Those tombstones that lay in the way of the new church were moved and arranged around the boundary walls (Rawlinson 2001: 15 21).
DISCUSSION
Table: Summary of information on the gravestones No Name Birth Death Age Origin Profession Relations 1. Samuel (1626/7) 6.10.1648 21 Eng. Merchant [W]EBBE 2. William 19.11.1649 Eng. Merchant HAINES 3. (Thomas) 1.10.1661 (Eng.) Consul CAMPION 4. Barnabas 13/23.12.16 (Eng.) Sea captain HOLDIN 61
1 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
5. Richard LEAR 23.4.1663 Eng. Consul’s chancellor 6. Dominico 7.6.1667 Portugal? PORTUGESE 7. Iohannes DE (1641/2) 21.4.1668 26 Sweden, Surgeon WERT b. Stock holm 8. Henry VEASY 28.10.1668 9. William HULL 22.7.1673 (England) Sea captain 10. Rosslif 24.2.1675 Denmark, ANDRESEN b. Copen hagen 11. Theophilus (1657/8) 10.8.1679 21 England, BARRINGTON b. Essex 12. André SÉ[R]RÉ 10.1.1690 France, rel. of 15? Mérindol 13. John (7.3.1669) 9.7.1711 42.4 England Consul GODDARD 14. Anon. Early 18c. 15. Henri SÉRRÉ 23.7.1714 France, rel. of 12? Marseille 16 Thomas (1686/7) 9.7.1717 ns 30 England Agent & bro. of LAWRENCE consul (18 &) 21 17. Thomas 18c. THOMSON 18. Elizabeth (1672/3) 8/19.6.1732 59 England sister of LAWRENCE 21 (& 16) 19. John ARCHER 22.1.1707 22.7.1734 (27.6) England, Seaman Scar borough 20. Anna Maria 2.4.1727 21.9.1745 18.5 Sweden, d. of (30 RÖNLING b. London &) 32 (sis. of 25 & 33) 21. Richard 29.10.166 27.6.1750 81.8 England, Consul (bro. of LAWRENCE 8 b. near 16 & 18) Truro 22. Christopher (1723/4) 21.1.1765 30 (Eng.) Seaman KEEN 23. Franci[s (1670/1) 20.10.1756 85 (Eng.), b. …TECA] os Tangiers 24. Betty KIFF (1675 6) 25.7.1756 80 (Eng.), b. Tangiers 25. Iacob RÖNLING (1716) 24.3.1758 41.4 Sweden (s. of 30 & 32?) 26. Ludolf 4.11.1696 1.5.1759 62.5 Norway, Consul of HAMMEKEN b. Bergen Nor./Den. 27. George Robert 19.3.1759 3.5.1759 1.0 (Britain) (s. of 31) GORDON 28. Iacob HANSEN 2.1.1762 Norway, Captain Arendal 29. Andreas 11.6.1763 Sweden, Consul’s HERTMAN b. Stock chancellor holm 30. Olof RÖNLING 5/9.12. 25.2.1764 (82.2) Seeden, b. Consul f. of 20 1681 Stock (& 25?) holm 31. Charles 1765 Britain Consul (f. of 27;
2 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
GORDON h. of 36) 32. Maria Bengdts 4/10.8. 23.1.1766 (74.5) Alingsås, (w. of 30; RÖNLING 1691 Sweden m. of 20, 25) & 33 33. Ionas RÖNLING (1730/1) 5.5.1768 37 Sweden, s. of 30 b. London (& 32; b. of 20 & 25) 34. Maria (1735/6) 21.6.1770 34 (Scand.) (m. of SWENSON 35?) 35. Maria Elizabeth 30.10.176 14.11.1770 (7.0) (Scand.) (d. of SWENSON 3 34?) 36. Margaret (1735/6) 6.4.1776 40 (Britain) w. of 31 GORDON (m. of 27) 37. James TRAILL (1721/2) 8.10.1787 65 Britain Agent & consul general Henry (10.5. 23.6. 1‹8›24 1.1 England son of Theophilus 1‹8›24) proconsul Alexander CROWE Note: Information in brackets is deduced from the other information on the stone or derived from other sources.
CATALOGUE
In the catalogue that follows, the texts are arranged in chronological order, according to the date of death, and are numbered consecutively. The following conventions are used in editing them:
[ ] letters missing due to damage or defacement. ( ) letters missing due to deliberate contraction or to a fault of the inscriber. a uncertain reading.
The dimensions of the stones are given as follows: width × length × thickness.
1. Samuel [W]ebbe (1626/7-48)
Tufaceous limestone (0.59 x 1.75 x 0.16m), with a drafted margin, 6cm wide and 1cm deep. The lettering is in capitals, carved in relief.
Samuel [W]ebbe me[r cator anglic[us obiit sexto die octobris anno domini mdcxlviii 5 aetatis suae xxi 6
Samuel [W]ebbe, English merchant, died 6 October AD 1648, aged 21.
3 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 5; Register, 47.
2. William Haines (d. 1649)
Tufaceous limestone (0.62 × 1.80 × 0.14m), with a drafted margin, 6cm wide and 1cm deep. The lettering is in capitals, carved in relief (letter heights 3.6–3.8cm).
in memoriam m(agist)ri Gulielmi Haines mercatoris angli ci. qui obiit Tunisiis xix die novembris 5 mdcxlix 6
In memory of William Haines, English merchant, who died in Tunis, 19 November 1649.
Reference: Register, 89.
3. Thomas Campion (d. 1661)
Tufaceous limestone (0.57 × 1.83 × 0.143m). The lettering is in capitals, carved in relief (letter heights 2.9cm).
depositum consulis Campion obiit primo Octobris mdclxi
The grave of Consul Campion. He died 1 October 1661.
Thomas Campion acted as English consul during the absence of Thomas Browne, from 1655 to 1658 (Fisher 1957: 308).
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 5; Register, 221.
4. Barnabas Holdin (d. 1661)
Tufaceous limestone (0.61 × 1.88 × 0.135m), with a drafted margin, 7cm wide and 1cm deep. The lettering is capitals carved in relief (height 5 5.5cm).
hic iacet Barnabas Hol
4 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
din dux navis Amititiæ obiit in porta Utica 5 x]xiii decemb ri]s An o. Do. mdclxi 7
Here lies Barbabus Holdin, captain of the ship Amity (or Friendship ). He died in the port of Utica, 23 December AD 1661.
