A blog post by Mr. George Shepherd at Lucknow was where I first learned about this forgotten memorial. The memorial is now located in one corner of Laxman Park, close to Hazratganj. While a mention of Laxman Park doesn't surprise Lucknow-walas, but the existence of this simple memorial is only known to few.
Laxman Ji Park, located opposite K D Babu Stadium
One has to walk right up to the erstwhile Tulsi theater end of the park
Victims of 1857 memorial as it looks today
Reference to the memorial is found in many old books covering the events of 1857. An old photograph is also seen in The Lucknow Album (by Dareoga Ubbas Alli, Assistant Municpal engineer). It reads "On the southern side is an extensive space called the “Place Road”, and close by, on the right, stands a very modest unpretending looking obelisk. This is the – Memorial of the massacre of European captives". Printed in 1874, the book also has old picture of the memorial.
Memorial of the massacre of European captives
Another book 'The Guide to Lucknow' by M. A. Beg, calls it the 'The Memorial in front of the East Gate of the Kaiser Bagh'. It continues to read "The Memorial, erected at the space in front of the East Gate of the Kaiser Bagh, between it and the Tarawali Koti, commemorates the massacres, on the spot, on the 24th September and 16th November 1857, of the two separate parties of European captives".
Surrounded by an old banyan tree, the memorial to the victims stands alongside other memorials built more recently to commemorate Indians who fought against the British in 1857.
The old banyan in the background
In the back are more recent memorials to the Indians who fought in the First war for Indian Independence
Statue of Raja Jey Lal Singh was put up in 2009
Raja Jey Lal Singh was one of the Indian Rajas who was responsible for the killing of the Europeans commemorated on the 'Victims of 1857' memorial. It reads in 'The Lucknow Album' - "It was on this spot that Miss Jackson, Sir Mountstuart Jackson, Mrs. Green, Mrs. Rogers, Captain Patrick Orr, Lieutenant Burns, Mr. Carew, Mr. J. Sullivan and Sergeant Morton, with other persons, captured in the town, and some deserters from the Bailie Guard, were deliberately slaughtered in cold blood. The miscreant, Rajah Jey-lal Singh, who witnessed and instigated this cruel massacre, was, some years afterwards, convicted of the crime, on the evidence of his own followers, and was executed in sight of the spot where stands the memorial of the foul deed: his wide offered five lacs of rupees for a commutation of the sentence, but the offer was indignantly refused; his estate and property were confiscated, and in this world no greater punishment could be inflicted upon him".
In the back are more recent memorials to the Indians who fought in the First war for Indian Independence
Statue of Raja Jey Lal Singh was put up in 2009
Raja Jey Lal Singh was one of the Indian Rajas who was responsible for the killing of the Europeans commemorated on the 'Victims of 1857' memorial. It reads in 'The Lucknow Album' - "It was on this spot that Miss Jackson, Sir Mountstuart Jackson, Mrs. Green, Mrs. Rogers, Captain Patrick Orr, Lieutenant Burns, Mr. Carew, Mr. J. Sullivan and Sergeant Morton, with other persons, captured in the town, and some deserters from the Bailie Guard, were deliberately slaughtered in cold blood. The miscreant, Rajah Jey-lal Singh, who witnessed and instigated this cruel massacre, was, some years afterwards, convicted of the crime, on the evidence of his own followers, and was executed in sight of the spot where stands the memorial of the foul deed: his wide offered five lacs of rupees for a commutation of the sentence, but the offer was indignantly refused; his estate and property were confiscated, and in this world no greater punishment could be inflicted upon him".
Statue of Raja Jey Lal Singh - 2
This spot also happens to be the place, there Raja Jey Lal was executed by the British for his actions during the mutiny. The Guide to Lucknow reads - "On the first day of October 1859, Raja Jialal Singh, a man of large territorial possessions and of great influence with the mutineers, was executed on this very spot, where he has committed the crime. He was one of the leaders of the rebellion, who followed the first party of prisoners to the fatal scene, and mounted one of the gates (since demolished) of the Kaiser Bagh, in order better to feast his eyes on the their dying agonies, and to applaud of his sepoys".
