SHE was an African teenager who came to Reading to train as a teacher.
But within a year, 16-year-old Mary Smart was dead and buried in an unmarked grave in the town’s cemetery.
Mary’s tragic story is the subject of the latest meeting of the History of Reading Society.
Richard Stowell, who has lived and worked in Sierra Leone where Mary was born, began researching her life on the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
Mary was one of two girls who arrived in Reading in 1848 hoping to become a teacher. However, she died the following year and was described in the Berkshire Record Office as “a pious African girl.”
Her father, Okoroafor, was a member of the ruling family in Imo State in eastern Nigeria. After being captured by slave traders in 1816 he was rescued by a British frigate then released at Freetown in Sierra Leone.
Richard’s talk, From the White Man’s Grave to Cemetery Junction, takes place at the Abbey Baptist Church in Abbey Square on Wednesday, March 15 beginning at 7.30pm.
The meeting is open to members and visitors (visitors £2 each). No need to book, just turn up on the night.
For more details, log on to: http://historyofreadingsociety.org.uk
