Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade II listed building.Commemorative obelisk, erected 1764

Monument Types

• OBELISK (OBELISK, Post Medieval to Modern - 1794 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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The following text is from the original listed building designation: TQ55 NW RIVERHEAD MARLBOROUGH CRESCENT 771/42/10055 Montreal Park Obelisk In garden of number 81)
II
Obelisk. Erected c1764 by General Amherst and his two brothers to commemorate their part in the North American campaigns which led, by the vanquishing of the French in Montreal, to all Canada falling into British hands. Kentish ragstone obelisk having plinth with cornice and incised marble panels recording General Amherst's victories all set on ragstone base. Inscription on four panels reads :

Dedicated to that most able Statesman during whose
administration Cape Breton and Canada were conquered and
from whose influence the British Arms derived a Degree of
Lustre unparallel'd in past Ages.
Fort Levi surrendered 25th August, 1760.
Isle of Noix abandoned 28th August, 1760.
Montreal surrendered and with it all Canada and
10 French Battalians lay'd down their arms 8th September, 1760.
St. John's, Newfoundland re-taken 18th September, 1762.
Louisburg surrendered and six French Battalions prisoners
of War, 26th July, 1758.
Fort du Quesne taken possession of 24th November, 1758.
Niagara surrendered 25th July, 1759.
Crown Point taken possession of 4th August, 1759.
Quebec capitulated 18th September, 1759
To commemorate the providential and happy meeting
of three Brothers on this, their Paternal Ground on the
25th January, 1764 after a six years glorious War in which
the three were successfully engaged in various Climes,
Seasons and Services.

The main house, Montreal, no longer exists.
[See Pevsner BOE West Kent and the Weald p469.]
Listing NGR: TQ5119855110 (1)

Description from record TQ 55 NW 40:
(TQ 51195506) Obelisk (NAT) (2)

TQ 513550. Obelisk in Montreal Park, Riverhead. (3)

An obelisk of Kentish ragstone erected by Sir Jeffery Amherst and his brothers on their return from the Canadian campaign in 1764. Requires a little recementing and removal of weeds, but otherwise in good condition. Scheduled. (4)

Obelisk, three quarters of a mile south-west of Amherst house, Montreal. Lists General Amherst's victories - ten in four years. (5)

An obelisk of Kentish ragstone erected by sir Jeffrey Amhurst and his brothers on their return from the Canadian campaign in 1764.
Stands on hillock owned by the occupier of adjoining house. (6)

From the National Heritage List for England:

List entry Summary
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Name: Montreal Park obelisk

List entry Number: 1005157

Location


The monument may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County District District Type Parish
Kent Sevenoaks District Authority Riverhead

National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.

Grade: Not applicable to this List entry.

Date first scheduled: 26-Jul-1950

Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry.

Legacy System Information
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System: RSM - OCN

UID: KE 81

Asset Groupings
This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List entry Description
Summary of Monument
Obelisk in Montreal Park, 509m south-east of Little Amhurst.

Reasons for Designation
A commemorative monument is a building or structure erected to commemorate a particular person or event. They include public statues and memorials, funerary monuments in churchyards and cemeteries, and war memorials, some of which are among our finest examples of public art.

Despite some restoration in the past, the obelisk in Montreal Park 509m south-east of Little Amhurst is an imposing commemorative monument, which survives well. It includes some well preserved 18th century masonry work and an inscription commemorating a major international conflict.

History
See Details.

Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 18 December 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a mid 18th century commemorative monument situated on a spur of ground south-west of Mornington Crescent on the western edge of Sevenoaks.

The obelisk is built of Kentish ragstone and is set on a stone plinth with a cornice, affixed to which are four marble tablets bearing an inscription. The plinth stands on a raised platform or base of stone rubble.

The obelisk was erected in about 1764 by Lord Jeffrey Amherst. Amherst was Major-General and Commander-in-Chief of the British expedition charged with engaging French armies in North America. His successes in the conflict, known as the Seven Years War, are recorded on the monument. The obelisk commemorates the reunion and safe return of Jeffrey and his two brothers from the war on 25th January 1761. It was set up within Montreal Park, the name Amherst gave to his estate in celebration of the capture of Montreal on 8th September 1760.

The inscription on the marble panels reads:

‘Dedicated to that most able Statesman during whose administration Cape Breton and Canada were conquered and from whose influence the British Arms derived a Degree of Lustre unparallel'd in past Ages.

Fort Levi surrendered 25th August, 1760. Isle of Noix abandoned 28th August, 1760. Montreal surrendered and with it all Canada and 10 French Battalians lay'd down their arms 8th September, 1760. St. John's, Newfoundland re-taken 18th September, 1762.

Louisburg surrendered and six French Battalions prisoners of War, 26th July, 1758. Fort du Quesne taken possession of 24th November, 1758. Niagara surrendered 25th July, 1759. Crown Point taken possession of 4th August, 1759. Quebec capitulated 18th September, 1759

To commemorate the providential and happy meeting of three Brothers on this, their Paternal Ground on the 25th January, 1764 after a six years glorious War in which the three were successfully engaged in various Climes, Seasons and Services.’

The obelisk is Grade II listed. (7)

<1> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

<2> OS 1:10000 1975 (OS Card Reference). SKE48160.

<3> DOE(IAM) AMs Eng 2 1978 114 (OS Card Reference). SKE41416.

<4> DOE(IAM) Record Form (OS Card Reference). SKE41430.

<5> Bldgs of Eng W Kent & the Weald 1980 469 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE37906.

<6> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<7> Historic England, National Heritage List for England (Index). SKE29372.

Sources and further reading