Newman's friend, Charles Greenberry, appears to have been the
owner of "Whitehall," afterwards the home of Governor Sharpe;
for upon his death, in 1713, he left it to the church.
Whether it was ever used as the glebe of St. Margaret's,
Westminster, or was turned to money for the use of the parish,
cannot be ascertained now; but the present
graveyard at "Whitehall" dates from the time of Governor
Sharpe's ownership. Nearly a century and a half ago the first
interment took place there.
It was that of an indentured servant, name unknown, whose only
monument is the beautiful carving in the hall and adjoining
rooms of the mansion.
His pathetic history has been handed down as one of the legends
of the place. Transported to this country as a convict, though
innocent, he served his term in creating these
forms of beauty, which were completed just before his death. The
proof of his innocence came only in time to gladden his last
hours. By his side lies a faithful old gardener—
a re-demptioner [sic]also.
Governor Sharpe returned to England just before the Revolution
and the estate passed into the hands of his secretary, John
Ridout. The first family grave is that of Meliora
Ogle, youngest daughter of John and Mary Ridout, born August 14,
1780, and died July 11, 1781. A kindly letter of condolence
written at the time by Governor Sharpe to his
former secretary, is characteristic of the loyal friendship
borne by him through life. On October 7, 1797, John Ridout
himself was laid in the same ground, but having witnessed
even at this early day the frequent mutilation of family
graveyards, especially that on the neighboring estate of
Greenberry's Point, he positively directed that no tombstones be
erected on his or other graves at " Whitehall," an order
religiously obeyed by four generations. This, of course,
obscures the identity of individual graves. However, the
interment of direct descendants only, besides a few family
connections, has kept the names in memory by a simple
arrangement of family groups. St. Margaret's, Westminster,
Parish Register adds also to our knowledge of who is buried
there, as the following extract shows:
"Be it remembered that John Ridout, Esquire, a native of
Dorset, in England, departed this life on the seventh day of
October, Anno Domini 1797 and was buried at Whitehall
in this Parish, the funeral ceremony being solemnized by the
Rev. Ralph Higgenbottom of St. Ann's Parish. And Mary Ridout
(his relict), Daughter of Samuel Ogle Esquire
and Ann his wife, departed this Life in the month of Aug. 1808
and was buried at' Whitehall.' " On the shore of South river, on
his old plantation of "Brampton," lie presumably the remains of
John Macubin, or Mackubin, the original owner of the land in
1658, and the founder of the family in Maryland. John Mackubin
died in 1685, and, dividing his property among his five sons
(each one of whom apparently elected to spell his name
differently, as their signatures appear William Macubin, Samuel
Mackieubin, Zachariah Maccubbin and Moses McCubbin, in old
parchment deeds in the possession of their various descendants),
left this the homestead to his oldest son John Mackubin. The old
graveyard lies in the middle of a ploughed field
on the farm now belonging to Mr. Thomas Gaither, beyond " Three
Oaks," and though intact and unmolested at the last visit of the
chairman of the Memorial Committee, it was
uninclosed [sic]and overgrown with trees and brambles and bore
no sign of having once served as a graveyard, save the oblong
holes or indentations which mark the graves of those buried
there. The tenant on the place bore witness that there were old
stones there within his memory, but they were carried away and
used in the foundations of some neighboring houses.
