But I Smile Anyway…

Did you know that we have a true celebrity buried here, in my hometown?

Disney’s Pocahontas

Yup, that there lady you see in the picture? The star of Disney’s Pocahontas?  She was no fictitious character but she was a native American girl, caught up in the Anglo-Native American hostilities in the early 1600’s. While captive, she converted to Christianity and became known as Rebecca, and when the chance came to go back home, she decided to stay with the English. She married John Rolfe, who was a tobacco planter, and they moved to England.

When she came over here, she was almost promoted as a ‘Civilised Savage’, by those hoping to get some more investment for their hometown, the Jamestown settlement.  She became quite a celebrity, and was even invited to Whitehall Palace for a function!

Rebecca a.k.a. Pocahontas

It appears that they were aboard a ship, bound for Virginia, when she fell ill, and they docked in Gravesend, Kent, where she died, of unknown causes.

She was buried here under the local church’s chancel in 1617.  We don’t know the exact whereabouts of her grave, as the original church burned down in 1727.  Since then a new church was build in the same spot, St George’s church, and there is a bronze statue to commemorate her life.

St George’s Church

I was unable to go inside the church, as it was closed, but there is an amazing quilted tapestry inside, which shows the story of her life!

Pocahontas 1595 – March 1617

And what of John Smith?? You know, the blondie in the Disney film?

John Smith and Pocahontas in the Disney film

Well, yes he was real. And there was a connection between him and Pocahontas.  But it appears that the romantic relation that has been conjured up in the Disney film, and others made in the past, was a fantasy of the writers! Firstly, there was no relationship, bar friendship.  She would come to visit their Jamestown settlement regularly, and brought provisions and helped them, and secondly, if you look at the dates, it would be unlikely that she would have been old enough for any kind of affair with him!