Tomb of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin

You are standing at the memorial for Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in the churchyard of Saint Pancras Old Church. While this site honors one of the most influential feminist philosophers in history, the stone you see marks an empty grave. Wollstonecraft died in 1797, just ten days after giving birth to her daughter, Mary Shelley. For over fifty years, her remains rested in this earth, but in 1851, her grandson had her body disinterred and moved to a family tomb in Bournemouth, ensuring she could finally rest alongside her daughter. The monument remains here as a tribute to her groundbreaking work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, and the profound impact she left on the intellectual world.