The records of the High Court of the Admiralty mention the Amity of St Valéry as a prize vessel around 1708 12, though it is perhaps doubtful whether this could have been the same ship (PRO, HCA 32/50(1) & 74; Bromley 1987: 491 n.90). The spelling of the name Amititia (line 4), instead of the more correct Amicitia , however, would appear to support the idea that Holdin’s ship was named Amity (or Amitié ), rather than Friendship . The ancient Phoenician city of Utica (line 5), located near the mouth of the River Medjerda ( Bagradas ), was a rival of Carthage and sided with Rome in the Third Punic War. Its site was finally abandoned only in the seventh century AD , perhaps slightly before the conquest of North Africa by the Muslim Arabs (cf. Lézine 1970: 33). The phrase in porta Utica could possibly refer to the quarter of Tunis that lay inside the city gate facing Utica (Bab Souika or Bab Carthagène), though in that case one would expect the text to read in porta Uticae . It seems more probable, however, that the reference is to the port (portus ) of Utica rather than the gate. In the early seventeenth century Utica was sometimes identified with Bizerta (Gramaye 1634: 347). However, the site of the ancient city was still known; and much closer to it lay Porto Farina, a fortified maritime base and Andalusian settlement that was established beside the lake of Utica by the corsair Usta Murad between 1638 and 1640, in an attempt to prevent Christian powers making use of the anchorage (Lézine 1970: 33 n.39). The result of this was that in 1654 a squadron of the English Republican Navy, commanded by Admiral Blake, entered the lake and defeated there the forces of Hammuda Bey of Tunis (Guide Bleu 1971: 210). It was probably at Porto Farina therefore that Barnabas Holdin died. The English merchant Edward Holden, who is mentioned in French consular correspondance as being established in Algiers in 1732 (Plantet 1889: II , 162; Fisher 1957: 294, 302 n.3), might perhaps have been a member of the same family.
Reference: Register, 19.
5. Richard Lear (d. 1663)
Tufaceous limestone (0.49 × 1.81 × 0.13m), with a drafted margin, 6cm wide and 1cm deep. The lettering is roman with initial capitals (initials 4cm high, other letters 3cm).
Hic iacet Richardus Lear Anglus, suae Nationis Consulis Cancellarius, qui obiit xxiii Aprilis 5
5 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Anno Domini MDCLXIII 7
Here lies Richard Lear, Englishman, chancellor of his nation’s consul, who died 23 April AD 1663.
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 5; Register, 209.
6. Dominico Portugese (d. 1667)
Tufaceous limestone (0.46 × 1.72 × 0.14m), with a drafted margin, 6cm wide and 1cm deep. The lettering is carved in capitals in relief within a sunken panel, measuring 0.31 x 0.19m (letter heights c.4.5cm)
Dominico Portugese obii[t] 7 gwi A[D] 1667
Dominico Portugese. He died (7 June?) AD 1667.
The reading of the date is uncertain. It could perhaps be 7 giuni (for junii ). The deceased was presumably of Portuguese descent and evidently Protestant.
Reference: Register, 55.
7. Iohannes de Wert (1641/2-1668)
Tufaceous limestone (0.57 × 1.90 × 0.17m), with a drafted margin, 5.0 5.5cm wide and 1cm deep. The lettering is in capitals (height 4.5 6cm).
memento mori hic iacet sepul tus Iohannes de Wert nati one suecus = 5 Stockholmi natus chirurgi arte quam vita felicior obiit xxi apr : An : D 10 1668 : ætatis suæ xxvi 12
6 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Remember death! Here lies buried Iohannes de Wert, Swedish by nationality, born in Stockholm, more fortunate in the art of a surgeon than in life. He died on 21 April AD 1668, aged 26.
Reference: Register, 129.
8. Henry Veasy (d. 1668)
Limestone (0.55 × 1.64 × 0.14m). The lettering is in capitals (heights 8.8cm in line 1, c.5cm thereafter). Below the inscription, in the centre of the stone is a geometrical design representing an eight pointed star set in a rectangle (36 × 40cm) and containing a circular depression (diam. 10.5cm) at its centre.
M(emento) M(ori) hic iacet × Henricus × Veasy obiit xxviii aug(usti) A×D 1668
Remember death! Here lies Henry Veasy. He died on 28 August AD 1668.
The circular depression was probably intended as a drinking bowl for birds, such as François René de Chateaubriand claimed to have observed on a Moorish tomb in a cemetery outside Bab Carthagène in 1807 (Houguenague 1971: 236).
Reference: Register, 203.
9. William Hull (d. 1673)
Tufaceous limestone (0.56 × 1.90 × 0.15m), with a drafted margin 6cm wide and 1cm deep. Sloping italic script (height c.5cm).
Gulielmi Hull Ducis Navis Mercury Hic requiescit pulvis qui ex hac vita migravit 22 die 5 Iulij Anno Verbi incarnati 1673 7
Here lie the remains of William Hull, captain of the ship Mercury , who departed this life on 22 July in the year of the Word made Flesh 1673.
A French warship called Le Mercure was recorded at La Goulette, the port of Tunis, on 25/26 August 1685 (Plantet 1893: I, 363); although of 60 guns, it was refitted at Brest and leased for trading purposes around 1710 (Bromley 1987: 203, 204). Another
7 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
ship, the Mercurius , bound for Rotterdam with a cargo of Bordeaux wine, was attacked by a Flushing kaper under French colours in 1707 (Bromley 1987: 421 n.39). But neither of these seems likely to have been William Hull’s ship.
Reference: Register, 225.
10. Rosslif Andresen (d. 1675)
Tufaceous limestone (0.46 × 1.95 × 0.15m), with a drafted margin 6 6.5cm wide and 1cm deep. Between the sixth and seventh lines of the inscription there is a circular depression, 13cm in diameter and 3cm deep, which was most probably intended as a drinking place for birds (see no. 8). The text is written in rather crude capitals.
Hir ruh(en) in Gott Ros slif Andre sen von Copenhagē(n) 5 sio rb 1675 * den 24 fp rvary~ 8
Here lies in God Rosslif Andresen of Copenhagen, (who died ?) 1675 on 24 February.
The meaning of sio rb in line 6 is unclear; possibly it was intended to read som dode . What looks like fp in line 7 was presumably intended to represent feb . Although the cause of death of the deceased is not stated, it may be noted that the plague in Tunis between 1675 and 1678 is reported to have carried off 400,000 souls within the space of six months (Plantet 1893: I, 298).
11. Theophilus Barrington (1657/8-79)
Tufaceous limestone (0.46 × 1.81 × 0.09m), with a quadruple stepped border, 8 9.5cm wide and 3.5cm deep, decorated with a pattern of carved interlacing S’s and with twisted cord decoration around the edge. The raised part of the stone (0.27 × 1.65m) contains two panels (0.25 × 0.33m) filled with chip carved floral designs, above and below the inscription. Immediately below the inscription is a representation of the Barrington arms: argent, three chevronels gules, a label of three points azure (Burke and Burke 1844: 43 4). The lettering is in large and small capitals interspersed with some letters in roman or italic script (heights 3.5 4.2cm for the larger letters, 2.2 2.5cm for the smaller). The incisions of both the letters and of the coat of arms are inlaid with lead, held in place by a series of drilled mortices.
