London Historian Mark Richardson was asked to present an update on the Tolpuddle Martyrs Cemetery Restoration Project. As a guest minister at Siloam, he had previously talked about the history of the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the strong connection with our church. Here is what he had to say about the project:
I think I mentioned (when preaching at Siloam) that five of the six ‘martyrs’ came to Upper Canada. One stayed in Britain. Four of the five ‘Martyrs’ who came here were buried either in Siloam Cemetery (Fanshawe Park Road), or Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The fifth martyr, James Brine settled in St. Marys, Ontario and is buried there.
Over the past few years, it became apparent all of the Martyrs’ graves in London needed attention. In fact, James Loveless (brother of George) had no marker whatsoever. It was decided to try and raise money for repairs. A “Go Fund Me” campaign was a possibility; but a lack of charity status would limit the project’s ability to engage donors because no tax receipts could be issued. So, Siloam United was approached to see if it would agree to have a GoFundMe campaign run through it. Happily, Siloam United agreed.
In total, almost $12,000 has been raised, with about 2/3rd coming from relations. The balance has come from labour organizations, corporate matching, interested individuals, and the Siloam United congregation. Any monies left after expenses will remain with the church, in appreciation of its assistance. Another question was: Could better signs be created? There is provincial historical signage at the Siloam cemetery, but it contains errors. Mount Pleasant Cemetery has no signage at all regarding the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Yet, it was decided not to fund signage from the GoFundMe campaign because the stated mandate of the Ontario Heritage Trust is to deal with such issues. Project organizers have been in communication with the Trust and are still awaiting a response.
Let’s look at each of the gravesites:
1. George Loveless at Siloam Cemetery (Along with his wife Elizabeth
George’s stone was weathered and highly stained. In addition, while all the other Martyrs’ stones carried the inscription “TOLPUDDLE MARTYR”, his, ironically, didn’t. So, George’s stone was cleaned and the missing inscription added.
2. Thomas Standfield (George’s brother-in-law) also at Siloam Cemetery (with wife Dinniah Loveless)
For many years Thomas’ burial site was unknown, but in the late 1960s local historian Allen Talbot discovered its whereabouts in Siloam church records. Almost certainly as a result of Talbot’s discovery, the present monument was erected around 1970. The new stone includes the inscription “TOLPUDDLE MARTYR”.
3. John Standfield (nephew of George Loveless) at Mount Pleasant (with wife Elizabeth)
John’s stone is by far the most elaborate. It is a double arch for both he and his wife and it has several sections. It was seriously crowded by a large bush, highly stained, and had a serious lean. So, the bush was removed, the monument re-leveled and the stone cleaned. It was already inscribed with “TOLPUDDLE MARTYR”.
4. James Loveless (brother of George Loveless) at Mount Pleasant (with wife Ann Dagg)
James’ situation was by far the most challenging and expensive part of the project. James had died in 1873 and was initially buried in the Wesleyan Methodist cemetery in East London. However, all the graves in this cemetery were relocated to the new Mount Pleasant Cemetery during the 1874-1879 period. James may have had a marker at Mount Pleasant, once but there was no evidence of it. In effect, he rested in an unmarked grave. So, the project set about getting him his own stone but could not find a living descendant. By law, only a living descendant could allow a gravestone to be created or altered. Fortunately, Mount Pleasant got around this regulation by giving James Loveless a historical designation. Another complication was that the published literature on who was buried with James was incorrect. To set the record straight, the project organizers requested notes be added to the back side of the stone. This was something not done, normally, but in this case Mount Pleasant made an exception.
Notice, the front of James’ stone bears the inscription “He too came out of great tribulation”. This is a reference to his brother George’s stone in the Siloam cemetery which carries an inscription from the Book of Revelation: “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb”. (Rev. 7:14)
The work is now finished and the grave sites much improved.
The organizers would very much like to thank:
• Siloam United Church (Allyn Todd)
• Mount Pleasant Cemetery
• Siloam Cemetery
• Timmins Martelle Heritage Consultants
• Archeology Department, Western University
• Karen Stephens and Maureen Loveless who promoted the project back in Tolpuddle, Dorset
• Ingrid Geuens (Belgium) for her pro bono artwork; and, last but not least,
• All the individual donors who have helped bring this project to a successful conclusion
Signed: Gayle Young, Cindy Hartman, Geoff Anderson