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LONDON
AND ITS
ENVIRONS
DESCRIBED.
VOL. I.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: _S. Wale delin._ _C. Grignion sc._]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON
AND ITS
ENVIRONS
DESCRIBED.
CONTAINING
An Account of whatever is most remarkable
for GRANDEUR, ELEGANCE, CURIOSITY
or USE,
In the CITY and in the COUNTRY
Twenty Miles round it.
COMPREHENDING ALSO
Whatever is most material in the History and Antiquities
of this great Metropolis.
Decorated and illustrated with a great Number of
Views in Perspective, engraved from original
Drawings, taken on purpose for this Work.
Together with a PLAN of LONDON,
A Map of the ENVIRONS, and several other
useful CUTS.
In SIX VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
Printed for R. and J. DODSLEY in Pall-Mall.
-------
M DCC LXI.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO HIS
ROYAL HIGHNESS
GEORGE,
PRINCE OF WALES,
THIS WORK IS MOST HUMBLY
INSCRIBED, BY
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS’s
MOST DEVOTED
AND OBEDIENT
HUMBLE SERVANTS,
THE PROPRIETORS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREFACE.
IT is hoped that the great variety of new, useful, curious and
entertaining articles which will be found in the following work, will
entitle it to a favourable reception from the public. No pains nor
expence have been spared to give it as much accuracy and perfection as
the nature of such a work will admit of. And though we do not flatter
ourselves that it will be absolutely free from errors or imperfections,
yet we doubt not but the candid reader will find so much to commend,
that he will easily be inclined to excuse some unavoidable deficiencies.
The Environs of London, though they contain many of the most remarkable
seats and places in the kingdom, have never before been included in any
account of that metropolis; and we are persuaded, that the most
intelligent enquirer will here find numberless curiosities, not hitherto
taken notice of by any other writers: besides, we have not only been
particular in our descriptions of whatever is remarkable twenty miles
round; but to assist his observation, we have added a map, which we
flatter ourselves will be found to have some advantages over any other
that has yet appeared. This map, and these descriptions, will serve both
as a guide and an instructor to the travelling Virtuosi, whether natives
or foreigners, in their little excursions to any part of these
delightfully adorned and richly cultivated environs.
In order to render the knowledge of this metropolis as complete as
possible, we have necessarily been obliged, in conformity with our plan,
to treat of what may to some appear little and uninteresting, as well as
of what is great and important. Among these the citizens are
particularly interested in knowing the extent and limits of the wards in
which they reside: and it was absolutely necessary to mention in their
proper places all the several companies that compose their whole body:
and as every inhabitant of the kingdom may, at one time or another, have
occasion to visit or write to their friends or relations residing in
this great city, the names and situation of all the several streets,
lanes, rows, courts, yards and allies could not be omitted. With regard
to these an ingenious gentleman has furnished us with a key, which has
let us into the origin of many of their names; and this part of our work
is farther illustrated by a new and correct plan.
The prints with which the whole is decorated, are all engraved by the
best hands, after original drawings, which were taken on purpose for
this work, from the several objects themselves, at a very great expence;
and we imagine they will not only be considered as an ornament, but that
they will be found of use in illustrating the verbal descriptions.
We beg leave in this place to make our grateful acknowledgments to
several of the nobility and gentry, who have been pleased to favour us
on this occasion with lists and accounts of their pictures, curiosities,
&c. which have greatly enriched and added a value to our work; and being
entirely new, cannot but be acceptable to the public.
[Illustration: _S. Wale delin._ _J. Green sc. Oxon._ _The Abby Church of
S^t. Peter’s, Westminster._]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON
AND ITS
ENVIRONS
DESCRIBED, &c.
