Monday 27 July 2015

Kensal Green Reformers Found


Long on the to-do list has been a visit to the wonderful Kensal Green Cemetery, it's Dissenters Chapel, monument to Robert Owen and the Reformers Memorial. Driving from Neasden to Hammersmith with a bit of time to spare I took the opportunity. 

I parked and started walking towards the sign-posted Dissenters Chapel. I guessed that the other monuments wouldn't be too far from there. Getting an idea of scale and seeing that the Chapel was right down by the main gate, I headed back to the van. I drove to the 'main gate' only to find that all vehicular access was via the gate I had already been into. I drove back up the road and then slowly back down through the cemetery. Not wanting to waste too much more time I enquired in the office as to the location of the monuments. Armed with a printed out map and short information sheet I set off again...   



The two side-by-side monuments, in this not-so-elaborate end of the graveyard, are hard to miss.
It was almost chilling to see the names of many people that we have come across in our research all listed in stone in one place but I was now in too much of a hurry to be truly moved. Details of the two obelisks and their inscriptions can be found on the Wikipedia page linked to above.

My next task is to work on connects of those people listed back to John Brooks. We already have links to my favourite vegetarian Julian Hibbert, John's fellow accused William Devonshire Saull, John's publishing of Robert Owen's works, his associations with Richard Carlile and John's son Vincent staying on John Minter Morgan's farm. Hopefully more to follow....





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