11) TOMBSTONE OF CAPTAIN WILHELM (WILLIAM) BLASSER (2 FEBRUARY, 1729) -DUTCH COMMANDER OF WILLIAM FORT (FORT WILHELMUS) IN CHETTUVA

 

Dutch Epitaph

Ter gedagtenisse van den E. Wilhem Blasser in syn leeven Cappetyn Luytenant en eerste commandant ter fortresse Wilhelmus tot Chettua overleeden den 2 February ao 1729.

English Translation

In memory of E Willem Blasser, in his lifetime captain lieutenant and first commander of the fortress Wilhelmus at Chettua, deceased on the 2 February 1729.

 

In 1714, the Dutch under the support of Cochin Raja set about the erection of a fort at Chettuva. In 22 January, 1715, Zamorin (Samoothiri) with the help of the British took control over the unfinished fort by surprise attack. The English even built a lodge in the fort complex afterwards. However, the Dutch recaptured the fort in 25 April, 1717 under the command of Sergeant-Major Hans Frederik Bergman. It was named Fort William and Captain-Lieutenant William (Wilhem) Blasser was the First Commandant thereof, died there on 2 February, 1729 and buried in the fort premises. After the Dutch, by the end of 18th century, the fort was controlled for a brief period by the Mysorean Army of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan; and they were followed by the British. 

In the 1880s, the then Malabar Collector, William Logan observes Wilhem Blasser's grave lying at the 'Chetwai Public Bungalow' ('Malabar Manual', 1887, vol 1, p. 351). However, in 1905, British Civil Servant Julian James Cotton reports that the this slab was recovered from the site of the old fort of Chetwai by some Moplas (Muslims) who took it to their mosque, and that Logan had it removed to the Deputy Tahsildar's office, where it lies in the compound of that building ('List of Inscriptions on Tombs or Monuments in Madras', p. 264). Almost at the same period, Sir Charles Alexander Innes also attests the tombstone in Chavakkad Deputy Tahsildar's office ('Madras District Gazetteers', 1908, vol. 1, p. 450). A few years later, in 20 February, 1924, Rev. Henry Hosten visited the site and saw the tombstone. Hosten writes that the slab was brought to the "Sub-magistrate's court at Chowghat from the dilapidated fort of Chettuvai (Chetwye), 4 miles off, along the sea". We learn that Hosten even left a copy of the inscription and a translation with the authorities. 

10) PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES IN THE COURTYARD OF THRISSUR MURAL ART MUSEUM

In the garden of the 'Thrissur Mural Art Museum', 11 Portuguese tombstones are found lying scattered. These grave markers were discovered in the early decades of 20th century (1920s to 1930s) from Cochin (9 tombstones) and Kodungallur (2 tombstones) and were brought to Thrissur afterwards. Most of the tombstones are undated and not in a good condition, but thanks to early archaeological reports, we have the full inscriptions available. I have discussed about these 11 Portuguese tombstones under 2 headings in my blog 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala'. Here are the links:

1-PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES FROM COCHIN DISPLAYED IN THE MURAL ART MUSEUM, THRISSUR (THRISSUR DISTRICT HERITAGE MUSEUM)

2-PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES FROM CRANGANORE (KODUNGALLUR) DISPLAYED IN THE MURAL ART MUSEUM, THRISSUR (THRISSUR DISTRICT HERITAGE MUSEUM)

9) PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES IN THE COURTYARD OF SANTA CRUZ CATHEDRAL, FORT KOCHI

In the courtyard of Santa Cruz Cathedral at Fort Cochin, behind the small chapel of Virgin Mary are 4 Portuguese tombstones arranged around a multi-tiered pillar and guarded by a chain link fencing. Two of the tombstones are undated, one is from 1624 and the remaining gravestone can be dated  to either (15)84 or (16)84 depending upon how the first two numerals are read. More details about these tombstones and their photographs are uploaded in the posts uploaded to the blog 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala' below:

1. PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES IN THE COURTYARD OF SANTA CRUZ CATHEDRAL, FORT KOCHI

2. THE PILLARS OF THE OLD SANTA CRUZ CATHEDRAL, FORT KOCHI

8) A RARE 16TH CENTURY PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONE ON THE BEACH WALKWAY, FORT KOCHI

 

It is very uncommon to come across a 16th century European tombstone in India. To the best of my knowledge, Cochin is the only place in Kerala which can claim for 16th century gravestones. The St Francis church of Fort Cochin can proudly boast of having 10 gravestones from the 16th century. Two to three tombstones in the Thrissur Mural Art Museum can be dated to 16th century, but they were discovered originally from Cochin or Kodungallur and were brought to Thrissur afterwards.

Here is one more tombstone from the same period, standing alone in an open walkway in Fort Kochi without being noticed by anyone. Interestingly, Julian James Cotton has reported this tombstone along with 7 more scattered in the streets of Fort Cochin way back in 1905. All but one of them were from the 16th century. Surprisingly, only this particular tombstone has survived, the rest all have disappeared without leaving a trace. Cotton is very specific about its location in 1905 as 'near a well on the square which faces Santa Cruz High School'. Below is the link to the post I had uploaded for the gravestone of  DIOGO PEREZ dated 15th January, 1581 in my blog, 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala'.

A 16TH CENTURY (1581?) PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONE NEAR THE FORT KOCHI BEACH

Reference

Cotton, Julian James (1905)-List of Inscriptions on Tombs or Monuments in Madras.

7) PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES IN THE 'CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF HEALTH', SAUDE, COCHIN

In the cemetery of the church of "Nossa Senhora de Saude" (Our Lady of Health) at Saude, located south of Fort Kochi, there are two vertically mounted Portuguese tombstones. The following link to my blog 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala' covers them in detail.

PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES IN THE GRAVEYARD OF 'THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF HEALTH,' SAUDE (SOUTH OF FORT KOCHI)

6) A MID-19TH CENTURY EURASIAN GRAVE MARKER IN THE 'CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF HOPE', MATTANCHERRY

 

In the front courtyard of the 'Church of Our Lady of Life' at Mattancherry, and not far from the famous site of Coonan Cross Oath of 1653, is the tombstone of John James Stevenage of Eurasian heritage (died, 11 August, 1854). In the following link to 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala' blog, I have discussed in detail about the grave and the incomplete inscription.

AN EURASIAN GRAVE MARKER (1854) IN THE COURTYARD OF THE 'CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LIFE', MATTANCHERRY

5) DUTCH, BRITISH OR EURASIAN GRAVE MARKERS IN THE 'CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF HOPE', VYPIN

The Church of Our Lady of Hope was established by the Portuguese missionaries of the Franciscan order at the southern tip of Vypin Island in the year 1560. In 1605, the church became under the Dutch control, who also established a fort (redoubt) named Nieuw Orange (Fort New Orange) nearby. Roberts and Chekkutty (2017, pp. 163-166) lists 32 burials in the cemetery of the 'Church of Our Lady of Hope', out of which 8 are Dutch Reverends from 1666 to 1804. No remains of the old cemetery exist today, but 5 tombstones have survived, 4 inside and 1 outside the church. However, only one among them is Dutch (dated 1777), the remaining 4 are of either Eurasian or British ancestry. Here is the link to post I have uploaded regarding the funerary monuments of Vypin in 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala'.

