Members of SI Hallamshire attended the launch of the new Interpretation Boards at the Zion Graveyard on Sunday. The Friends of Zion Graveyard have been renovating the graveyard and uncovering the old graves. One of these is the grave of Mary Anne Rawson, an early anti – slavery activist in Sheffield in the 1800’s. Mary Anne also established the Wincobank School, one of the first free schools in Sheffield. SI Hallamshire has sponsored the interpretation board at the graveyard, close to her grave, which gives more information about her work. The club has also purchased some indigenous plants to aid the restoration of the graveyard.
The interpretation board is a great new educational resource for adults and children alike and increase peoples’ knowledge about Sheffield’s role in opposing slavery, and particularly in the work of Mary Anne Rawson in the 1800’s.
