The Smelt Monument was erected on a site which was formerly occupied by an ancient market cross. It was on this site in 1617 that Margaret Inequane and her son were burned at the stake having been found guilty of witchcraft. After the death of Cornelius Smelt in 1832, Sir William Hillary, a friend of Smelt's, proposed that a memorial be built in his honour. A meeting was called at the Seneschal's Office, Seneschal Lane, Douglas, on 18 August 1835, where it was decided that a column should be erected, financed partly from funds then being held in Holmes' Bank and intended for a portrait of Smelt. A further £200 was raised, and John Welch, an architect, drew up two designs, one for an obelisk, and the other a Grecian Doric. Following deliberation the Grecian Doric design was decided upon, and the contract was awarded to John Thomas, the consideration being £180. At a further meeting at the George Inn in Castletown it was resolved to site the monument at the intersection of the College and Castletown Roads, near Hango Hill, and space was set aside for the construction. However this met with a strong objection from Deemster John Christian. Deemster Christian suggested the monument be sited either in front of King William's College or on The Parade. It was subsequently decided to site the monument on The Parade, Castletown, facing Castle Rushen. Welch was well known to Sir William Hillary being responsible for the design of the Tower of Refuge, and the architect's services were requisitioned for the Smelt Memorial Scheme. A request was made to Welch by the committee to: It was fully intended that there was to be an official first stone laying, to be undertaken by Sir William. But there was such a delay in arranging this that the contractor had to start work, and by the end of October 1836, the masons had a portion of the column built. No formal stone laying ceremony was carried out. The work was completed in early January 1837.
Statue
Various rumours persist regarding the placing of a statue of Cornelius Smelt on top of the monument; a particular one suggests that funds had been exhausted and there was no money available for a statue. Therefore the following letter from Sir William Hillary to John McHutchin, the Clerk of the Rolls on the subject of a surmounting statue is of particular interest. Sir William Hillary did not receive sufficient support for his scheme to erect a statue. The reference in his letter to a "portrait in the possession of Capt. Bacon;" concerns the Smelt Portrait, a painting of Cornelius Smelt by Thomas Barber. In addition to the Smelt Monument, John Welch designed numerous buildings on the Isle of Man; two of the most prominent being the Tower of Refuge and King William's College.