† _Those with this mark generally derived their name from the ground
landlord, who built the street, lane, or alley, &c._
* _From signs._
☐ _From neighbouring places, as churches, &c._
‡ _From trees formerly growing there._
║ _From ridicule._
§ _From their situation, as backwards, forwards, with respect to other
streets._
A
ABBEY _Church of St. Peter’s, Westminster_. Many have been the fables
invented and propagated by the monks, relating to the original
foundation of this ancient edifice; but the most probable account is
given by those who place it under Sebert, King of the East Saxons, who
died in 616. These say, that this Prince being converted to christianity
by Austin’s discourses, and his uncle Ethelbert’s example, erected this
church on the ruins of a temple dedicated to Apollo, in the island of
Thorney, and caused Mellitus, Bishop of London, to consecrate it to St.
Peter.
As many ridiculous miracles have been related of its foundation, it is
the less surprizing that its dedication should also be represented as
miraculous, and that St. Peter himself, five hundred years after his
decease, should be represented by the monks, as doing honour to the new
fabric, by performing the ceremony himself. For according to the legend,
the King having ordered Mellitus to perform the ceremony, St. Peter
over-night called upon Edricus, a fisherman, and desired to be ferried
over to Thorney, which happened to be then overflowed by the heavy rains
that had lately fallen; the fisherman consented, and having carried over
the Apostle, he saw him consecrate the church amidst a grand chorus of
celestial music, and a glorious appearance of heavenly lights. After
which the Apostle returning, discovered himself to the fisherman, and
bid him tell Mellitus what he had heard and seen, and as a proof of his
divine mission, gave him a miraculous draught of salmon, and then
assured him, that none of his profession should ever want that kind of
fish in the proper season, provided they made an offering of the tenth
fish for the use of the new church; which custom, it seems, was
continued by the fishermen four hundred years after.
This church and its monastery were afterwards repaired and enlarged by
Offa, King of Mercia, but being destroyed by the Pagan Danes, they were
rebuilt by King Edgar, who endowed them with lands and manors, and in
the year 969 granted them many ample privileges.
The church and monastery having again suffered by the ravages of the
Danes, were again rebuilt by Edward the Confessor, who pulled down the
old church, and erected a most magnificent one, for that age, in its
room, in the form of a cross, which afterwards became a pattern for that
kind of building. The work being finished in the year 1065, he caused it
to be consecrated with the greatest pomp and solemnity, and by several
charters not only confirmed all its ancient rights and privileges, but
endowed it with many rich manors, and additional immunities: ordained
that all its lands and possessions, should be subject to none but its
own jurisdiction, and the convent be free from the authority of the
Bishop of London; and the church, by a bull of Pope Nicholas I. was
constituted the place for the inauguration of the Kings of England. In
short, he gave it a charter of sanctuary, in which he declares, that any
person whatsoever, let his crimes be ever so great, who takes sanctuary
in that holy place, shall be assured of life, liberty, and limbs, and
that none of his ministers, nor those of his successors, should seize
any of his goods, lands or possessions, under pain of everlasting
damnation, and that whoever presumed to act contrary to this grant,
should lose his name, worship, dignity, and power, and with the traitor
Judas, be in the everlasting fire of hell. This was the pious language
of St. Edward the Confessor, and from this charter, Westminster Abbey
became an asylum for traitors, murderers, robbers, and the most
abandoned miscreants, who lived there in open defiance of the laws.
This, and King Edward’s other charters, in which he recites the
ridiculous story of its consecration by St. Peter, as above related, its
destruction by the Danes, the grants and privileges of his predecessors,
and those bestowed by himself, drew people thither from all parts, so
that in a short time there was not sufficient room in the Abbey church
for the accommodation of the numerous inhabitants, without incommoding
the monks; he therefore caused a church to be erected on the north side
of the monastery, for the use of the inhabitants, and dedicated it to
St. Margaret.
William the Conqueror, to shew his regard to the memory of his late
friend King Edward, no sooner arrived in London, than he repaired to
this church, and offered a sumptuous pall, as a covering for his tomb;
he also gave fifty marks of silver, together with a very rich altar
cloth, and two caskets of gold; and the Christmas following was solemnly
crowned there, his being the first coronation performed in that place.
