Protection for tomb of anti-slave trade activist.

Tuesday, 20 March 2007

The tomb of Granville Sharp, a leading campaigner for the abolition of slavery in Britain, has been granted listed status by the government. Culture minister, David Lammy, has ruled that the 200-year-old tomb is of "special historical interest" and should be preserved, based on a recommendation by English Heritage. He added: "It is entirely right that his final resting place should be listed, and fitting that it should happen now." Sharp is seen by many as the father of the abolitionist movement and was one of the first and most outspoken critics of the transatlantic slave trade, having worked alongside William Wilbeforce for emancipation. The lawyer and civil servant wrote over 60 books on the mistreatment of slaves and will appear on a commemorative stamp later this year. He died in 1813 at the age of 77, having seen slavery abolished in 1807. Announced ahead of commemorative services to mark the bicentenary of the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, the decision to grant protection to the tomb of Sharp in the Church of All Saints in Fulham has been welcomed by civil rights groups.

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