During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, hundreds of people were executed on Gallows Hill in Dorset: it was a time of religious upheaval. During the early 1980s, a nun and a nearby convent campaigned for a memorial to be placed on the spot to remember those who had died.
The sculptor Elisabeth Frink – who lived in Dorset – was approached to create the commission.
Still from HENI Talks' film on Elisabeth Frink's 'Dorset Martyrs Memorial'
The sculptured figures were created using chicken wire and wet plaster before being cast in bronze. Frink added materials like hessian to the plaster to create texture. This is especially apparent in the hooded figure – perhaps an executioner. The other figures appear almost naked, yet their body language – shoulders back and chin up – implies dignity.
When constructing the piece, Frink made smaller versions of the figures to move around until she was satisfied with their placement. In these earlier versions, Frink explored putting crosses on the bodies of the martyrs, but these crosses were removed to enable the piece to suggest other forms of martyrdom beyond that connected to religion.
Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993) 
Elisabeth Frink (1930–1993) 
The placement of the group of figures is significant to the story of the work. Normally, a collective group of figures within the same sculpture will share the same base, yet these figures are all set on the floor, at ground level. By placing us at the same level as the victims, Frink is reminding us of our shared humanity.
Jo Baring, art historian and curator
Subscribe to the HENI Talks YouTube channel to be the first to know about new film releases
