The current limestone monument, which is Grade II listed, was erected in 1847, replacing an earlier structure in the town, designed by John Nash, which was weathering badly.

A statue of Picton, wrapped in a cloak and supported by a baluster above emblems of spears surmounted the column.

[1] Above the entrance door was the name "PICTON", and over this a relief showing the Lieutenant General falling mortally wounded from his horse on the battlefield of Waterloo.

The sculpted bas-reliefs proved "unable to withstand Carmarthen's inclement weather", according to local antiquarians.

While Picton was an important figure in the Napoleonic Wars, his reputation is tarnished by his record in the Caribbean which included the use of torture and mistreatment of enslaved people.

[4] Although removal was on the agenda at Cardiff, where a statue of Picton and his portrait were taken off display,[5] in the case of the Carmarthen obelisk the report did refer to an explicit attempt to remove it from the townscape, but instead gave details of an online petition which objected to the monument's commemoration of Picton.

Hamilton mentioned Picton's patriotism, military successes, courage and death in battle which, in his opinion, "deserve to be perpetuated in public monuments".

These should include "reference to Sir Thomas Picton encompassing his military career as well as his known links with slavery".