Inscription on south face of the memorial reads - Sacred to the memory of (1) Sir Mountstuart Jackson, Bart; (2) Captain Patrick Orr; (3) Lieutenant G. J. H. Burnes, 1st Bombay Europena Fusiliers; (4) Sergeant-Major Mortan - Victims of 1857
Sir Mountstuart Jackson, Captain Patrick Orr and Sergeant Major Morton fled from Sitapur when troops mutinied at the beginning of June and they were given shelter by the Raja Loni Singh of Mitauli. When Sir Henry Lawrence’s troops were defeated at Chinhat on 30 June, the Raja arranged for the Britons to be taken to Lucknow, where they were killed on or about 16 November supposedly on the orders of Ahmadulla Shah, the Faizabad maulvi. After the Raja was eventually captured by the British, he said he had ‘sold’ the refugees to Begam Hazrat Mahal for Rs8,000. The Lucknow memorial to the murdered men, and others, is inscribed ‘Victims of 1857’ (Source:The 'Other' Victims of 1857 by Rosie Llewellyn-Jones)
Sir Mountstuart Goodricke Jackson, 3rd Bt. was born on 6th January 1836. He was the son of Sir Keith Alexander Jackson, 2nd Bt. and Amelia Lavy Waddell. He was educated at Eton College at Windsor and had joined Bengal Civil Service in 1855.
Inscription on north face of the memorial reads - Sacred to the memory of (1) G. P. Carew, Esq.; (2) Mrs. Greene; (3) Miss Jackson and others, European and Native, faithful servants of Government. Victims of 1857
This spot also happens to be the place, there Raja Jey Lal was executed by the British for his actions during the mutiny. The Guide to Lucknow reads - "On the first day of October 1859, Raja Jialal Singh, a man of large territorial possessions and of great influence with the mutineers, was executed on this very spot, where he has committed the crime. He was one of the leaders of the rebellion, who followed the first party of prisoners to the fatal scene, and mounted one of the gates (since demolished) of the Kaiser Bagh, in order better to feast his eyes on the their dying agonies, and to applaud of his sepoys".
Inscription on south face of the memorial reads - Sacred to the memory of (1) Sir Mountstuart Jackson, Bart; (2) Captain Patrick Orr; (3) Lieutenant G. J. H. Burnes, 1st Bombay Europena Fusiliers; (4) Sergeant-Major Mortan - Victims of 1857
Sir Mountstuart Jackson, Captain Patrick Orr and Sergeant Major Morton fled from Sitapur when troops mutinied at the beginning of June and they were given shelter by the Raja Loni Singh of Mitauli. When Sir Henry Lawrence’s troops were defeated at Chinhat on 30 June, the Raja arranged for the Britons to be taken to Lucknow, where they were killed on or about 16 November supposedly on the orders of Ahmadulla Shah, the Faizabad maulvi. After the Raja was eventually captured by the British, he said he had ‘sold’ the refugees to Begam Hazrat Mahal for Rs8,000. The Lucknow memorial to the murdered men, and others, is inscribed ‘Victims of 1857’ (Source:The 'Other' Victims of 1857 by Rosie Llewellyn-Jones)
Sir Mountstuart Goodricke Jackson, 3rd Bt. was born on 6th January 1836. He was the son of Sir Keith Alexander Jackson, 2nd Bt. and Amelia Lavy Waddell. He was educated at Eton College at Windsor and had joined Bengal Civil Service in 1855.
Inscription on north face of the memorial reads - Sacred to the memory of (1) G. P. Carew, Esq.; (2) Mrs. Greene; (3) Miss Jackson and others, European and Native, faithful servants of Government. Victims of 1857
The ladies and Mr. Carew "were dragged out and murdered in a nullah near the Tara Kothi with 22 others of whom 17 were Europeans or Eurasians. Of the "others" not named one was Sullivan, Roger's stepson, another was possibly Mrs. Rogers". Miss Jackson in the inscription above was Miss Amelia Gerorgina Jackson, sister of Sir Mountstuart Goodricke Jackson. There was another sister Anna Madeline, who managed to escape.
Victims of 1857 memorial
"The form of this memorial was apparently that suggested by Capt Hutchison, merely the names with the addition 'victims of 1857'."
Victims of 1857 memorial
Sir Mountstuart Jackson's first posting was in Sitapur and had been staying there for about four months when the events of 1857 took place. He had been staying with his two sisters of whom we read above. They had "arrived in India from their Paris school at the turn of the year". But by the end of it all it was only Anna Madeline, who survived.