The next Prince who improved this great work, was Henry III. who in the
year 1200 began to erect a new chapel to the blessed Virgin; but about
twenty years after, finding the walls and steeple of the old structure
much decayed, he pulled them all down, with a design to enlarge, and
rebuild them in a more regular manner; but he did not live to accomplish
this great work, which was not compleated till 1285, about fourteen
years after his decease. And this is the date of the building as it now
stands.
About the year 1502, King Henry began that magnificent structure which
is now generally called by his name; for this purpose, he pulled down
the chapel of Henry III. already mentioned, and an adjoining house
called the White Rose Tavern; this chapel, like the former, he dedicated
to the blessed Virgin, and designing it for a burial place for himself
and his posterity, he carefully ordered in his will, that none but those
of royal blood should be permitted to lie there.
At length on the general suppression of religious houses, the Abbey was
surrendered to Henry VIII. by William Benson, the Abbot, and seventeen
of the monks, in the year 1539, when its revenues amounted to 3977_l._
6_s._ 4_d._ ¾ _per annum_, a sum at least equal to 20,000_l._ a year at
present. Besides its furniture, which was of inestimable value, it had
in different parts of the kingdom, no less than two hundred, and sixteen
manors, seventeen hamlets, and ninety-seven towns and villages. And tho’
the Abbey was only the second in rank, yet in all other respects it was
the chief in the kingdom; and its Abbots having episcopal jurisdiction,
had a seat in the house of Lords.
The Abbey thus dissolved, that Prince erected first into a college of
secular Canons, under the government of a Dean, an honour which he chose
to confer on the last Abbot. This establishment, however, was of no long
duration, for two years after he converted it into a bishopric, which
was dissolved nine years after by Edward VI. who restored the government
by a Dean, which continued till Mary’s accession to the crown; when she,
in 1557, restored it to its ancient conventual state; but Queen
Elizabeth again ejected the monks, and in 1560 erected Westminster Abbey
into a college, under the government of a Dean, and twelve secular
Canons or Prebendaries, a Schoolmaster, Usher, and forty Scholars,
denominated the Queen’s, to be educated in the liberal sciences
preparatory to the university, and to have all the necessaries of life,
except cloathing, of which they were to have only a gown every year. To
this foundation also belong choristers, singing-men, an organist, twelve
almsmen, &c.
The Abbey church, which was stripped of many of its decorations by Henry
VIII. and was much damaged both within and without during the unhappy
civil commotions that defaced the ancient beauty of most of the
religious houses in this kingdom, has continued from the death of Henry
VII. almost to the present time, without any other considerable repairs,
and was gradually falling to ruin, when the Parliament interposed, and
ordered a thorough reparation at the national expence.
This venerable fabric has been accordingly new coated on the outside,
except that part called Henry the Seventh’s chapel, which is indeed a
separate building: and the west end has been adorned with two new
stately towers that have been lately rebuilt, in such a manner as to be
thought equal in point of workmanship to any part of the ancient
building; but though such pains have been taken in the coating, to
preserve the ancient Gothic grandeur, that this church in its distant
prospect has all the venerable majesty of its former state, yet the
beautiful carving with which it was once adorned, is irretrievably lost;
the buttresses, once capped with turrets, are now made in plain
pyramidical forms, and topped with freestone; and the statues of our
ancient Kings that formerly stood in niches, near the tops of those
buttresses, are for the most part removed, and their broken fragments
lodged in the roof of Henry the Seventh’s chapel. Three of these statues
are still standing next the towers on the north side, and indeed that is
the only side where you can take a view of the Abbey, the other side
being so incumbered with buildings, that even its situation cannot be
distinguished.
