Trafalgar Square’s St Martin-in-the-Fields gives up secrets of its stones

Engraved memorial stones set into the floor and walls of the crypt and cafe yield glimpses into long-forgotten lives of ordinary Londoners, such as William Fatt. Photograph: Ash Knotek/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Engraved memorial stones set into the floor and walls of the crypt and cafe yield glimpses into long-forgotten lives of ordinary Londoners, such as William Fatt. Photograph: Ash Knotek/Shutterstock Trafalgar Square’s St Martin-in-the-Fields gives up secrets of its stones Church marks 300 years with exhibition and online archive telling of UK’s first Black voters, and history of compassion and protest From a family of chimney sweeps including one of Britain’s two earliest documented Black voters, to the mystery of a 19-year-old youth believed enslaved, St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square still has secrets to share as it marks its 300th anniversary. Standing at the heart of London’s political and cultural life for three centuries, its ranks of engraved memorial stones set into the floor and walls of the crypt and cafe are yielding glimpses into long-forgotten lives of ordinary Londoners. The Stories Behind the Stones project, which is building an online archive of the lives of those once buried in its churchyard, is part of its anniversary celebrations. These also include a free exhibition, 300 Years at the Heart and on the Edge, showcasing the church’s history as a place of activism and protest, with a focus on those “at the edge of society”, as well as a parish church and performance venue. New research on the stones shows that William Fatt, a chimney sweep for the Admiralty and Royal Hospital Chelsea, was the son of another William Fatt, a Black chimney sweep of the king’s palaces, who voted in the 1749 Westminster byelection, making him one of the very first known Black voters. John London had been understood to have been the first Black voter. Having cast a vote in the same election, it appears very likely that William Fatt is the joint-earliest, both pre-dating the well-known Black British writer and composer Ignatius Sancho by 31 years, according to the historian Dr Robin Eagles . View image in fullscreen A man views an oil painting on display as part of the exhibition. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images Another memorialises Richard James Said, “a native of Africa” who died aged 19 in 1810, with the inscription reading: “The Family whom he served for seven Years with uniform integrity and attention has caused this Stone to be placed over his Grave in memory of his worth and of the regret which his loss has occasioned.” Dan Kaszeta, volunteer archivist at St Martin, said: “It’s a little bit of a mystery. He could have been a freed slave.” But, he added, the “weight of evidence” at a time when “the majority of black residents were slaves” pointed to enslavement. The stone would have cost £20 in 1810, about £2,000 today. “So these people were not poor”. Gravestones were moved from the churchyard during develop