Stratford in Westmoreland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Clifts Plantation Burial Ground

Who Was Buried Here?

By Paul Jordan, August 2, 2010

1. Clifts Plantation Burial Ground Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The Clifts Plantation cemetery was located on the opposite side of the current road. Because of long distances to the nearest church in the 17th and early 18th centuries, plantation burial grounds were common in the Chesapeake region.

Archaeologists found 17 burials in the cemetery - seven white and ten black. In the early 18th century, wealthy planters throughout the Chesapeake turned increasingly from white to enslaved black labor. To a large extent, the switch from indentured whites to black slaves working on Virginia plantations resulted from a decline in the number of Europeans willing to leave home and a rise in the trade of enslaved Africans.

The burials at the Clifts site followed the typical European practice of placing the dead in a shroud and coffin.

Location. 38° 9.561′ N, 76° 50.214′ W. Marker is in Stratford, Virginia, in Westmoreland County. Marker can be reached from Great House Road. The marker is on the grounds of Stratford Hall Plantation, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. The historic site is on Stratford Hall Road (VA

By Paul Jordan, August 2, 2010

2. Clifts Plantation Burial Ground Marker

All site inhabitants whose graves were located died from prevalent diseases rather than violence. Forensic experts were able to determine the age, race, and gender of those buried by analyzing bone structure and other factors. These photographs are of burials found right here.

Highway 214), on the left when traveling east. The site is open to the public, for a fee. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stratford VA 22558, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Clifts Plantation Site (here, next to this marker); The Stratford Cliffs (approx. ¼ mile away); The Stratford Mill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Controlling the Water Supply to the Mill (approx. 0.4 miles away); Stratford Landing: Significant Events (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Landing: Gateway to the World (approx. 0.4 miles away); Slave Cemetery (approx. 0.6 miles away); Stratford Hall (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stratford.

Also see . . . Stratford Hall Historic Site. (Submitted on August 18, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A..)

Topics. This marker is included in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era

Clifts Plantation Burial Ground Marker (on the left) image. Click for full size.

By Paul Jordan, August 2, 2010

3. Clifts Plantation Burial Ground Marker (on the left)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on August 18, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A.. This page has been viewed 659 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 18, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A.. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.