The Melville Monument is a large column in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh constructed between 1821 and 1827 as a memorial to Scottish statesman Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville.
Dundas, one of the most prominent Scotsmen of his day, was a dominant figure in British politics during much of the late 18th century. Plans to construct a memorial to him began soon after his death in 1811 and were largely driven by Royal Navy officers, especially Sir William Johnstone Hope. After a successful campaign for subscriptions, construction of the monument began in 1821 but time and costs soon spiralled out of control. The project was not completed until 1827 and not paid off until 1837.
In the 21st century, the monument became the subject of increasing controversy as a result of claims that Dundas had delayed the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. In the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the City of Edinburgh Council affixed a plaque to the monument blaming Dundas for "deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade" as well as "imposing colonial rule on indigenous peoples", in accordance with the recommendations of the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review. Installation of the plaque was completed in October 2021. In March 2023, the council's planning committee voted to remove the contentious plaque, but the council later stated that it did not intend to do so.
Designed by William Burn, the column is modelled after Trajan's Column in Rome. Robert Stevenson provided additional engineering advice during construction. The column is topped by a 4.2 m (14 ft) tall statue of Dundas designed by Francis Leggatt Chantrey and carved by Robert Forrest. The total height of the monument is about 45 m (150 ft). It is one of Edinburgh's most prominent landmarks.
History Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville
Dundas was born on 28 April 1742 at Arniston House, Midlothian, to one of Scotland's most distinguished legal families. After studying at the University of Edinburgh and practising as an advocate, he first entered parliament in 1774.Fry in Matthew and Harrison 2004, xvii p. 274. The following year, Dundas became Lord Advocate and arrogated immense power over Scottish affairs to the office. He also took an interest in the welfare of the Highlands, repealing the Disarming Act in 1781 and founding the Highland Society in 1784. Having tried to prevent widespread electoral manipulation, he abandoned these efforts and instead used such practices to his own ends. By 1796, he had effective control of all but two of Scotland's members of parliament.Fry in Matthew and Harrison 2004, xvii p. 275.
Dundas gained influence under Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger and soon became Home Secretary: in this role, he suppressed popular unrest during the French Revolution.Fry in Matthew and Harrison 2004, xvii p. 276. After France declared war on Britain in 1793, during the French Revolutionary Wars, he supported consolidation of the empire and the union of Great Britain with Ireland alongside Catholic emancipation.Fry in Matthew and Harrison 2004, xvii p. 275-276.
In the Commons, Dundas opposed William Wilberforce's legislative efforts to abolish the slave trade "immediately." He proposed a gradual method that would wind down slavery and the slave trade together, with the slave trade ending by 1800, and while he had some support among abolitionists, Wilberforce and other hardliners opposed his plan, and the West Indian slave interests were also against him.McCarthy, Angela (May 2022). "Bad History: The Controversy over Henry Dundas and the Historiography of the Abolition of the Slave Trade". Scottish Affairs. 31 (2): 133–153 The hardliners amended his plan to have the slave trade end in 1796, but were thwarted by the House of Lords, who refused to consider it.
As First Lord of the Admiralty, he led the strengthening of the Royal Navy in the period before the Battle of Trafalgar. Having been ennobled as Viscount Melville in 1802, Dundas was impeached for misappropriation of naval funds and tried by the House of Lords. Dundas was found not guilty on all charges and re-entered the Privy Council. He died in Edinburgh on 27 May 1811.Fry in Matthew and Harrison 2004, xvii p. 279-280.
Moves to commemorate Dundas
In 1812, Dundas's supporters raised a large obelisk to his memory on his Dunira estate near Comrie, Perthshire.Matheson 1933, p. 407. At the same time, Dundas's family, with support from subscribers among the public, supported the creation of a monument to Dundas in Edinburgh. The result was the marble statue by Francis Leggatt Chantrey in Parliament Hall, completed in 1818.McKenzie et al. 2018, i p. 346. The existence of this memorial later led some to question the relevance of the St Andrew Square project. In March 1821, shortly before construction began, a correspondent in The Scotsman, a Whig newspaper, argued the existence of this statue made another memorial to the same figure in the same city irrelevant.Desmarest 2018, p. 111.
The idea of another monument to Dundas in Edinburgh was first raised at a meeting of the Pitt Club of Scotland in May 1814.McKenzie et al. 2018 ii pp. 413–414. This may have motivated Vice Admiral Sir William Johnstone Hope to initiate a movement for such a monument within the Royal Navy. Hope started the Melville Monument Committee, of which he was convener.Gray 1927, p. 208. In government, Dundas had become known as the "Seaman's Friend" for his advancement of measures to support sailors of the Royal Navy and their dependents.Gray 1927, p. 207.Desmarest 2018, p. 112. In its initial stages, the project was both led by naval officers and supported exclusively by subscriptions from sailors; although civic and legal figures were represented on the committee. Alongside this primarily naval impetus for the monument, The Scotsman noted strong support from Dundas's own family.McKenzie et al. 2018 ii p. 414.