Theophilus Barringtonus
8 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Goberto Pabenli Essexia[e In Anglia Equiti Aura to Septimo Loco Natus Parcarum Hic in ipso 5 Iuventutis Flore Inv Idiam Expertus Anti quissimun Punicae Argumentun Nupe rrime Confirmavit 10 Diem Clausi(t) x id(us) Augusti Extremum Aetat(is) An(no) xxi a(nno) Virg˜(ineae) Partus mdclxxix 14
Theophilus Barrington, born the seventh child to his father, Sir Gobert, Knight, of Essex in England, here in the very flower of his youth experienced the ill will of the Fates and provided the latest confirmation of that of the Carthaginians, which was proved so long ago. He ended his final day on 10 August, in the 21 st year of his age, in the year of the Virgin Birth 1679.
Some small errors in the text include Pabenli for Parenti (line 2), and Antiquissimun … Argumentun for Antiquissimum … Argumentum (lines 7 9). In line 11, the date was first inscribed as iv id (us ), but was changed to x id (us ) before the holes were drilled to take the lead inlay. Theophilus Barrington was the youngest son of a youngest son in a line of distinguished Essex landowners, who were renowned for their staunch Parliamentary sympathies. Sir Thomas Barrington, Bart. ( c.1589 1644), Theophilus’s grandfather, was in his time MP for Newtown (Isle of Wight), the county of Essex, and Colchester, before finally being elected for Chelmsford in the Long Parliament of 1640 (Keeler 1954: 97 9; Nuttall 1966). Less is known of Theophilus’s father, Sir Gobert Barrington (d. 1695), since it was his elder brother, Sir John, who inherited the baronetcy and the tradition of Parliamentary service. Sir Gobert’s first wife was Lucy Wiseman, the daughter of Sir William Wiseman of Thorrells Hall in Essex (Lownes 1884: 39). She bore him eleven children, six sons and five daughters, of whom Theophilus was the seventh child and the youngest of the sons. Theophilus was probably born at Tofts, the family home in Little Baddow, Essex. It was doubtless through his family connections that he came to Tunis. His brother Francis, Sir Gobert’s second son, was a merchant engaged in the profitable trade with North Africa and is known to have resided in Tunis between 1681 and 1692 (Lownes 1884: 39). Although his earliest letter written from Tunis is dated 6 July 1681 (PRO: FO 335/12/2), the house of Francis Baker, the consul, and Francis Barrington in Tunis is mentioned in a letter written by Giovanni Battista Mortola to Thomas Goodwyn from Genoa on 31 August 1680 (PRO: FO 335/2/1). The existence of his younger brother’s tomb suggests that Francis may well have already been living there in 1679 and have been responsible for commissioning it. The John Barrington who was in command of a ship bound for Alexandria that struck and foundered off the Lanthorn in February 1690 (HMC, 75 Downshire I, 340 1), also appears to have been a relative. In June 1691 he was bound from Livorno to Smyrna in command of a small vessel called the Tunizene (HMC, 75 Downshire), the
9 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
same ship (spelt variously Tuniserone , Tuniseene ) on which Francis Baker and Francis Barrington had sailed in 1683 (PRO: FO 335/3/8 9). Although the writer of his epitaph attributes Theophilus’s death to the fabled ill will or deceit of the Carthaginians, a likelier cause of death is perhaps the plague epidemic that ravaged Tunis between 1675 and 1678, reportedly carrying off 400,000 souls in one six month period alone (Plantet 1893: I, 298).
References: Pringle 1977; Rawlinson 2001: 5 6; Register, 205; Stubbings 1977.
12. André Sé[r]ré (d. 1690)
Limestone (0.53 × 1.79 × 0.135m), with a double stepped border, 8 cm wide. The lettering consists of crude large and small capitals, deeply incised (5 5.5cm and 3 3.75cm).
His iacet An dreas filius Andreæ Se[r]re Merindoliæ Obiit in domo 5 Consulis An gliæ in Tun nis die deci mo Ianuarii Anno Dom 10 ine mdcxc
Here lies André, son of André Sé[r]ré of Mérindol. He died in the house of the consul of England, in Tunis, on 10 January AD 1690.
Possible readings for the second name in line 3 include Se (a)re , Se (r)re , Se (su )re and Se (st )re . In view of his Provençal origins (see below), however, it seems very likely that the deceased was a member of the Sérré family, who were engaged in trade between Marseilles and Tunis from the 1630s onwards (Plantet 1893: I, 229 n.1). Another member of this family, Henri Sérré, died in Tunis in 1714 and was also buried in the Protestant cemetery (no. 15). Mérindol is a town in the Vaucluse lying 41km south east of Avignon in the valley of the Durance. It occupies an important place in the history of Protestantism in France. In 1545, the town was a rallying point of the Vaudois of the Luberon against an army sent by the parliament of Arles, backed by King François I, either to massacre them or to round them up for work in the galleys in Marseilles. By the time that the army got to Mérindol, however, the menfolk had fled to the mountains. Those women who remained in the church were therefore raped and the town of some 200 houses was destroyed. Subsequently the population returned and Mérindol remained until the Revolution a centre of Protestantism, despite being a fief of the Roman Catholic archbishopric of Marseilles. [http://depenne.club.fr./texte/vaudois.html] In the seventeenth century, French Protestants in Tunis came under the protection of the English consul (Plantet 1893: I, 535, 537). There is therefore nothing
10 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
unusual about a André Sérré dying in the English consul’s house. The cause of his death might again have been the plague, which is recorded in Tunis from December 1690 until at least June 1691 (Plantet 1893: I, 432, 436, 447).
Reference: Register, 153.
13. John Goddard (1669-1711)
Tufaceous limestone (0.54 × 1.92 × 0.13m), with a drafted margin. 7.5cm wide with twisted cord decoration around the edge. A scalloped rose (15cm diam.) decorates the foot of the stone. The lettering is a mixture of large and small capitals and roman, varying in height from 2.75 5.5cm for the larger letters to 2 4cm for the smaller ones; the letter heights decrease towards the bottom of the stone.
Hic Iacit Ill(ustri) s(sim) i dom(i) ni Ioan(n)is Goddard Britan o(niae) Consulis Qui Vitâ Suâ Mortali Christian(a) 5 Peraetâ ad Meliorum Abi(i)t Die 9 Iuli(i) 1711 Anno[s] 42 Mens(es) 4 [D]i(e)sq(ue) 2 natus 8
Here lies (the body) of the distinguished lord, John Goddard, consul of Britain, who completed his mortal Christian life and left it for a better one on 9 July 1711, having lived 42 years, 4 months and 2 days.
