Victims of 1857 memorial, Lucknow

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".

 

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

 

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.

Saint Mungo's Church of Scotland, Lucknow Cantonment

 A visit to Lucknow: The Colonial Legacy

St. Mungo is the patron saint of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. In Wales and England, this saint is known by his birth and baptismal name "Kentigern." A number of churches dedicated to St. Mungo exist in the UK, as well as in Canada, New Zealand, and interestingly, in Lucknow, India.

Most citizens of Lucknow may not be even aware of the brooding ruins of St. Mungo's Church, which are still extant in the cantonment area of the city. Details of this church are sparse, but apparently it was consecrated in 1909. It is no secret that Scottish Highlanders had a prominent presence in Lucknow, from 1857 till Independence. The Highland regiments, in kilts, plaid uniforms and playing bagpipes (often called petticoated devils) represented a romantic visual of British exploits in India.

After 1947, the devout had all but vanished, and this church was de-consecrated at some point of time. Now it is no longer a place of worship, but a casual godown for army supplies. A view of the majestic, Gothic ruins give an indication of how this church might have been in its better days. It is too strongly built to collapse and vanish on its own, and it’s too prominent to be bull-dozed and levelled to the ground. Hence, it stands, ignored, its spire towering and dwarfing neighbouring structures. Waiting for its slow, imminent and eventual end.

Is there no way the building can be restored to its former glory - as a tourist attraction or as a war memorial, if not as a church?

Guest Post by Dr. PC Sarkar.

Dr. Sarkar holds a Ph.D in organic chemistry and is presently working as a scientist in the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Govt. of India. He completed his schooling from St. Francis' College, Lucknow , followed by college education from Lucknow Christian College and Lucknow University. He imbibed a passion for the Nawabi and Colonial heritage of Lucknow during his childhood.

All Saints Garrison Church (CNI), Lucknow - current structure dating 1914

All Saints Garrison Church is located in Lucknow Cantonment. Formerly Anglican, it is now part of the Church of North India denomination of Protestant churches in India. Rev. Daniel Subhan is the serving Presbyter in charge. The Church has regular Sunday services. There used to be an English service on Sunday mornings till few years ago, however, both the Sunday services now are now in Hindi.

Please visit my other blog posts for more pictures of the church. Click here and here.

Here’s some history of the church I found on the net. Source here.

The All Saints Garrison Church was designed by James Ransome, Consulting Architect to the Government of India, around 1908. Since Ransome left India for England shortly after, the design was executed by his successors, John Begg and Frank Lishman. Elements of the design were borrowed from Magdalene College, Oxford, and sketches and designs Ransome found in an architecture magazine. The Church was designed in a style that was considered “modern” for the time. However, Ransome’s original design was much more grand (and probably expensive) than what was finally executed by Begg and Lishman. Begg and Lishman simplified the side walls, which Ransome’s original design would have made very expensive to construct. They also lowered the height of the bell tower. But inspite of all their simplifications, the All Saints Garrison Church appears striking and magnificent today. The Church was built between 1911 and 1913, and the cost of construction was Rs. 90,000.

 

Rev. Daniel Subhan before the Church service

 

The Church as it appears from one of the entrance gates

 

The Church as it appears from one of the entrance gates

 

Another view of the Church

 

One of the side entrances to the Church and the Church compound

 

The Apse end of the Church as it appears from outside

 

The Nave as it appears from the main entrance door (under the bell tower)

 

The bell tower

 

The Baptismal font with the Nave of the Church

 

The Baptismal font and the main entrance door behind

 

A close up of the Chancel and the choir pews on both sides

The Church was meant for the use of British Military officers. Now members of all trades worship here. The original structure was built in 1860, as Lucknow Cantonment began to expand, the number of troops increased and the church was expanded to meet their spiritual needs. A prominent feature of the church pews is that every bench has a niche for keeping guns on the upper-back side.

 

The niche to hold the gun

 

View from the chancel

 

Picture taken during one of the Sunday worships. At the lecturn the presbyter in charge and lay leader behind

 

The Holy Altar

 Another view of the Apse and the Holy Altar

 The congregation at the Altar rail

 The Pulpit

 

One of the few memorials in the Church - In memory of the soldiers of No.3 Company 8th Battalion Royal Artillery, killed in 1857 and 1858

 

Another memorial to soldiers of Perthshire Regiment (apology for the poor resolution picture)

 

The Lady Chapel - not in use

The Church is part of the rich Lucknow heritage. While not in the best of condition, it still functions strong and serves to the spiritual needs of all who come here. If you have any old pictures of All Saints, then please share with me on my email: niklucknow@gmail.com. I'll upload them here with due credit. Please leave a comment as well, if you liked my post.