What next to the new towers principally engages the attention on the
outside, is the Gothic portico which leads into the north cross, which
by some has been stiled _the Beautiful_, or _Solomon’s Gate_. This was
probably built by Richard II. as his arms carved in stone was formerly
over the gate. It has been lately beautified, and over it is a new
window admirably well executed. Besides these there is little in the
outward appearance capable of engaging the attention, and its principal
beauties are to be found within.
The author of the work entitled _English Architecture_, seems to prefer
the Gothic to the Grecian architecture, as most suited to the purposes
of devotion, and gives this edifice as an instance, “There is in it,
says he, a majesty and grandeur, a sedate, and if we may so speak,
religious dignity, which immediately strikes the imagination; and never
failed to impress on the most insensible observer, that holy awe which
should attend, and which always disposes the mind to devotion.” But this
holy awe, thus mechanically incited, would be as friendly to Paganism as
to Christianity; and indeed, this awe is so far from being holy, that it
is a thing entirely distinct from rational piety and devotion, and may
be felt without any inclination to enter the choir.
Indeed the multiplicity of puerile ornaments profusely lavished, the
strong and beautiful perspective, and that romantic air of grandeur so
visible in this structure, and above all the height of the middle isle
at our first entrance, fill the eye, strike us in a very forcible
manner, and at once raise our admiration and astonishment. To which let
it be added, that the ranges of venerable monuments on each hand, some
of them most magnificent, have a natural tendency to strike the mind
with an uncommon degree of solemnity, and to raise the most serious
reflections.
The extent of the building is very considerable; for it is 360 feet
within the walls, at the nave it is 72 feet broad, and at the cross 195.
The Gothic arches and side isles are supported by 48 pillars of grey
marble, each composed of clusters of very slender ones, and covered with
ornaments. The moment you enter the west door the whole body of the
church opens itself at once to your view, the pillars dividing the nave
from the side isles being so formed as not to obstruct the side
openings, nor is your sight terminated to the east, but by the fine
painted window over Edward the Confessor’s chapel, which anciently, when
the altar was low, and adorned with the beautiful shrine of that
pretended saint, must have afforded one of the finest prospects that can
be imagined.
The pillars are terminated to the east by a sweep, enclosing the chapel
of Edward the Confessor, in a kind of semicircle. And it is worthy of
observation, that as far as the gates of the choir, the pillars are
filletted with brass, but all beyond with stone. Answering to the middle
range of pillars, there are others in the wall, which as they rise,
spring into semiarches, and are every where met in acute angles by their
opposites, and meeting in the roof are adorned with a variety of
carvings. On the arches of the pillars are galleries of double columns
fifteen feet wide, covering the side isles, and enlightened by a middle
range of windows, over which there is an upper range of larger windows,
and by these, together with the four capital windows, facing the north,
east, south and west, the whole fabric is so admirably enlightened, that
in the day you are never dazzled with its brightness, nor incommoded by
its being too dark. But before we leave these capital windows, which are
all finely painted, it is necessary to observe, that in the great west
window is a curious painting of Edward III. to the left of which in a
smaller window is a painting of one of our Kings, supposed to be Richard
II. but the colours being of a water blue the features of the face
cannot be distinguished. On the other side the great window is a lively
representation of Edward the Confessor in his robes, and under his feet
are painted his arms. At the bottom of the walls between the pillars are
shallow niches, arched about eight or ten feet high, on which the arms
of the original benefactors are depicted, and over them are their
titles, &c. but these are almost all concealed by the monuments of the
dead placed before them, many of which are extremely noble, and which we
shall particularly examine after having gone through the several parts
of the edifice.
After viewing the open part of the church, the next thing to be seen is
the choir, which can only be done during the times of divine service.
