Monument To Daniel Defoe, Central Broadwalk

Monument to Daniel Defoe, Central Broadwalk

This obelisk monument commemorates Daniel Defoe, the influential 17th and 18th-century writer. Designed by CC Creeke of Bournemouth and carved by Samuel Horner, it was erected in 1870.

The monument consists of a tall obelisk of Sicilian marble standing approximately five metres high. It rises from a three-stage stepped base set upon a square pedestal with projections resembling coffin-lid ends. The whole structure rests on a rectangular plinth and is enclosed by low ornamental wrought-iron railings topped with fleur-de-lys finials. The main inscription on the shaft identifies "Daniel De-Foe" as "author of Robinson Crusoe", while a secondary inscription on the pedestal records the appeal made through Christian World magazine that led to the monument's construction.

Daniel Defoe (1660?–1731) was a foundational figure in English prose literature whose influence shaped both British journalism and the development of the novel. Born into a prosperous merchant family, he was educated at Charles Morton's Academy at Newington Green with a view to the Nonconformist ministry, but instead entered trade, pursuing interests in haberdashery, shipping and brickmaking. Defoe participated in the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion of 1685 against King James II's discriminatory policies towards Nonconformists. He subsequently wrote political pamphlets supporting religious freedom, and his satirical work "The Shortest Way with Dissenters" resulted in his being pilloried in 1703. His prolific output comprised at least 318 titles including trade literature, travel writing, economics, political theory, satire, poetry and experimental prose narratives such as Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders, which established the foundations of the modern novel. His thrice-weekly magazine The Review pioneered periodical journalism, while his longer works including A Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain and A Journal of the Plague Year remain significant historical documents. Throughout his career he worked as a pamphleteer, political informer and agent for both Whig and Tory administrations.

Defoe's reputation grew substantially after his death, particularly through Robinson Crusoe's popularity as a children's book. By the mid-19th century, his simple family headstone in Bunhill Fields was considered inadequate recognition of his literary importance. A subscription was organised among readers of the children's magazine Christian World, who were invited to contribute "not less than sixpence" towards a grander memorial. More than £150 was raised, considerably exceeding expectations. Samuel Horner was commissioned to carve the marble obelisk to Creeke's design. The monument was unveiled on 16 September 1870, with three of Defoe's great-granddaughters present. Contemporary accounts report that during excavation, the sculptor discovered a coffin apparently bearing Defoe's name; the assembled crowd wished to take the remains as relics, but police intervention prevented this.

Bunhill Fields was enclosed as a burial ground in 1665. Its location outside the City boundary and independence from any Established church made it London's principal Nonconformist cemetery, containing the graves of John Bunyan, Isaac Watts, William Blake and other significant religious and intellectual figures. Burials ceased in 1853, the site was converted to a public park in 1867, and it was subsequently re-landscaped by Bridgewater and Shepheard in 1964–5 following war damage.