Police are investigating a missing bronze plaque taken from the base of Edinburgh’s Melville Monument.
The plaque had been erected to clarify the involvement of First Lord of the Admiralty and 1st Viscount Melville, Henry Dundas who stands on top of the 150 feet structure and who was said to be “instrumental” in delaying the abolition of slavery.
The brass plate was removed from the base of the memorial in St Andrew Square earlier this week although it is not known where it was taken. The council clarified it was not responsible for the “improper” removal which it said “would require the council’s consent” and “was not sought or given in this case”.
The Melville Monument Committee, a group founded by Bobby Melville, a descendant of the former Home Secretary, has since claimed responsibility for the “erroneous” plaque’s disappearance, saying in a statement the inscription was written by “non-historians at the height of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020” and was “widely denounced by leading historians”.
Its members said the council “had no authority to install the plaque without consent of the owners in the first place”.
Greens city councillor Claire Miller said she reported the “potential crime” to the police so it could be returned to its “rightful place”.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said it received information “regarding a missing plaque from a monument in St Andrew Square,” adding: “Officers will be speaking to the reporter to gather more detail.”
However, the Committee argued it acted “completely within the law” and claimed to have obtained “all the necessary permits” and ensured the owners of St Andrew Square “had no objection”.
The group hopes to salvage Henry Dundas’ reputation after it was marred by accusations that over half a million Africans were enslaved as a direct result of his support for deferring abolition, which came to prominence following 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in St Andrew Square. You can listen to Professor Sir Geoffrey Palmer explaining the background to Dundas and the effect of his actions in two long listen episodes of The Edinburgh Report podcast:
The plaque, installed by the council following demonstrations, states that the 1st Viscount Melville – the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18th century – was “a contentious figure, provoking controversies that resonate to this day”. It adds: “While Home Secretary in 1792 and first Secretary of State for War in 1796 he was instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.”
Earlier this year plans lodged by the Melville Monument Committee seeking listed building consent for its removal were granted in what the council said was “a technicality”.
In planning terms the principle of removal was deemed acceptable as it would “not adversely impact” the monument. The local authority said as the application wasn’t made by the proprietors of St Andrew Square, who have shared ownership of the statue, the decision did not mean the metal plate could be taken down.
However the Committee claimed to have “all the necessary permits” and said members “ensured that the owners of St Andrew Square, who have ultimate authority, had no objection”. It added: “We acted completely within the law”.
In a statement posted by Bobby Melville on Twitter on Wednesday the group hailed the plaque’s removal as a “historic development and momentous occasion”.
It said: “It is the height of hypocrisy for the City to object to removal of the plaque. The City should be concerned about its own unlawful acts.
“It had no authority to install the plaque without consent of the owners in the first place, and continues to defy an order to remove the large signs about the plaque in St. Andrew Square. It is in no position to object to the removal of the plaque, which we have done in complete compliance with our legal obligations.
“After a committee of city councillors approved the application for removal of the plaque, we, the Melville Monument Committee contacted the owners three times, including through their legal counsel, by registered letter, to give them every opportunity to express opposition to removal. The only responses were from owners who refrained from exercising authority, and did not oppose removal.
“Not one of them objected to us removing the plaque. The owners made it clear they had no objection to removal of the plaque.”
The Committee also said it made a Freedom of Information request “for proof of communication” between the owners and council from when the plaque was installed three years ago.
“They provided nothing,” they said. “They had no record of communication with the owners whatsoever. They did not even have proof that they had given notice to the owners.
“The City has treated the true owners of the monument – who are the proprietors of the buildings that surround the square – as irrelevant, which was improper. It is not the city’s statue. They are only the caretakers. The Square belongs to the owners. The owners, who are the proprietors of the buildings that surround the Square, have the ultimate say.”
by Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
