The life-sized Pocahontas statue at the Church of St. George Gravesend, Kent, England has been relisted as a historical monument during the heroine's 400th death anniversary. The Native American Princess is believed to have been buried at the church, but the location is unknown due to a fire incident in 1727. The statue was built in 1958 on the church grounds and was first listed in 1975 on her 350th death anniversary.
Heritage Minister Tracy Crouch told the Worthing Herald UK, "It is a fitting commemoration to re-list the statue to mark 400 years since her death, and I hope its continued presence will encourage more people to learn her unique story and role in Kent's rich history."
The model in the church was given by the governor of Virginia to the British and is considered as a copy of a similar sculpture in Jamestown. The Grade II statue listed by the by Historic England ensures the protection of the monument, according to The Lonely Planet.
Born during the height of English colonization, Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, the chief of many tribunal villages in Virginia. She notably saved the life of John Smith in 1607 by placing her head upon his own when Powhatan raised the club to execute the latter.
Pocahontas was captured by the English in 1613 to be held for ransom during the Anglo-Indian war. She converted to Christianity and was later on called as Rebecca. She stayed in England and married to a tobacco planter named John Rolfe.
The marriage held peace in both the Jamestown colonists and Powhatan's tribes for eight years, which was called "Peace of Pocahontas." Pocahontas was presented later in court in 1616 as an example of a "civilized savage" where there can be harmony between the settlers.
In 1617, they were supposed to go back in Virginia, but Pocahontas fell ill and died due to pneumonia or dysentery. She was 21 years old when the locals at Kent buried her at St. George's Church on March 21.
