Monument To William Jenkyn, South Enclosure

This is a late 17th-century chest tomb, situated within the South Enclosure of Bunhill Fields Burial Ground. The monument is constructed from Portland stone and commemorates William Jenkyn (c.1613-85), a prominent figure in English Presbyterianism during and after the Civil War.

The monument is a low, massive stone chest, entirely devoid of ornament or any legible inscription. An upright slab with a shaped top is set at its head.

William Jenkyn was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, and preached in Colchester and London. He advocated religious reintegration with Scotland and a negotiated settlement between Parliament and the Crown, and opposed the establishment of the New Model Army and the Commonwealth. He was arrested and imprisoned for his political views, later becoming a licensed Dissenting preacher. He died in Newgate Gaol and was regarded by his fellow Presbyterians as a martyr.

Bunhill Fields Burial Ground was first enclosed in 1665 and became London's principal Nonconformist cemetery, containing the graves of notable figures such as John Bunyan and Daniel Defoe. It was closed for burials in 1853 and later re-landscaped. The monument is listed at Grade II for its significance as a memorial to a key figure in C17 religious controversies and for its group value with other listed tombs within the South Enclosure of the Grade I registered Bunhill Fields Burial Ground.