The grand entrance into it is by a pair of fine iron gates, on each side
of which is a very magnificent tomb. The floor is paved with the finest
black and white marble. The ancient stalls are covered with Gothic acute
arches, supported by small iron pillars, and are painted purple; but
what is most worthy of observation, is an ancient portrait near the
pulpit, of Richard II. sitting in a gilt chair, dressed in a green vest
flowered with gold, with gold shoes powdered with pearls. This piece is
six feet eleven inches in length, and three feet seven inches in
breadth; but the lower part is much defaced.
The next thing worthy of observation is the fine altar enclos’d with a
curious balustrade, within which is a pavement of mosaic work, laid at
the expence of Abbot Ware, in the year 1272, and is said to be one of
the most beautiful of its kind in the world: the stones of which it is
composed are porphyry, jasper, lydian and serpentine. The altar is a
beautiful piece of marble, removed from Whitehall, and presented to this
church by order of her majesty Queen Anne. On each side of the altar are
doors, opening into St. Edward’s chapel.
_Of the several Chapels in Westminster Abbey._ Besides that of Henry
VII. which, as we have already observed, is a separate building, and
will therefore be mentioned by itself when we have finished our survey
of the Abbey, there are ten chapels, round that of St. Edward the
Confessor, which stands as it were in the center, and, as has been said,
is inclosed in the body of the church, at the east end of the choir,
behind the altar; these, beginning from the north cross, and passing
round to the south cross, are in the following order: St. Andrew’s, St.
Michael’s, St. John the Evangelist’s, Islip’s chapel, St. John the
Baptist’s, St. Paul’s, Henry the Fifth’s, St. Nicholas’s, St. Edmund’s,
and St. Benedict’s.
_The Chapel of St. Edward._ The first curiosity that here fixes our
attention, is the ancient shrine erected by Henry III. upon the
canonization of Edward King of England, the third of that name before
the conquest, and the last of the Saxon race; a Prince who owed the
title of Confessor and Saint, to the vast sums he bestowed on the
church, and the sollicitations of the monks, than to his own personal
merit: for he was a bad son, a bad husband, and so bad a king, that he
shewed greater favour to the Normans than to his own people, and by his
folly prepared the way for the conquest. He died in the year 1066, and
was canonized by Pope Alexander III. in 1269. This shrine, which was
once esteemed the glory of England, is now much defaced and neglected.
It was composed of stones of various colours, beautifully enriched with
all the cost that art could devise. No sooner was it erected, than the
wealth of the kingdom flowed to it from all quarters. Henry III. set the
first example, though he afterwards made use of the jewels and treasure
he offered there, to defray the charges of an expedition into France.
Before this shrine was a lamp kept continually burning, on one side
stood a silver image of the blessed Virgin, which with two jewels of
immense value, were presented by Queen Eleanor, the wife of Henry III.
on the other side stood another image of the Virgin Mary, wrought in
ivory, presented by Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Here also
Edward I. offered the Scots regalia and chair, in which the kings of
Scotland used to be crowned, which is still preserved and shewn to all
strangers. And about the year 1280, Alphonso, third son to the last
mentioned king, offered here the golden coronet of Llewellyn, Prince of
Wales, and other jewels; but it would almost fill a volume to enumerate
the offerings made at this shrine. Yet it is now so stripped as to
afford no satisfaction, except to the curious; however some of the
stone-work with which it is adorned, is still to be seen. This
stone-work is hollow within, and now incloses a large chest, which Mr.
Keep, soon after the coronation of James II. found to contain the
remains of St. Edward; for it being broken by accident, he discovered a
number of bones, and turning them up, found a crucifix, richly
ornamented and enamell’d with a gold chain of twenty inches long, both
which he presented to his Majesty, who ordered the bones to be replaced
in the old coffin, and enclosed in a new one made very strong, and
clamp’d with iron.