Infelicities in the Latin text include: iacit for iacet (line 1); and peraeta for peracta (lines 4 6). The subject of iacet has also been accidentally omitted. John Goddard is mentioned as English agent and consul general in Tunis between c.1697 and c.1699 ( List of F.O. Records , VIII , 119). Fisher gives his dates as consul as 1700 ?1711 and states that he died in office (1957: 308). The latter date appears to be confirmed by the epitaph, though the date on the stone has now become very indistict on account of weathering.
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 9; Register, 41.
14. Uninscribed
Tufaceous limestone (0.50 × 1.72 × 0.13m), with twisted cord decoration around the edge. Although uninscribed, this stone is typologically similar to that of John Goddard (no. 13) and may therefore be assumed to date from the same period.
15. Henri Sérré (d. 1714)
11 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Pinkish marble, somewhat coarse in appearance on account of weathering (0.48 × 1.84 × 0.01m), with a rounded drafted margin (5.5cm wide and 3cm deep), decorate with a chip carved zigzag pattern. The lettering is in wobbly copper plate (height c.4 cm), with roman style initial capitals (height 6 7cm).
Hic Iacet Henricus Serre diurbe Massilie qui obijt Die 23 Lulij 5 Anno Domini 1714 7
Here lies Henri Sérré from the town of Marseilles, who died on 23 July AD 1714.
A merchant from Marseilles named Séré is recorded trading with Tunis from 1633 onwards (Plantet 1893: I, 229 n.1). Quite possibly Henri Sérré was from the same family (see also no. 12 above). A number of French Protestants are mentioned in French consular correspondance between 1695 and 1698 as being under the protection of the English consul and intriguing against French Catholic mercantile interests. The names include Gaspard Bourguet (Languedoc), Simon Merlet (Marseilles), Maurice Boyer (Marseilles), Jean Battiste Vitalis (Marseilles), Jérémie and Claude Bagnet and Jacques Roux (Plantet 1893: I, 535, 537, 577).
Reference: Register, 155.
16. Thomas Lawrence (1686/7-1717)
White marble (1.20 × 1.74 × >0.15m). The lettering consists of lage and small capitals.
Here lyeth the body of Captain Thomas Lawrence Brother to Richard Lawrence Esq r Agent and Consull General For his Britanick Maiesty 5 In this City and Kingdom Who departed this life the 9 th day of Iuly Anno Domini 1717 NS In the 31 st Year of his age. 9
Thomas Lawrence’s brother Richard died in 1750 and was buried in the same cemetery (no. 22). The letters ‘NS’ (line 8) stand for ‘New Style’, in other words the Gregorian as opposed to the Julian Calendar, which was adopted throughout British dominions in March 1751. Its use here suggests that the English community in Tunis
12 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
followed their French counterparts in using the New Style before Chesterfield’s Act reformed the calendar in England (24 Geo. II, c.23; Cheney 1945: 10 11).
Reference: Regiser, 71.
17. Thomas Thomson (18c.)
White marble (0.92 × 1.87 × 0.225m). The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights 6.6cm and 4.7cm).
Here lyeth the body of Thomas Thomson, esq r:
The style of the lettering and the use of white marble for the slab both suggest an 18 th century date. A certain Thomas Thomson was appointed English consul in Algiers by the Dey from 1712 to 1713 and was followed by Samuel Thomson from 1713 until 1720 (Fisher 1957: 305).
Reference: Register, 219.
18. Elizabeth Lawrence (1672/3-1732)
White marble (0.90 × 1.86 × >0.15m). The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights 4.5cm and 3.5cm).
Here Lyeth the body of ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Sister to Richard Lawrence esq r: Agent and Consul general for his Britanick Maiesty 5 in this cyty and kingdom of Tunis who departed this life the 8/19 day of Iune anno domini 1732 in the 60 th Year of her age. 9
Richard Lawrence died 18 years later at the age of 82 (see no. 21 below). In line 7, the date of death is given in both the Old and New Styles respectively (see no. 16 above).
Reference: Register, 65.
19. John Archer (1707-34)
White marble (0.85 × 1.87 × 0.19m), with bevelled upper corners. The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights 5.4cm and c.4cm).
13 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
H Here lyeth the boddy of Iohn Archer, Son of Thomas Archer, Of Scarborw in Yorkshire Mariner, who was born the 5 22 d: of Ianuary in the Year of our Lord 1707 and departed this Life the 22 d: of Iuly 1734 . in the 27 year of his age. 9
Reference: Register, 211.
20. Anna Maria Rönling (1727-45)
White grey blotched marble (1.00 × 2.16 × 0.08m). The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights 4.2cm and 2cm, except line 23 where they are 5.3cm and 3.4cm). The text is bordered by low relief carving representing bones and draped cloth, with an hour glass below.
D(eo). O(ptimo). M(aximo). Hic Jacet Anna Maria Ronling Olai Ronling Holmensis S(u) æ. R(egalissim) æ. M(aiestati) s. Sueciæ in Tunetana Republica Consulis et Mariæ Ronling Alingsahsiensis Filia Londini Orta ii do Aprilis MDCCXXVII Istius Pietas prope modum exæquo certabat cum suavitate ingenii, et integerrima vita, et conversatione 10 diligentissima in rebus agendis ad omnium virtutem genera inflammata enituit, præsertim misericordia in pauperes, quam inter cæteras animi dotes a Parentibus hauserat. 15 Sed sicut terrae, sic Coelo cara optimam partem electura, dum instantem sibi mortem præsentiret officia obsequentis Filia(e) in Parentes sues peregit, et post auditionem Sacrorum Evangeliorum 20 efflavit animam XXI Septem bris . MDCCXLV Aetatis suae XVIII supra Menses V. dies XIX Soli Deo Gratia 23
To the greatest and supreme God. Here lies Anna Maria Rönling, daughter of Olaf Rönling of Stockholm, consul of his most royal Swedish majesty in the Tunisian state, and of Maria Rönling of Alingsås. She was born in London on 2 April 1727. Her piety contended in almost equal measure with a sweetness
14 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
of temperament, a most pure life and the most scrupulous conduct in the discharge of her duties. She shone forth radiantly before the virtuousness of all, above all in her compassion towards the poor, which, along with other qualitiesof the spirit, she had derived from her parents. But the dear one, being about to choose the best part between heaven and earth, as long as she sensed death to be approaching her performed the obligations of a dutiful daughter towards her parents and, after listening to the Holy Gosples, expired on 21 September 1745, aged 18 years, 5 months and 19 days. To God alone be thanks.
The following grammatical lapses may be noted: exaequo for ( ex )aeque (line 8); genera inflammata for genere inflammato (line 12); sues for suos (line 19); evangeliorum for evangelorum (line 20); soli for solum or solo (line 23).