FUNERARY MONUMENTS IN THE COURTYARD & INSIDE THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF HOPE, VYPIN

Reference

Roberts, John Cantwell and Chekkutty, N P (2017)-Malabar II: Christian Memorials Wynad to Travancore 1498-2014

4) THE BRITISH CEMETERY OF VELI, FORT COCHIN

The 'Dutch Cemetery' of Fort Kochi is well known, but very few might have heard of a 'British Cemetery' in Fort Cochin. The current functional cemetery of St Francis CSI church located at Veli in the outskirts of Fort Kochi was once used by the English community of Cochin. Many would be unaware that, the mid-19th century Veli cemetery still has relatively well-preserved British graves inside. I have traced 87 such graves, of which 67 have identifiable epitaphs. Details of these grave monuments along with around 125 photographs are uploaded in my blog,  'Jewish Monuments of Kerala'. See links here:

1-A DETAILED SURVEY OF THE EUROPEAN FUNERARY MONUMENTS IN ST. FRANCIS C. S. I. CEMETERY, VELI, FORT KOCHI.

2-EUROPEAN FUNERARY MONUMENTS IN THE ST. FRANCIS CSI CEMETERY, VELI, FORT KOCHI.

3) THE DUTCH CEMETERY OF FORT COCHIN

The Dutch Cemetery in Fort Cochin contains not only Dutch but also British graves. Established in 1724, the cemetery has 104 grave monuments, but only 13 Dutch inscriptions have survived today. I could trace 14 English tombs in the graveyard, but not all of them are identifiable because of the barely visible inscriptions or in some cases, only a fraction of the epitaph has survived. I have managed to decipher the epitaph of tallest monument in the cemetery, which is the tomb of a young English woman, the wife of a British captain. Nevertheless, majority of the grave monuments (77 out of 104) lack inscriptions and unfortunately will remain anonymous. The oldest identifiable tomb is that of Johan Daimichen (1784). The last burial is said to be of J E Winckler (1913), but the grave is also untraceable. I have discussed in detail about the Dutch Cemetery of Fort Cochin along with around 100 photographs, published over a series of posts in my blog, 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala'. Here are the links to the posts uploaded:

1- FUNERARY MONUMENTS OF THE DUTCH CEMETERY IN FORT KOCHI 

2-IDENTIFIABLE DUTCH GRAVES IN THE DUTCH CEMETERY, FORT COCHIN (FORT KOCHI)

3-BRITISH GRAVES IDENTIFIED IN THE DUTCH CEMETERY OF FORT COCHIN (FORT KOCHI)

4-IDENTIFYING THE TALLEST FUNERARY MONUMENT IN THE DUTCH CEMETERY OF FORT COCHIN 

5-THE TRAGIC FATE OF MARIA EVANS AND HER DAUGHTER-DECIPHERING THE COMPLETE EPITAPH OF THE TALLEST FUNERARY MONUMENT IN THE DUTCH CEMETERY OF FORT COCHIN

2) BRITISH MEMORIALS IN THE ST FRANCIS CHURCH, FORT KOCHI

The British took control of the St Francis Church at Cochin from the Dutch in the early 19th century. The church remained in British hands til 1947, when it was handed over to the current custodians, the Church of South India (CSI). However, unlike the Portuguese and the Dutch, no British burials have occurred in the church. The English memorials you see are tablets and plaques inserted to the church walls by friends and families, and they are not tombstones from graves. Though these memorials are less detailed compared to the Portuguese and Dutch gravestones, they still have relevant information such as date of death, age and designation of the deceased.

A total 11 English memorials containing names of 12 individuals are identified inside the church. They are as follows:
1-ALFRED CHARLES WHITE (d. 2nd February, 1933, 59 years)
2-ALFRED FORBES SEALY (d. 28 October, 1894; 63 years)
3-DIANA EMILY CROZIER (d. 21 March, 1880)
4-GEORGE BRUNTON (d. 28 March, 1900, 77 years)
5-HAL HARRISON JONES (d. 13 November, 1923)
6-HENRY BIDEWELL GRIGG (b. 17 June, 1841, 53 years)
7-JOHN CHRISTIE (d. 16 August, 1916)
8-JOHN HUTCHINSON ASPINWALL (b. 23 October, 1834, 49 years)
9-WILLIAM HENRY MORGAN (d, 1 July, 1886; 55 years)
10-PETER NOBLE BOXER (d. 23 December, 1938)
11-JOHN REPINGTON COLLIS (d. 23 December, 1938)
12-SAMUEL ARCHBALD LOCKE (b. 12 October, 1851, 60 years)

None of them are buried in the church, but I have traced the graves of 2, 5, 6, 11 and 12 in the CSI Cemetery (old British Cemetery) in Veli, Fort Kochi. You can find photographs I took of these graves here.

