Pioneering Jamaican Bishop Honoured With Prestigious Blue Plaque in the UK

A Blue Plaque has been unveiled in the city of Wolverhampton, England, in honour of the late Jamaican Rev. Dr. Oliver A. Lyseight, a founding member of the New Testament Church of God (NTCG) in Britain.

The unveiling took place last Friday, September 20, during a special service at the NTCG Harvest Temple in Wolverhampton.

A Blue Plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom (UK) to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as an historical marker.

Dr. Lyseight is the first person of the Wolverhampton ethnic minority community to receive the prestigious honour.

“I am very proud that it is a Jamaican of the calibre of Bishop Lyseight, who will become the first citizen from the local black and minority ethnic community in Wolverhampton to be recognised with a Blue Plaque,” said Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the UK, Her Excellency Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, who was the special guest at the ceremony.

“He is indeed worthy of the honour,” she added. “His life, his work and his achievements are inspirational and should serve as a guide, not only to the Jamaican and Caribbean community, but also to the wider society.  Bishop Lyseight was truly a great Black Briton, a great Jamaican and a great person,” the High Commissioner added.

The date of the unveiling coincides with the establishment of the first meeting of the church in Wolverhampton exactly 60 years ago. When faced with racism,

Dr. Lyseight devoted his efforts to supporting the black community in their attempts to practise their faith. The New Testament Church of God now has 107 branches across the UK.

Other speakers included the Administrative Bishop of the NTCG, Dr. Eric Brown; and Rev. Millicent Brown, who paid special tribute to Rose Lyseight, the widow of Dr. Lyseight.

Local Member of Parliament, Emma Reynolds, also read a special tribute from the leader of the British Labour Party, Ed Millerand.

The Blue Plaque was spearheaded by Councillor Patrick Vernon, who made the case to the Wolverhampton Civic and Historical Society.

Dr. Lyseight was born in Claremont, Hanover, in 1919. He was the fourth of 12 children. He began his Ministry work in Jamaica in 1941 and after working as a War Food Administration Worker in the United States during World War II, he returned to continue his Ministry work in Jamaica. He became a Licensed Minister in 1946.

Dr. Lyseight went to Britain in 1951. He died in 2006 after a long illness.