Reference: Register, 195.
21. Richard Lawrence (1668-1750)
White marble (0.93 × 1.96 × 0.08m), with a moulded border and a coat of arms carved below the inscription. The lettering is large and small capitals (heights 6.8 8.2cm and 4.6 5cm). The lettering, coas of arms and border decoration were formerly inlaid with lead.
Here lyeth the Body of RICHA rD LAWRENCE Esq r late His BRITANNICK MAIESTIES Agent and Consul General in this 5 City and Kingdom of Tunis, Born near Truro in the County of Cornwall the 29 October 1668 and departed this Life the 27 Iune 1750 in the 82 10 Year of his Age having served three British SOVEREIGNS as Consul in Tunis during the space of 38 Years. 15
Sir Richard Lawrence was appointed consul in Tunis in 1711 and died in office in 1750, having served under three British monarchs: Anne, George I and George II (Fisher 1957: 291 2, 308). In May 1716 he caused grave offence to the French by purchasing the cargo of a French barque that had been captured by a corsair, contrary to the terms of France’s treaty with the Bey, and taken to Porto Farina; as a result the French consul forbade French merchants to have any dealings with him, including the bakery and the washer women in the French fondouk who did his laundry (Plantet 1893: II, 95). In 1737, however, it was the French consul Gautier who intervened with
15 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
the Bey to prevent Lawrence being expelled at the instigation of the Swedes and Dutch (Plantet 1893: II, 299, 304, 308, cf. 319). His sister Elizabeth (d. 1732) and brother Thomas (d. 1717) are also buried in Tunis (see nos. 16 and 18).
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 9; Register, 201.
22. Christopher Keen (1723/4-54)
Linestone (0.50 × 1.69 × 0.17m), with triple stepped border and rounded edges. The lettering is in neat capitals, lightly incised.
Here lieth the Body of Christo pher Keen mari ner who depar ted this life the 5 21 st of January 1754 aged 30 Years 8
Reference: Register, 131.
23. Bet[t]y Kiff (1675/6-1756)
Soft fine grained limestone (0.48 × 1.40 × 0.15m). The lettering is in neat capitals, lightly incised (heights 3.5 4.5cm and 2.5 3cm).
Here lyes the Body of Bet[t]y Kiff Born in T]angier in the King dom of Maroco aged eigh ty years departed 5 this [l]i[f]e the 25 [J]uly 1756 7
As the deceased died in 1756 and the age of 80, she would have been born in 1675 or 1676, when Tangiers was in British hands. Although it had been a Portuguese possession from 1471 until 1581 and was again from 1643, Tangiers came under British control in 1661 as part of the dowery of Charles II’s queen, Catherine of Braganza. This gift, however, proved to be far more trouble than it was worth and the commercial value of the port never made up for the cost of maintaining a garrison there. After being blockaded by Mulay Ismail and attacked in 1679, the British garrison, starved of support by Parliament in London, finally evacuated the town in 1684, destroying the harbour works before doing so (see Rowth 1910). Betty Kiff and
16 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
the Franci[s .]teca, who is recorded in the next epitaph (no. 24), may well have been evacuated at that time.
Reference: Register, 141.
24 Franci[s..]teca (1670/1-1756)
Soft fine grained limestone (0.455 × 1.40 × 0.14m). the lettering is in neat large and small capitals, now rather faint in places.
Here Lyes the Body of Franci[s..]teca born in tangier in the kin gdom of the [e]mperor of Maroco aged eigh 5 ty five years depar ted this life the 20 of october o:s 1756 8
In line 2, the size of the lacuna suggests enough space for three letters. This would seem to indicate that the first name was Francis, allowing a space before the initial letter of the surname, which might thus have been: Ateca, Eteca, Iteca, Oteca, Steca, or Uteca. In line 8, o:s refers to the Old Style of dating (see above).
25. Jacob Rönling (1716-58)
White marble (0.98 × 1.10 × 0.09m), with a carved border decoration of bones, draped cloth and flowers. A floral design and an hour glass are incised below the text. The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights in lines 2 11 and 13 16: 4 and 2.6cm; in line 12: 7 and 6cm; in line 17: 5.5 and 4.5 cm).
D(eo) . O(ptimo) . M(aximo) . Hospes quisque pius legis hoc in Marmore quantu m sint occulata Dei fati tremenda stup(r)e Hic iacet in Pietatis Florenti Ætate sepulta hic morum Integritas hic scelerisque Timor 5 Hic Tunetis Amor charum solamen Egenis Suecorumque Decus heu IACOBE iaces Ingemuere Arabes Turcae lacrimantur Hebraei Disparitus cultus non nocet ulla Piis Campos interea Elysios IACOBE pererra 10 Ossibus et castis sis rogo Terra(m) levis IACOBO RONLING SUECO Hoc Marmor Maesti Parentes posuerunt
17 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Obiit XXIV Kalend(as) Mart(ias) Anno MDCCLVIII 15 Vixit Annos XLI Mens(ibus) IV . Dieb(us) XIII Soli Deo Gloria. 17
To the Greatest and Supreme God. O pious vistitor, whoever you may be, you read on this marble tablet how the dreadful things ordained by Fate may be shamefully hidden from God. Here in he bloom of life lies buried piety, here blamelessness of character, here fear of wickedness, here love of Tunis, loving comfort towards the destitute and the model of virtue of the Swedes. Alas! O Jacob, you lie fallen. The Arabs (and) Turks lamented, the Jews shed tears. No difference in religious observance affects the pious. Meanwhile, O Jacob, wander through the Elysian fields! And may your bones remain uncorrupted and may you raise up the earth with your funeral pile! To Jacob Rönling, his mourning parents set up this marble stone. He died on 24 March in the year 1758. He lived 41 years, 4 months, and 13 days. Glory be to God alone.
The translation assumes the following emendations to the Latin text: pio … quanto for pius … quantum (line 2); occulta for occulata (line 3); florente for florenti (line 4); carum for charum (line 6); disparilitas for disparitus (line 9); solum for solo or soli (line 17). An issue concerning gender arises in line 8, since Arabes could refer to Arab men or women or both, and Hebraei could be Jewish men, women or both, but Turcae means Turkish women. As women play a leading role in the audible mourning at Arab and Turkish funerals, the line could indeed have been meant to say: ‘The Arab (and) Turkish women have lamented, the Jews are shedding tears.’ Another perhaps more likely possibility, however, is that the line was never intended to be gender specific at all and was intended to read: Ingemuere Arabes Turcique lacrimantur Hebraei (The Arabs and Turks lamented, the Jews shed tears). The alteration of Turcae to Turcique would certainly make better grammatical sense.
Reference: Register, 187.