1-ALFRED CHARLES WHITE (b. 3rd July, 1873 & d. 2nd February, 1933), husband of MAY WHITE

1) THE PORTUGUESE AND DUTCH TOMBSTONES IN ST FRANCIS CSI CHURCH, FORT KOCHI

St Francis CSI Church, Fort Kochi

I have discussed this topic quite elaborately in my blog 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala' under the following headings:

1. THE 32 PORTUGUESE  & 20 DUTCH TOMBSTONES IN ST. FRANCIS CHURCH, FORT KOCHI.

2. TWO MORE TOMBSTONES IDENTIFIED INSIDE THE ST FRANCIS CHURCH, FORT COCHIN

There are 54 tombstones inside St Francis Church at Fort Kochi: 30 Portuguese, 20 Dutch and 4 without inscriptions. Among them, 10 Portuguese tombstones dated to the 16th century are the oldest. This is indeed a remarkable achievement, considering very few 16th century European tombstones have have survived in India. Regarding the position of the tombstones, 48 are mounted vertically to the walls and the remaining 6 are displayed horizontally in the floor of the church. Out of the 4 headstones lacking inscriptions, 3 are horizontal (floor) and one vertical (wall) in position.

Today, the major hurdle is to identify and decipher these grave markers, because several of the epitaphs are heavily worn-out and inscriptions barely visible, This is true especially in the case of Portuguese headstones. The arrangement of grave slabs inside a dim-light church often close to large open windows, make them equally difficult to photograph. Luckily, we have a few early documents from the mid-19th to early-20th centuries that have textual and graphical representation of the tombstones made when the inscriptions were more legible and less damaged. A special mention has to be made about the two rare booklets by Pelioth, M D (1886a and 1886b), in which, he has beautifully drawn 29 Portuguese and 20 Dutch inscriptions in a scale of one foot to one inch. The other work to be considered is the monumental 'List of Inscriptions on Tombs or Monuments in Madras' by Julian James Cotton (1905), where 28 Portuguese and 19 Dutch tombstone inscriptions are recorded. The earliest document that I have come across in this regard is by Joaquim Heliodoro da Cunha Rivara (1866), who has published  the epitaphs of 26 Portuguese tombstones from St Francis Church, in the monthly periodical 'O Chronista de Tissuary', but the Dutch headstones are left out. These documents proved to be very helpful for me in identifying the tombstones, without which many would have remained untraceable.

In this 3-part series, I will be focusing mainly on the photographic documentation of the tombstones in the St Francis Church. Part-I will cover 45 tombstones that are recorded by Cotton (1905), where as, Part-II and III are about the other 9 tombstones that do not appear in his list, but preserved in the church. Part III is specifically about the tombstone of Simeon de Miranda, considered to be the oldest European grave monument in South India, if not the whole country. 

References

Cotton, Julian James (1905)-List of Inscriptions on Tombs or Monuments in Madras

Pelioth, M D (1886a)-Portuguese Inscriptions in St Francis Church Cochin, Copies 29 in Number

Pelioth, M D (1886b)-Dutch Inscriptions in St Francis Church Cochin, Copies 19 in Number

Rivara, Joaquim Heliodoro da Cunha (1866)-Portuguese Inscriptions Existing at Cochin in AD 1863, O Chronista de Tissuary

TOMBSTONES 1 to 45

Tombstones in St Francis Church reported by Cotton (1905)

In my blog, 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala', I have posted only selected images of tombstones from St Francis church. Out of the 46 grave markers in the church noted by Cotton in 1905, all but the Portuguese epitaph of Margarida de Faria have been traced. According to Cotton (1905), the epitaph of Dutch Commander Adriaan Van Ommen is written on the reverse side of the Portuguese tombstone of Francisco and Lopez Milao, so there should be a total 47 inscriptions on 46 headstones.

