One of my favorite Epitaphs in South Carolina

Posted by Kendall Harmon

In hopes of a joyful Resurrection, here rests the body of
Col. William Rhett
Late of this parish, Principall Officer of His Majesties Customs in this province. He was a person that on all occasions promoted the publick good of this colony, and severall times generously and successfully centured his life in defense of the same. He was a kind husband, a tender father, a faithful friend, a charitable neighbor, a religious constant worshipper of God.
He was born in London 4th Sept 1666,
Arrived and settled this country 19th Novembr 1694,
And dyed suddenly but not unprepared 12 Janry 1722,
In the fifty-seventh year of his age.

--Found in the Saint Phillips Churchyard, Charelston, S,.C.


Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • Parish Ministry • Death / Burial / Funerals • * Theology • Eschatology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

7 Comments
Posted September 18, 2012 at 5:30 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. MarkP wrote:

That’s lovely. But what does “centured” mean?

September 18, 9:14 am | [comment link]
2. Village Vicar wrote:

#1 - Centered? —I love “dyed suddenly but not unprepared ” - and am grateful for how the language of the BCP filters in (Great Litany).  How wonderful,too, to have this said.  How more wonderful to have it be true of oneself.

September 18, 9:47 am | [comment link]
3. Christopher Johnson wrote:

One of my greatest memories of my short visit to Charleston was wandering the churchyard at St. Michael’s (didn’t make it up to St. Philip’s which I regretted because I wanted to see Calhoun’s grave).  Places like that (places like Charleston itself, for that matter) give you a sense of history far more than merely reading books ever can.

September 18, 1:39 pm | [comment link]
4. Ad Orientem wrote:

Memory eternal.

September 18, 3:22 pm | [comment link]
5. sophy0075 wrote:

I hope that one day I can meet him in Heaven.

September 18, 4:28 pm | [comment link]
6. magnolia wrote:

“In the fifty-seventh year of his age.”

‘tis beautiful language. i took pictures of gravestones in williamsburg so my hubby would know how i wanted mine to read.

September 19, 2:25 pm | [comment link]
7. NoVA Scout wrote:

What a pleasant coincidence!  On the day this was posted, I walked through the cemetery in one of my periodic visits to Calhoun’s gravesite (Much of my professional work has involved taking the opposite side of his Rescission/Nullification principles, principles that I find have amazing staying power, however misguided they may be), and paused at Colonel Rhett’s grave as I was strolling around (there is a prominent plaque on the fence at the edge of the cemetery).  To then see the Rhett epitaph posted the same day at my favorite website made me laugh out loud with delight and surprise.

September 20, 7:10 am | [comment link]
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