A PLAQUE to an 18th Century slaver at a Dorchester church has been partially covered up while permission is obtained to remove it.

The plaque, located at St Peter’s Church in Dorchester, commemorates the role of plantation owner John Gordon in the brutal quelling of a slave revolt in Jamaica in 1760.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) voted last week to remove the plaque from the church and offer it to a museum for educational purposes.

But until it can be removed, the church has made the decision to cover it with a foam board and a newly worded notice.

The name and details of Mr Gordon are still on display but the board covers up the elements regarding the slave revolt.

Calls to have the plaque removed have grown over the past few months, with the Black Lives Matter movement bringing additional focus to the wording of the plaque and the glorification of Mr Gordon’s actions.

The new notice reads: “The remainder of this memorial has been covered as it commemorates actions and uses language which are totally unacceptable to us today.

"Following consultation within the church and the wider community, the Parochial Church Council has agreed to apply for its removal and to offer it to a museum.”

David Rhodes, member of Stand Up to Racism Dorset and attendee of St Peter’s Church, said: “We’re really pleased this got done. We accept there is a process they have to go through and are glad the church has acted on this. They listened to the complaints and did the right thing.

“The Churchwarden, Val Potter, has done a great job in steering through the processes of the church.

“Our view has always been that this plaque is unique, we’re not aware of any plaque in a church in this country that is so explicitly racist and celebratory of these sorts of events.”

The rebellion, known as Tacky’s Revolt, lead to one of the most brutal suppressions of its time and resulted in the deaths of almost 500 enslaved people.

The plaque had previously read: "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."