In this post, I have uploaded images of 45 tombstones (26 Portuguese and 19 Dutch tombstones) excluding the tombstone of Margarida de Faria. For comparison, I have paired these modern images with the fine drawings made by Pelioth in 1886. The inscriptions recorded by Cotton (1905) are also included for a better understanding. As you can see some of the tombstones are so faded and illegible that without the 19th century elegant sketches of Pelioth, their identification would have been impossible. 

In the following set of images uploaded, the left panel is the photograph of the tombstone taken recently, whereas the right panel is the sketch of the gravestone made by Pelioth in 1886.

26 PORTUGUESE TOMBSTONES

1. DIOGO DIAS (20th January, 1546) Esta sepultura he de Diogo Dias e de seus decedetes ho qual faleceo a xx de Janeiro 546

TOMBSTONES 46 to 53

Tombstones in St Francis Church not mentioned by Cotton (1905)

There are 9 tombstones in this category which include the famous grave marker of Vasco de Gama. However, what is surprising is that none of the three documents we discussed (Rivara, 1866; Pelioth, 1886; and Cotton, 1905) mention Gama's tombstone inside the church! The list of Pelioth (1886) has three tombstones which Cotton (1905) fails to record:  

1) Simeon de Miranda (the oldest European gravestone in South India, if not the whole country); 

2) an unidentified Portuguese epitaph; 

3) Simon Silvestre (a Dutch Captain in the service of VOC). 

Though Cotton (1905) describes the discovery of the  tombstone of Simeon Miranda while digging the foundations of the new Port office in Fort Cochin, its relocation to the St Francis church is not mentioned. All the above 4 tombstones can be traced inside the church.

Another specimen is a huge Portuguese gravestone with well-engraved epitaph for Briamda Couceira, wife of Balthasar Diaz, which is also not reported before. In addition, there are 4 tombstones displayed without any inscriptions (3 horizontally and 1 vertically mounted). There is a Dutch stone slab near the main door which will appear first as a gravestone, but its only a dedication stone to commemorate a Dutch house built in 1784, and therefore not original to the church.

In this post, I am uploading 8 tombstones, The oldest tombstone, the grave marker of Simeon de Miranda will be uploaded as the final post in this series. 

1. VASCO DE GAMA (24 December, 1524)

Early reports suggest that the tombstone of Vasco Pimentel (d. 1567) was shown as the grave marker of Vasco de Gama, and at least that was the case in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. In fact, even Julian James Cotton, who has meticulously recorded the funerary monuments of Cochin fails to report about the this famous headstone in 1905. Its a mystery why the current tombstone of Gama remained hidden for long, and more importantly how and when was it discovered? It must also be noted that St Francis church is not the only candidate for Gama's burial site in Cochin. I have discussed about these issues and more in my early post in the blog 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala'. 

The photograph on the left was taken recently when the fencing was removed during the renovation of the church, so you can appreciate the full tombstone without any interferences. The right-side image is how you usually find the tombstone while visiting the church. 

TOMBSTONE 54

SIMEON DE MIRANDA son of FRANCISCO DE MIRANDA and CECILIA D'AZAMBUJA (8th August, 1524)-the oldest European gravestone in South India, if not the whole country. 

The following links in my blog 'Jewish Monuments of Kerala' discuss about the discovery and importance of this unique tombstone.

1. TRACING THE OLDEST EUROPEAN TOMBSTONE IN SOUTH INDIA -SIMEA (SIMEON) DE MIRANDA (8 AUGUST, 1524), ST FRANCIS CHURCH, FORT KOCHI. PERHAPS THE OLDEST EXTANT EUROPEAN GRAVE MARKER IN INDIA.

 
2.WHERE WAS THE TOMBSTONE OF SIMEON DE MIRANDA (d. 1524) DISCOVERED?