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A figure in seventeenth century dress, holding a book in his right hand and a sword pommel in his left hand. The statue faces north-west. There is a small relief of the City of London arms on the west side, above the inscription. The statue is a replica by Charles Rennick of an original by William Couper made in 1907. Smith, a colonial adventurer, was a Citizen and Cordwainer, and set sail from Blackwall to found the colony of Virginia in 1606. Following a period as a prisoner of the native Americans, he became head of the settler's colony before returning to London in 1609–1610. He was buried in St. Sepulchure's, Holborn in 1631 where his gravestone can still be found. The statue was placed at this location as it was close to the old site of Cordwainers' Hall, and because the church of St.
Title
Captain John Smith (1580–1631)
Date
1960
Medium
bronze & Portland stone
Measurements
H 200 x W (?) x D (?) cm;
Plinth: H 180 x W (?) x D (?) cm
Accession number
EC2V_AY_S023
Acquisition method
presented to the Corporation of London by the Jamestown Foundation of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Work type
Statue
Owner
City of London Corporation
Custodian
City of London Corporation
Work status
extant
Listing status
Grade II (England and Wales)
Unveiling date
31st October 1960
Listing date
05/06/72
Access
at all times
Inscription description
east side of the base (in gold): CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH / CITIZEN AND CORWAINER / 1580–1631 / FIRST AMONG THE LEADERS OF THE SETTLEMENT / AT JAMESTOWN VIRGINIA / FROM WHICH BEGAN THE OVERSEAS EXPANSION / OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLES; west side of the base (in gold): THIS STATUE / PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF LONDON / BY THE JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION / OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA / WAS UNVEILED BY / HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER / ON MONDAY 31ST OCTOBER 1960