26. Ludolf Hammeken (1696-1759)
White marble (1.02 × 2.22 × 0.09m), with a moulded border 10cm wide, and a coat of arms below the inscription. The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights 5.2 6.6cm and 4.0 5.5 cm).
G A N Her lieger Legemet, af Ludolf Hammeken Hans Kongl. Maiestets, till Dannemarck og Norge. &&& 5 Commerce Raad, og Consul udi Tunis sampt Plenipotentiarius för Freden med Algier, Tunis, og Tripoli. Fod d(en) 4 No(vem)b(e)r : 1696 udi Bergeni Norge
18 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
hues För ældre var Iohan(nes) Hammeken 10 og Margarita Hammerken, fod Olden burg haver vaeret i Tienesten siden d(en) 8 Febr(uary) 1746, till d(en) 1 May 1759 at han adskiltes med dene Verden efter at haver levet: 15 62 Aar 5 Māneder og 27 Dager L V G 17
Here lies the body of Ludolf Hammeken, His Royal Majesty’s, of Denmark and Norway, etc., commercial advisor and consul in Tunis, also plenipotentiary for peace with Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. Born 4 November 1696 in Bergen, Norway. His parents were Johannes Hammeken and Margarita Hammeken, née Oldenburg. (He) has been in service since 8 February 1746, until 1 May 1759. He departed this world after having lived 62 years, 5 months and 27 days. Praise be God.
The course of Ludolf Hemmeken’s diplomatic mission to Tunis and Tripoli may be traced through French consular correspondance of the period. He arrived in Tunis from Algiers with an escort of two Danish warships in November 1751. On 8 December, he negotiated a treaty with the Bey, the terms of which included the payment of 30,000 sequins to the Bey and 10,000 to Sidi Mamet and the supply of the timber and artillery necessary for constructing and fitting out four chébeks (sloops) of 18 20 guns. From Tunis, Hammeken proceeded immediately to Tripoli, whence he returned the following April, having concluded a similar treaty there with the Pasha. This included the payment of 26,000 sequins to the Pasha, his son and his principal officers, and the redemption of twelve Danish captives for a further payment of 2,500 sequins (Plantet 1893: II, 430 1, 439, 440 1). Hammeken is mentioned again in Tunis in April 1753 (Plantet 1893: II, 458, cf. 511), and died there in May 1759.
Reference: Register, 87.
27. George Robert Gordon (b. & d. 1759)
White crystalline marble (0.59 × 0.68 × 0.15m), with hollow chamfered edges. The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights 5.6cm and 3.6cm).
George Robert Gordon born on Monday the 19 day of March 1759 & died the 3 d day of May Follouing 5
George Robert Gordon was the son of Charles Gordon, British consul (no. 31), and his wife Margaret (no. 36).
Reference: Register, 45.
19 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
28. Iacob Hansen (d.1762)
Limestone (0.64 × 1.00 × 0.155m). The face of the stone is carved to represent a mihrāb, or prayer niche indicating the direction for Muslim prayer (see below). The horseshoe arch of the niche is filled with acanthus ornament, while the inscription occupies the rectangular panel below. The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights 5 6cm and 3.5 4cm).
Her Liger Capitan Iacob Hansen Fra Arend Al Som dode &=2 de 5 Ianuari 1762 Huius Fader huar Hans Iacobsen. 8
Here lies Captain Jacob Hansen, from Arendal, who died 2 January 1762. His father was Hans Jacobsen.
Arendal is a town and port in southern Norway. The mihrāb panel on this stone represents a common design found in Tunisian architecture of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and represented either in marble or in glazed tiles (Jones 1978: 5 6). Similar designs are also found on prayer mats, on which they have a more obvious religious significance. As is the case with many of those found in architectural contexts, however, it is probable that the function of the panel on this Christian gravestone purely decorative. Most likely it was carved locally to a standard design.
Reference: Register, 27.
29. Andreas Hertmann (d.1763)
Friable limestone (0.90 × 1.78 × 0.18m), with a carved border of floral design. The letetring is in large and small capitals (heights 5 5.7cm and 3.5 4.5cm).
D(eo) . O(ptimo) . M(aximo) Hic Iacit Andreas Hertman n]us Natus Holmiæ Qui per p]lurimos Annos Commorauit In Domo Consulari(s) Tuneti 5 Mercii Vacav(i)t Cancellari(us) (a)eque Exercuit Post Haec Per Biennium Infirmitate Cruciatus Reddidit Animam Creatori Die XI Iunii Anno MDCCLXIII Soror Eius Ulrica Hertman 10 Lapidem Hunc Erigere Fecit
20 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
To the Greatest and Supreme God. Here lies Andreas Hertmann, born in Stockholm, who resided for a great many years in the house of the consul in Tunis. He devoted his time to commerce and worked equally as chancellor. After this, having been afflicted for two years by bad health, he rendered back his soul to the Creator on the 11 th day of June in the year 1763. His sister, Ulrica Hertman, had this stone erected.
The following lapses may be noted: iacit for iacet (line 2); mercii for merci (line 6). In line 3, an attempt to repair a mistake in the final word makes it appear as qiuis or qiwis .
Reference: Register, 215.
30. Olof Rönling (1681-1764)
White marble (1.01 × 1.98 × 0.10m), with carved border decoration of bones and climbing roses. A monogram and a lion are carved in a circle below the inscription. The lettering is in large and small capitals (heights in lines 1 4: 6.5cm and 4.6cm; lines 5 12: 4.4cm and 3cm; lines 13 16: 5.5cm and 4cm).
D(eo) . O(ptimo) . M(aximo) Hic Jacet D(omi)ñus Olof Rönling, Primus Sa. æ Reg(alissim). æ Majestatis Sueciæ Apud Regnum Tunetanum Consul Ad Quod Anno MDCCXXXVIII Accesserat, 5 v. Idus Decembris A(nn) o MDCLXXXI Holmiae Natus Ætatis Plenus, Moribis Probus, Ingenio Fertilis, Publica, Privataque Negotia Peregregie Functus. De Suis Et Alienis Optime Meritus, Annis LXXXIII Expletis, 10 Reparatæ Salutis XXV Februarii A(nn) o MDCCLXIV Com(m)uni Facto Extinctus. Ad Perennem Tanti Parenti Memoriam, Hoc Filialis Obsequii Et Amoris Monumentum D(omi)ñus Jonas Rönling Ejusdem Filius 15 Erigere Fecit.
To the Greatest and Supreme God. Here lies Lord Olof Rönling, the first consul of His Most Royal Swedish Majesty in the Tunisian Kingdom, into which (office) he entered in 1738, having been born in Stockholm on 9 December 1681. Ripe with age, honourable in character, and fertile in imagination, he discharged his public and private affairs in a most outstanding way. Deserving the best of his own people and of strangers, with 83 years completed, just after news of his return to health had been made generally known on 25 February 1764, he died. To the unfailing memory of so great a father, Lord Jonas Rönling , his son, has caused to be erected this monument of filial obedience and love.
