A CHURCH monument commemorating the role of a man who quelled a slave revolt will be removed and placed in a museum, it has been announced.

The plaque in St Peter's Church on High East Street in Dorchester commemorates plantation owner John Gordon and his role in the slave trade in Jamaica.

Calls for it to be removed grew after a statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down during a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol in June.

John Gordon died in Dorchester in 1776 and is buried nearby. The memorial glorifies his role in quelling an uprising of slaves in Jamaica.

It reads: "He was signally instrumental in quelling a dangerous rebellion in that island, in the year 1760.

"A large body of negroes whom his bravery had repulsed finally yielding to their confidence in his humanity. This monument is erected as a mark of affection to the memory of the best of brothers."

The Parochial Church Council, chaired by the Archdeacon of Sherborne, the Venerable Penny Sayer, met on Wednesday and the members were presented with three options.

The choices were to leave the memorial in place with accompanying material, to move it to a 'less conspicuous' place in the church, or to move it to the museum

Val Potter, Churchwarden of St Peter's Church, said :"There was the opportunity to contribute to the discussion and everyone who spoke considered the third option the most appropriate.

"The vote was virtually unanimous for that option with I think two abstentions.

"The decision must now go through all the legal processes of the church equivalent of the planning process. The officers are known to be sympathetic to the decision and hope to make the process as smooth as possible but it must give the opportunity for a wide range of consultation.

"The issue of covering it in the meantime was discussed and it was agreed that a temporary cover would be made, but even that requires the appropriate permission."