Monument To The Venerable Hugh Bourne In Primitive Methodist Graveyard

The monument to the Venerable Hugh Bourne is located in the Primitive Methodist graveyard and dates from 1852. It was designed by architect John Walford and is made of ashlar stone with inset lead lettering. The monument features a square base with diagonal buttresses at the corners, each capped by small obelisk finials. On the plinth sits a larger central obelisk, which, as of the last survey in 1985, was fractured and in three pieces. The inscription on the plinth honors Hugh Bourne, who was the chief founder of the Primitive Methodists. It states that he was born on April 3rd, 1772, and died on October 11th, 1852. The inscription notes his significant contributions to promoting camp meetings and various forms of religious worship for half a century, as well as his preaching in Great Britain and America. It also highlights his legacy, which includes 9,916 itinerant and local preachers, 109,984 members in society, and 140,906 Sabbath school teachers and scholars.