On the south side of this shrine lies Editha, daughter to Goodwyn, Earl
of Kent, and Queen to St. Edward, with whom she lived eighteen years,
and tho’ she was the most accomplished woman of that age, confessed on
her death-bed, that he suffered her to live and die a virgin; and, as an
ancient manuscript in the Cotton library has it, “nathelees, tho’ the
Kinge had a wyfe, he lived ev’moe in chastete, and clennes, wythowten
any fleshley dedes doynge wyth his wyfe the Queen, and so dyd the Queen
on her syde.” She survived her husband eight years, and beheld all the
miseries consequent upon his dying without issue. She was however
treated with great respect by William the Conqueror, who allowed her an
apartment in the King’s palace at Winchester, where she died, and was
interred here, by his express orders.
Near the remains of this Princess lie those of Queen Maud, surnam’d the
Good, the daughter of Malcolm Conmair, King of Scotland, to whom she was
espoused, in order to unite the Saxon and Norman lines, and thereby to
reconcile the affections of the English to the future Kings that should
spring from them. She died on the 11th of May 1118. This excellent
Princess was distinguished by her many virtues, particularly her
humility, and her placing her chief delight in relieving the poor.
On the north side of this chapel is the tomb of Henry III. the pannels
are of polish’d porphyry, and around them is mosaic work of gold and
scarlet. At the corners of the table are twisted pillars, gilt, and
enamell’d, and upon it is placed the effigy of that King in brass gilt,
finely executed. He died in 1272, aged 65, after a troublesome reign of
56 years.
At the feet of the last mentioned Prince lies the effigy of Eleanor,
Queen to Edward I. On the sides of this monument are engraven the arms
of Castile and Leon, quarterly, and those of Ponthieu, hanging on vines
and oak-trees, and round the copper verge is embossed this inscription
in Saxon characters;
_Icy gist Alianor Jadis Reyne de Angleterre,
Femme al. Re. Edward Fiz._
That is,
_Here lies Eleanor, once Queen of England,
Wife to King Edward._
It is remarkable, that the body of this Queen was only interred here,
and that her heart was placed in the choir of the friars predicants in
London.
There is also here a large plain coffin of grey marble, composed of
seven stones, four of which form the sides, two the ends, and one the
cover. This rough unpolished tomb incloses the body of the glorious King
Edward I. just mentioned, who was born on the 17th of June 1239. He was
named Edward, in honour of Edward the Confessor, and afterwards surnamed
Long Shanks, from his tall and slender habit of body. This brave Prince
died on the 7th of July 1307, aged 68.
In this chapel is a tomb of black marble, to the memory of Philippa, the
third daughter to William Earl of Hainault, and Queen to King Edward
III. who bestowed a profusion of expence on her tomb, round which were
placed as ornaments, the brazen statues of no less than thirty Kings,
Princes, and noble personages her relations.
Tho’ Edward III. was interred in the same grave as the Queen, he has a
monument erected for him adjoining to hers, covered with a Gothic
canopy. The effigy of this Prince, who died June 21, 1377, lies on a
tomb of grey marble, and at his head are placed the shield and sword
carried before him in France: the latter is seven feet long, and weighs
eighteen pounds. This tomb was, like the former, surrounded with
statues, particularly with those of his children.
Next to this is the tomb of Richard II. and his Queen, over which is a
canopy of wood, remarkable for a painting of the Virgin Mary and our
Saviour still visible. This Prince was murdered on Valentine’s day 1399,
and on the robing of his effigy are curiously wrought, peascod shells
open, and the peas out, perhaps in allusion to his being once in full
possession of sovereignty, which before his murder, was reduced to an
empty title.
Between St. Edward’s shrine, and the tomb of Queen Philippa, under a
large stone, once plated with brass, lies the great Thomas of Woodstock,
Duke of Gloucester, and uncle to the above Richard II. who murdered him
on the 8th of September, 1397, for being too free and too faithful a
monitor.
Here is also a table monument in memory of Margaret, daughter to Edward
IV. by his Queen Elizabeth Woodville; and a small monument of black
Lydian marble finely polished, in memory of Elizabeth Tudor, the second
daughter of Henry VIII who died at three years of age.
