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Graveyard

One of the Oldest in Charleston

The graveyard of Circular church is likely the oldest English burial ground still in existence in Charleston. While many gravestones have disappeared, over 500 remain, with about 730 individuals named on those stones. Another 620 persons are named in church records with indications they were most likely buried in the graveyard.

Statistics for gravestones currently in the graveyard:

  • Earliest unmarked grave: 1695
  • Earliest inscribed gravestone: 1729
  • Number of burials before 1776: 150
  • Number of burials for people who were born before 1800: 450
Read on for more information about our historic graveyard, or you can read about the history of Circular Church.

Gravestone Art

The oldest gravestones are made of slate and were shipped from carvers in New England. These slates with images and medallion portraits have been called by one writer "an extraordinary and irreplaceable legacy of our artistic and cultural past." According to one gravestone historian, there are more of these unusual 18th century slate stones in this graveyard than anywhere else in the country. Our challenge is to preserve and maintain these historic artifacts.

The evolution of gravemarker artwork over the years reflects the changing attitudes toward death more graphically than do the inscriptions.

 

Markers in the 1600s typically were inscribed with stark skull-and-crossbone markings, the ancient symbol of death.

By the early 1700s, when John Vanderhorst was buried in the church graveyard, ideas were changing.

Although skulls were still in plain evidence, the crossbones were beginning to be replaced by wings and the resulting image was being called "death's head." So, although the skull continued to emphasize death, the wings were introducing the idea of flight from the Earth or life after death.

As the years passed, the sculptors emphasized life more and more, and death less and less. At first they began softening the skulls' appearances by adding upper lips and eyebrows, and later they even began adding noses and mouths.

In the early stages of this change, beginning around 1730, the sculptors inserted the mouth between the skull's nose and teeth. And although the teeth were retained, they were dropped down so they looked more like high collars or disfigured chins.

Still later, around 1740-45, the teeth disappeared from the skulls altogether. The wings remained, however, and at that point the skulls lost all their harshness. Instead they looked more like angels' faces -- and in fact, that's about what they were. They weren't even called skulls any longer, but "soul effigies" because they represented departing souls.

 

The major contribution of the eighteenth century to American gravestone art was portraiture. The term "portraiture" is used in gravestone studies to mean natural representations of the deceased (although whether the carver attempted to capture an individual likeness rather than simply to represent a type is a question that is still being studied). While there are many examples of portraiture in Circular's churchyard, none have been located in any other South Carolina or Georgia towns.

Enough Roman-style portraits exist in Charleston to suggest that, by the mid-1700s, Americans were beginning to identify themselves culturally with the Romans. This bust of Solomon Milner (1726-1757), which has been called "the most notable and best preserved example of neoclassicism from 18th-century Charleston," reflects the popularity of this style.

 

Some Examples:

Henry Simonds (d. 1695)

 




The first gift of land to Circular Church, the lot on which the church still stands, was made by Henry Simonds in the early 1690's, "for the Religious Worship of God.. to be Publickly Solemnized and performed by any Protestant Dissenting Minister of the Congregational, Independent or Presbyterian Persuasion." This oldest tomb (unmarked), an arched vault southeast of the present church building, is said to contain the remains of Henry Symonds, or Simonds, his wife Frances, and their son, whose name is not known.

 

Henry Peronneau (d. 1743)

Born in La Rochelle, France, Henry Peronneau arrived in South Carolina in 1687, at the age of 20. He and his family were members of the Independent Congregational Church in Charleston and some of the early Huguenots in the colony. A successful merchant, Henry Peronneau, his wife Desiree, many of their children and grandchildren were buried in the church yard. Rare medallion portraits are found on some of their slate gravestones, including this one of Henry Peronneau, the immigrant.

Major Anthony Toomer (d. 1798)

 





Anthony Toomer became a leader of the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War. By profession he was a "builder" and a "housewright." For many years after the war he served on the state legislature. This box tomb of Major Toomer is a part of the Warham family plot. His wife's inscription--that of Ann Warham Toomer -- is the only one still legible on this monument.

 David Ramsay (d.1815)

 






David Ramsay was a Pennsylvanian who graduated from Princeton at age 16, earned a medical degree in PA, and just before the Revolutionary War he moved to Charleston. Ramsay was primarily a doctor, but he also served in the Continental Congress and wrote several histories--of the American Revolution, of South Carolina, and of the Independent or Congregational (Circular) Church of Charleston. Ramsay was a staunch Patriot and was among the community leaders exiled to St Augustine, Florida and later to Philadelphia. After the war he married Martha Laurens; together they raised eight children plus several nieces and nephews. The top of the Ramsay/Pinckney gravestone is broken off, but the remaining inscription is easily readable.

 

Arthur Peronneau (d. 1774) in Hutson-Peronneau Vault

 





Arthur Peronneau, who died in 1774, may have been the first person buried in this large brick vault near the center of the yard identified as Hutson-Peronneau. This is by far the largest burial monument in the church yard-- approximately 10'x10'x10'. An archeological survey made in the early 1980's found that at least 18 persons had been buried in the vault, many of whom are listed in church records.

Richard Hutson (d. 1795) in Hutson-Peronneau Vault

 





Perhaps the most noted person buried in the vault was Richard Hutson, who died in 1795. He was a brother-in-law of Arthur Peronneau and was selected the first mayor of Charleston in 1783. This plaque was attached to the vault in 1995 by the Hutson family, identifying their ancestor, Richard Hutson, on the 200th anniversary of his death.

You can also read more about the history of Circular Church.

Our historic church is as vibrant in the present as it has been in the past.  We invite you to learn about present-day Circular, by exploring the rest of our website, watching our video on YouTube, liking us on Facebook, and joining us in worship on Sunday morning (11 a.m., or 10:15 a.m. from June to Labor Day).

For additional information about Circular and its historic graveyard, read Joanne Calhoun's book, The Circular Church, Three Centuries of Charleston History, published by www.historypress.net in 2008 (and available locally and online). You can also access our records, which are housed at the South Carolina Historical Society. We also encourage you to visit the Association for Gravestone Studies, which promotes the study of gravestones from historical and artistic perspectives, expands public awareness of the significance of historic gravemarkers, and encourages individuals and groups to record and preserve gravestones.