Monument To John Hosier, Lee Old Churchyard

779/15/10047 LEE TERRACE 01-JUN-07 LEE Monument to John Hosier, Lee Old Churc hyard

GV II Chest tomb. Erected c.1767 to John Hosier (d.1767), a Barbary merchant. A stone chest tomb with raised fielded panels to the sides and angle balusters, on a moulded plinth, surmounted with a ledger slab with a visible inscription.

HISTORY: Lee old churchyard contains many notable monuments which reflect the area's Georgian past as a place of retirement for City merchants and those involved with Greenwich and the Deptford shipyards. In the centre of the churchyard stand the remains of the tower belonging to the former medieval Church of St Margaret (listed Grade II). The current Church of St Margaret stands to the south side of Lee Terrace (1839-41, listed Grade II*). The churchyard of the current church contains later tombs, being used principally between the 1840s and 1870s. A decline in usage came with the opening of Hither Green Cemetery, Lee in 1873.

SOURCES E and J Birchenough, Monumental Inscriptions in the Old Churchyard, St Margaret's, Lee (1967 typescript in Manor House Library). C P Gwilt (1830), F Bamping (2001) et al, Lee - Kent Archaeological Society website.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The tomb of John Hosier (d.1767), Barbary merchant (involved with north African coast trade), Lee old churchyard, Lewisham, is a stone chest tomb with angle balusters, panelled sides and a legible inscription. The tomb meets the criteria for listing of commemorative monuments as a mid/late C18 chest tomb of good architectural quality. The connection with trade linked to the docks is of added interest.