Monument to Sampson Copestake

The Monument to Sampson Copestake is a very large structure made of polished grey granite, prominently located on the Upper Circle. It has a square shape and features an arca, or tapering chest, beneath a heavy moulded cover. This cover is supported at each corner by three Doric colonnettes. An inscription on the monument commemorates Sampson Copestake, who died in 1874, his wife Anne, who died in 1863, and their son Sampson, who died in 1917. The edge of the cover is decorated with incised Greek key ornament. The arca is set on a tall and richly moulded base, which includes a course of rock-faced rustication just above ground level.