a story about Sambo's grave

Children's story

two hundred years ago in 1807 this country banned the trade in slaves between Africa and America.

Our story is about a slave called Sambo. His mother was captured in Africa and sent by sea to America and sold as a slave. Her life was not easy but she did find a husband although official marriage between slaves was not allowed. She had two children and they were both taken off her to work in the big house where the owner lived.

The children were trained as servants. One was Sambo. He grew up to be a good looking boy. In his turn he ‘married’ but not to the girl he really loved - he had to marry a slave girl the master had chosen for him. They had a little boy but he was sold to another family so they never saw him again.

One day, the house was visited by an English lady. She was very rich and very proud and she was also very fashionable and liked to set trends back at home.

She liked the look of Sambo and asked if she could buy him and the owner said, Yes, but only him, not his wife - he needed her to raise more children to be slaves.

Sambo was taken back to England and put in a splendid uniform. When the lady went out in a carriage, he had to sit on top in his uniform and if she had guests for dinner, her had to stand by the door as people came in.


Unfortunately the English weather did not suit Sambo and he caught influenza and died. The lady summoned the local vicar and said Sambo ought to be given a Christian burial - but the vicar said that couldn’t be allowed because he didn’t think Sambo was a Christian if he had once come from Africa.

The other servants in the house decided that they would bury Sambo’s body. If he couldn’t be in the churchyard he would be in a special place.

They buried him by the sea shore in a place where he could look back at the home where he once lived and the family he had had to leave behind.

They buried him at a place called Sunderland point, near Lancaster - and his grave is still there. If you go and look at it, you will see that people keep the memory of him alive - children leave flowers and once when I went they had taken pebbled from the beach and painted them in pretty colours and put messages on them for Sambo. It is known everywhere as Sambo’s grave.