Weymouth Ceremony in UK: Buxton Anti-Slavery Monument Unveiled

• In a dedication ceremony held on Monday 5th June 2017, the Thomas Fowell Buxton Society unveiled a monument in memory of the former Weymouth MP
• Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton was an anti-slavery campaigner in the 19th century and a great philanthropist
• The entire funding of the monument is paid for in the form of donations and fundraising

Who was Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton?

Sir Buxton was a former Member of Parliament for Weymouth, United Kingdom (Position he held from 1818-1837). He was famous for his anti-slavery campaigns and his successful contributions in the abolishment of slavery throughout the British Empire by 1833 (with the exception of India). The people of Weymouth loved him and have "grown up with his legacy".

He was the founding member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals which later became Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). Late Sir Buxton was "a man of great integrity," said Dr. John Fannon, the Society Founding Member. He was also a "great philanthropist".

About the Monument:

Family, friends and the society of Weymouth gathered to celebrate the unveiling ceremony of the monument in Weymouth's Bincleaves Green. This is not the first monument in memory of Sir Buxton. His memorials can be seen in London, Jamaica, and Sierra Leone too. According to BBC, the monument costs £90,000. It was funded in the form of donations and fundraising events.

Peter Loizou, a former Weymouth College student, is the man behind the design of the monument. The stone for the monument comes from Albion Stone, Portland.

A total of 144 stones were used to build the monument. The stones were carved by the student of Weymouth College under the supervision and expertise of Master Craftsman Richard Mortimer.

The monument had been under construction since the year 2010 and was completed by November 2016.

To know more about Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, click here. We would like to thank Dr. John Fannon, Founding Member of The Thomas Fowell Buxton Society for his support to this article.

– by Saksham Narula of NewsGram. Twitter: @Saksham2394