21 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
In line 3, saæ is evidently a mistake for suæ . Olof Rönling was the father of Anna Maria Rönling (d. 1745: no. 20) and probably of Jacob Rönling (d. 1758: no. 25). Olof’s wife, Maria Bengdts Rönling, died in Tunis in 1766 (no. 32), and his son Jonas, who set up this tombstone, in 1768 (no. 33).
Reference: Register, 85.
31. Charles Gordon (d.1765)
White marble (1.02 × 0.40 × 0.06m). The lettering is in large and small capitals (height line 1: 3.5cm and 2.6cm; lines 2 3: 2.8cm and 1.7cm).
Charles Gordon British Consul Died 1765
Charles Gordon arrived at La Goulette on board a British frigate on 11 January 1751 to replace Richard Lawrence, the British consul who had died the previous year (Plantet 1893: II, 435, cf. 583; see no. 21). Gordon’s infant son, George Robert (d.1759) and his wife Margaret (d.1776) also also buried in Tunis (nos. 27 and 36). His daughter Matilda was married in Tunis on 2 January 1797 to Alexandre Allois Herculais, French envoy extraordinary to the Muslim powers of North Africa (Plantet 1893: III, 319).
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 9; Register, 43.
32. Maria Bengdts Rönling (1691-1766)
White marble (1.00 × 2.22 × 0.06m). The border is deorated with long bones intertwined with flowers, and below the inscription is a scull and crossbones. The lettering is in large and small capitals (height lines 1, 2 & 8: 6.5cm and 4.6cm; lines 3 7, 9 14: 4.6cm and 3cm). In line 3, the Ns are reversed.
D(eo) O(ptimo) M(aximo) Iacent Hic Ossa Nobilis Mulieris Mariæ Bengdts Ronling Quae Quarto Idus Augusti A(nn) o: mdcxci Huius Mundi Lucem Adepta. 5 xxiii Kalendas Ianuarii A(nn) o: mdcclxvi Sempiterna Deo Dante Conseccutura Pariter Clausit Ionas Rönling Obseq(uio)S(i)ŝ(si)m(u) s Filius, Amatissimæ Matri 10 Extrema Qua Par Est Pietate Munia Persolvens
22 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Cum Fletu et Lacrimis Lapidem Hunc Eternæ Memoriæ Monumentum Erigi Fecit 15
To the Greatest and Supreme God. Here lie the bones of the noble lady Maria Bengdts Rönling, who received the light of this world on 4 (or 10) August 1691. On 23 January 1766, as God gave (her) the eternal (light) that is to follow, she closed (her life). To a dearly loved mother, Ionas Rönling, a most loyal son, with utmost piety as befitting, discharging his duties with lamentation and tears, had this stone erected as a monument of perpetual remembrance.
In line 7, for conseccutura read consecutura . In line 4, IV Id. Aug. should strictly be 10 August. XXIII Kal. Ian. , however, does not exist in the Roman calendar and seems to mean simply 23 January. By this token it appears more consistent to take IV Id. Aug. to represent 4 August and to interpret Id . and Kal . as no more than embellishments whose function was simply to stress whether the date fell in the first or second half of the month in question.
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 9; Register, 15.
33. Ionas Rönling (1730/1-68)
White marble (1.00 × 1.95 × 0.13m). The scheme of relief decoration includes a scroll and crossed bones below the inscription and a border of scallops and thick foliage.
D(eo) O(ptimo) M(aximo) Do(mi)ñus Ionas Rönling, Filius, Ac, Unicus Superstes Ill(ustrissi)mi : Do(mi)ñi : Olof Rönling, Olim Pro Sueciæ Rege Tuneti 5 Consulis Emeritissimi, Hic Iacet. Londini Ortus, Et A Parentibus Tunetum Ductus Post Diuturnam Infirmitatem, Ætatis Suæ, 10 A(nn) o : XXXVII : Die V : Maij : A(nn) o : MDCCLXVIII Et Vitae Et Prosapie, Finem Dedit Quod Infortunium Valde Plorans Do(mi)ña Catharina Ferrari Rönling Eius Uxor, 15 In Grati Animi Argumentum Lapidem Hunc Apponere Curavit 17
To the Greatest and Supreme God. Here lies the Swede, Lord Ionas Rönling, son and sole surviving heir of the most illustrious Lord Olof Rönling, former long serving consul to Tunis for the King of Sweden. Born in London and brought to Tunis by his parents, after a long illness, in the 37 th year of his age,
23 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
on 5 May 1768, he gave an end both to his life and and to his lineage. Deeply lamenting the which misfortune, his wife, Lady Catharina Ferrari Rönling, made provision for this stone to be laid as testimony to his dear soul.
In line 8, for Tunetum read Tunetem . Ionas Rönling was the son of Olof Rönling (d.1764: no. 30) and Maria Bengdts Rönling (d.1766: no. 32), and the brother of Anna Maria (d.1745: no 20) and Iacob (d.1758: no. 25). The Ferrari family, from which his wife came, was a noble Genoese family whose interest in Levantine trade may be traced back to the Middle Ages.
Reference: Register, 207.
34. Maria Swenson (1735/6-70)
White marble (0.91 × 1.92 × 0.09m), with a skull and crossbones carved below the inscription. The lettering is in large and small capitals (height lines 1 & 7: 5.5cm; lines 2 6: 4.5cm and 3.8cm).
G . A . N Her Liger Legemet af Maria Swenson Som adsriltes med denne Verden d(en) xxi Iunius 1770 efter 5 at have levet xxxiv aar L . V . G. 7
Here lies the body of Maria Swenson, who departed this world on 21 June 1770, after having lived 34 years. Praise be to God.
Reference: Register, 39.
35. Maria Elizabeth Swenson (1763-70)
White marble (0.39 × 0.98 × 0.10m), with a bowl of flowers carved in low relief below the inscription. Neat large and small captals (heights 4 and 2.6cm).
Her Liger Legemet af maria elizabeth Swenson fod d(en) : xxx october 1763 og adsriltes med denne werden d(en) : xiv november 1770 5
Here lies the body of Maria Elizabeth Swenson, born on 30 October 1763 and departed this world on 14 November 1770.
24 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Maria Elizabeth was presumably the daughter of Maria Swenson, who predeceased her by only 5 months (no. 34).
36. Margaret Gordon (1735/6-76)
White marble stone shaped roughly like a shield (0.93 × 1.70 × 0.055m), with a vase of roses carved below the inscription. The lettering is in neat large and small capitals (heights 3.8 cm and 2.5cm).