Development
The form and location of the monument were not initially settled and Hope first successfully applied to the town council for a site at the north east edge of Calton Hill. A correspondent in the Caledonian Mercury opposed the Calton Hill site, instead proposing the monument could be built on Arthur's Seat. Further suggestions included Picardy Place or, nearby, the top of Leith Walk.Desmarest 2018, p. 114. By the end of 1818, the committee appeared to have settled on St Andrew Square at the eastern end of Edinburgh's New Town. Around this time, William Burn – an architect sympathetic to Dundas's Tory politics – appears to have been engaged. The form of a column modelled after Trajan's Column was agreed; though Burn's initial plan did not include a statue. The proprietors of the square agreed to the scheme by April 1819.Youngson 2001, pp. 163–164.
In February 1820, the committee announced it was abandoning St Andrew Square in favour a site at the intersection of Melville Street and what is now Walker Street in the West End. At the time, this was an under-developed site on the private property of Sir Patrick Walker outside the boundaries of the city. The committee had been negotiating with Walker since December 1818 but soon after the announcement, many on the committee balked at Walker's insistence that he and his descendants would maintain the monument. This entanglement with a private landowner, they feared, would undermine the monument's public character.Gray 1927, pp. 208–209.Desmarest 2018, p. 115.
The proprietors of St Andrew Square responded by renegotiating the contract for the monument. They offered the site free of charge while the city council agreed to maintain the structure. The contract was agreed in January 1821 and St Andrew Square was finally settled as the site of the monument.McKenzie et al. 2018 ii pp. 414–415.Gray 1927, p. 209. The town council also agreed to accept responsibility for the monument on its completion. William Armstrong was engaged as builder at an agreed cost of £3,192: well within the £3,430 6s 4d the committee had raised. On 28 April 1821, the anniversary of Dundas's birth, Admirals Otway and Milne laid the foundation stone and a time capsule was sealed into the structure; George Baird, Principal of the University of Edinburgh said prayers as part of the ceremony. The day concluded with a celebratory dinner at the Warterloo Tavern.Grant 1880, ii p. 171.Mckenzie et al. 2018, ii p. 415.
Construction
Soon after the contract was signed, Patrick Walker attempted to sue the committee for "breach of engagement" and claim damages of £10,000. In the end, the committee settled for £408, effectively tipping the project into debt.McKenzie et al. 2018, ii pp. 415–416. Debt and delay grew, especially after an assessment by Robert Stevenson recommend strengthening the foundations and constructing the shaft from solid blocks rather than rubble infill as Burn had proposed. These changes added £1,000 to the overall cost.Gray 1927, p. 210. Stevenson's assessment was offered free of charge and had been spurred by the square's residents, many of whom were fearful of the stability of such a large monument.Lindsay 1948, p. 41.Byrom 2005, p. 37 Despite these problems, the committee persevered and, in 1822, agreed to include a statue, designed by Francis Leggatt Chantrey and carved by Robert Forrest.Mckenzie et al. 2018, ii p. 416.
At Stevenson's suggestion, J. & J. Rutherford constructed the column using an iron balance crane such as Stevenson had employed during the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse.Paxton and Shipway 2007, p. 152.Byrom 2005, pp. 38–39. The column, without its statue, was almost complete by the visit of George IV to Edinburgh in August 1822. By August 1824, the statue was under construction at Forrest's workshop near Lesmahagow. In summer 1827, the sculpture was erected at the top of the monument, having been brought from Forrest's workshop in twelve carts and pulled up, block-by-block, via pulleys on an external scaffold. The face was the last block to be installed; beforehand, it had been stored for display in a wooden case in the gardens.McKenzie et al. 2018, ii p. 417.
Before and after the monument's completion, the committee's strong connections with the Royal Navy had made it reluctant to canvass public support to pay off the project's massive debts. In summer 1826, requests for support were therefore sent round every ship in the Navy. The Scotsman and The Times condemned the appeal, arguing it exploited impecunious junior seamen.McKenzie et al. 2018, ii pp. 417–418. In February 1827, the committee finally made an appeal for public support. By April 1834, this and appeals to the Pitt Club had failed to reduce the debt below £1,100. The committee decided to require each of its own members to pay £41 13s 4d under threat of legal action. In the end, this too proved ineffective and only by 1837 were the final costs were paid by six remaining naval officers on a sub-committee.Gray 1927, pp. 211–213.McKenzie et al. 2018, ii pp. 418–419. The ultimate cost of the monument was £8,000.Fry 1992, p. 314.
Initial reception and interpretation