Robert Fosset Memorial, Billing Road Cemetery

Robert Fosset Memorial, Billing Road Cemetery

A cemetery monument erected in 1923 and sculpted by Charles Robinson of Kettering. The memorial is carved from Italian marble and consists of a weeping horse mounted on a rectangular, stepped and pedimented plinth, which possibly sits atop a brick-lined family vault. The horse has its head bowed with a blanket slipping from its back, symbolising that its race has been run. Originally, the horse's head looked down upon an open book of marble inscribed with "TO OUR DEAR FRIEND, ROBERT FOSSETT. A TOKEN OF RESPECT FROM ALL THE ARTISTS AT E. H. BOSTOCK'S CIRCUS", but this book was subsequently removed or lost. The horse's ears have also been damaged.

Each side of the plinth features raised panels with concave corners. One side panel is inscribed: "IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROBERT FOSSETT, WHO DIED DECEMBER 31ST 1922, AGED 72 YEARS. HE HAS PULLED IN FOR HIS LAST REST AND STILL REMAINS WITH THOSE WHO KNEW AND THOSE WHO LOVED HIM BEST. LOVED DEARLY BY ALL HIS CHILDREN." The other side panel bears the inscription: "IN LOVING MEMORY OF MARY, THE DEARLY BELOVED WIFE OF ROBERT FOSSETT. WHO DIED SEPTEMBER 18TH 1915, AGED 56 YEARS. THE FACE WE LOVED IS NOW LAID LOW, THE FOND TRUE HEART IS STILL, THE HAND THAT OFTEN CLASPED IN OURS, LIES NOW IN DEATH'S COLD CHILL. LIFE'S RACE WELL RUN, LIFE'S WORK WELL DONE, LIFE'S CROWN WELL WON, THEN COMES SWEET REST AT LAST. "HER CHILDREN ARISE UP AND CALL HER BLESSED."" A front panel is inscribed with "HENRY SON OF R. AND M. FOSSETT. DIED NOV 14TH 1890 AGED 4 MONTHS." The front of the plinth features a carving of crossed whips and a horseshoe encircled with oak leaves.

The memorial was commissioned in memory of Robert Fossett, a circus owner, his wife Mary and their son Henry. The Fossetts are a significant circus family whose involvement with circuses dates back to the mid-19th century. Robert Fossett was one of England's best-known circus owners and in his younger years was proclaimed the champion bare-back rider of the world. He styled himself 'Sir' in rivalry with 'Lord' George Sanger, one of the most successful circus entrepreneurs of the 19th century. The erection of this monument initially provoked controversy, with some people objecting to it as a pagan memorial deemed inappropriate for a cemetery.

By the early 20th century, cemetery monument design had become more restrained compared to the exuberance of the great Victorian era, with relatively fewer notable monuments erected. This monument is a notable exception, possessing considerable sculptural merit and visual impact. Its unusual design, which suggests it did not derive from a pattern book, and its use of symbolism give it added architectural interest. Its association with an important circus family provides additional historic significance.