In this mansion of rest Is deposited all that is mortal Mrs MARGARET GORDON (wife of charles gordon esq r.) who closed a well spent life the 6 th of april A.D. 1776 5 Æ(tatis) 40 years a person who for undissembled piety and the nicest discharge of the coniugal, maternal and social duties had not a 10 superior. Imitate reader these admirable characters and eternal felicity, will be thy unfading reward. 14
Margaret Gordon was the wife of the former British consul, Charles Gordon (d.1765: see no. 31), and the mother of George Robert Gordon (d.1759: no. 27).
37. James Traill (1721-87)
White marble (1.12 × 2.09m), with a coat of arms above the inscription. The lettering is in large and small capitals (height lines 1 2, 4 8 & 10 31: 3 and 1.8cm; line 3: 6.5 and 5.7cm; line 9: 5.8 and 4.2cm).
In this Mansion of Rest Lies deposited All that was Mortal of IAMES TRAILL ESQ re who departed this Life the vii of October A.D. mdcclxxxvii Æ(tatis) lxv 5 He had the Honor of serving faithfully His Britannick Majesty as Agent and Consul General in this Kingdom of Tunis Twenty two Years. GENTLE READER This Marble which covers and guards from Insults, the 10 remains of a Person who was invested with the vain Honors of an Earthly potentate is not placed simply for thy attention as such. Thy notice is claimed from a consideration much Superior.
25 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
To Contemplate the extensive merits of a Man Endowed with every Sentiment of Virtue Undissembled and Exemplary in His 15 Piety to the Supreme Being. Patiently resigned to His Fate. Benevolent to His fellow Creatures, with a just Esteem for the Worship of every perswasion. just in His discernment of proper objects of Charity. A most tender Husband, Affectionate Father, Sincere Friend and Generous Master. Ever Constant 20 to Act the hospitable part, the Expansion of His feeling heart drew down upon him the Blessing of Heaven. His life at once was bid to Cease Finishd among His Weeping Family in peace Now reader wish His Shade Eternal rest 25 And be the same for this is to be blessed Learn then this Important Lesson, That we are no more than probationers in this transitory Stage of Life. Our Duty is to look forward to a Future State of existence for a permanent respite from Trouble, and for an Unfailing reward; Justice and 30 Mercy being the unerring Attributes, Of the Almighty.
PRO: FO 77/1 .(1770 )
Reference: Rawlinson 2001: 9; Register, 5 7.
Post 1800: oo. Henry Theophilus Alexander Crowe (1824-5)
The stone has not been found; the inscription is known only from an entry in the Register.
In Memoriam Carissimi Filii Henrici theophili Alexandri Infantis Dulcissimi Georgius W. Crowe 5 Proco(n)s(ul) Britannicus Conju(n)xque sua Narcissa Mærentes vixit Menses xiii. D(ies) xiii Matris Deliciae 10 Spes et Solatium Patris gratus omnibus O.B. xxiii Junii MDCC‹C›XXV 14
In memory of a most dear son, Henry Theophilus Alexander, the sweetest child, George W. Crowe, British vice consul, and his wife Narcissa have in grief (erected this monument). He lived 13 months and 13 days, the delight
26 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
(and) hope of his mother, the consolation of his father, beloved by all. He died on 3 June 1825.
It is uncertain whether the line that is evidently missing after line 8 was omitted on the stone or during the process of modern transcription. In line 13, O.B. may stand for ob (iit ) or possibly o(biit ) d(iem ). An English vice consul named Crow is mentioned as Thomas Read’s subordinate in Tunis in 1827 (Plantet 1893: III, 631 n.1). It would appear therefore that the date in the final line has also been miscopied, but whether by the stonemason or by the transcriber remains uncertain.
Reference: Register, 37.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bromley, J. 1987. Corsairs and Navies, 1660–1760 . London–Ronceverte.
Burke, J. and J.B. Burke. 1844. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Batonetcies of England, Ireland and Scotland , 2 nd edition. London.
Cheney, C.R. 1945. Handbook of Dates for Students of English History . London.
Darmon, R. 1930. La situation des cultes en Tunisie , 2 nd edition. Paris.
Day, S. and P. Day. 1991. At Home in Carthage: The British in Tunisia . Tunis.
Fisher, G. 1957. Barbary Legend: War, Trade and Piracy in North Africa, 1415 1830 . Oxford.
Flad, C.W. [1902]. St George’s Church, Tunis . Tunis.
Gramaye, J.B. 1634. Regni Tunetani Compendiosa Descriptio. In Turcici Imperii Status , pp. 341 63. Lyon.
Guides Bleus. 1970. Tunisie , ed. F. Ambrière. Paris.
HMC = Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Inspectors’ Reports.
Houguenague, G. 1971. A propos de la réédition de “L’Itinéraire de Paris à Jérusalem”. Les Cahiers de Tunisie , 19: 231 7.
Jones, D. 1978. Qallaline Tile Panels: Tile Pictures in North Africa . Art and Archaeology Research Papers. London
Keeler, M.F. 1954. The Long Parliament, 1640 1641: A Biographical Study of its Members . Philadelphia.
Lézine, A. 1970. Utique . Tunis.
27 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis
Lownes, G.A. (ed.). 1884. The History of the Barrington Family. Trans. Essex Arch. Soc ., ns, 2: 3 54.
Macleod, J.M. 1928. Ms notes on Flad 1902, dated 25/11/1928, preserved in St George’s Church archive, Tunis.
Nuttall, W.L.F. 1966. Sir Thomas Barrington and the Puritan Revolution. Trans. Essex Arch. Soc ., 3s, 11.1: 60 82.
Plantet, E. 1893. Correspondance des beys de Tunis et des consuls de France avec la cour 1577 1830 , 3 vols. Paris (1893 99).
Pringle, D. 1977. Theophilus Barrington: A Seventeenth Century Antiquary in Tunis. Antiquity , 51: 49 51, pl. V.
PRO = Public Record Office, London.
Rawlinson, I.J. 2001. Historical Reflections on the Centenary of St George’s Church, Tunis, 1901 2001 . Tunis.
Register = Anon. St. George’s Cemetery Tunis: Exact Copy of the Inscriptions on the Tombs. Undated MS in the archive of St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis.
Rowth, E. 1910. Tangier: Britain’s Lasy Outpost .
Shaw, T. 1738. Travels and Observations Relating to Several Parts of Barbary and the Levant , 2 vols. Oxford.
Soumille, P. 1971. Le cimetière européen de Bab el Khadra à Tunis: étude historique et sociale. Les Cahiers de Tunisie , 19: 129 82.
Stubbings, F. 1977. Theophilus Barrington. Antiquity , 51: 146 7.
28 St George’s Anglican Church, Tunis