_Henry the Fifth’s Chapel_, is only parted from St. Edward’s by an iron
screen, on each side of which are statues as big as the life. His
monument, which is surrounded with iron rails and gates, is of black
marble, and upon it is placed his statue; but what is very remarkable,
it lies without the head. Your guides say, that the body is heart of
oak, and the head of beaten silver; as were also the scepter and other
ensigns of royalty with which this statue was adorned; but that the
value of these occasioned their being sacrilegiously taken away. This is
by some writers represented at a ridiculous tale. Over this tomb is a
chauntry chapel, in which the weapons, armour, and caparisons of Henry
V. were carefully laid up, and remain to this day.
Near this tomb lies enclosed in an old wooden chest, the remains of
Catharine, daughter of Charles VI. King of France, and the consort of
Henry V. She died on the 2d of January 1437, and was honourably interred
in the chapel erected by Henry III. but when her grandson Henry VII.
pulled down that to build his own chapel, her body was taken up, when
the bones appeared firmly united, and thinly covered with flesh; but the
coffin being decayed, was put into a wooden chest, and removed to the
place where it is now seen. This is the account given by those who shew
this venerable dust, the miserable remains of a lady of royal blood, and
of distinguished beauty.
_The Chapel of St. Andrew_, which is next the northern cross, has in the
center a magnificent monument erected to the memory of Sir Francis
Norris, ancestor to the late Sir John Norris. In the reign of Queen
Elizabeth he distinguished himself by his bravery in the Low Countries,
and was created Lord Norris of Rycot. This monument has a fine
representation of an encampment in relief, and is otherwise beautifully
ornamented; but has no inscription.
Against the east wall is a table monument to the memory of Sir John
Burgh, who was killed in 1594, in taking a large Spanish ship, laden
with gold, silver and jewels of inestimable value.
In one corner is an ancient monument of Robert Kirton, that has several
labels in black letters round his portrait, which rests upon eagles
crowned. He died Oct. 3, 1466.
_St. Michael’s Chapel_ has only one monument worthy of notice, which is
that of Sarah, Duchess of Somerset; and mother to the last Duke of
that branch of the family. On the base sit two charity boys, one on
each side, lamenting the loss of their great benefactress, who is
represented resting upon her arm, under a canopy of state, and looking
earnestly upon a group of cherubims, issuing from the clouds above
her. Underneath is a Latin inscription, enumerating her many
charitable foundations, and informing us that this excellent Lady died
on the 5th of September 1692.
_St. John the Evangelist’s Chapel_, has in the center a curious monument
to Sir Francis Vere, a gentleman of the first reputation for learning
and bravery, who particularly distinguished himself at the battle of
Newport, in which he commanded in front under Prince Maurice, in the
service of the States, against the Spaniards. This great warrior was
30 years in the Dutch service, and in 20 of them commanded the
auxiliary troops of England. He died on the 28th of August 1608, in
the 54th year of his age. His monument is a table supported by four
knights kneeling, on which lie the several parts of a complete suit of
armour, and underneath the effigies of Sir Francis, lying, as if
undressed, in a loose gown, on a quilt of alabaster. On the base is a
short Latin inscription in gold letters, shewing to whom it belongs;
that he was nephew to the Earl of Oxford, and Governor of Portsmouth
and the Brille, and that his disconsolate widow consecrated this
monument to his memory.
Close to the wall is a monument of Sir George Hollis, nephew to Sir
Francis Vere, and a Major General under him. On the pedestal is
represented the siege of a town in relief, where the principal figure
is a General on horseback holding a battoon, and having one eye
blemished, perhaps alluding to the siege of Newport, in which Sir
George also gained great honour, and had a horse killed under him. On
each side of this pedestal sits a Pallas, lamenting the death of the
great warrior, who is represented above in the Roman habit, standing
erect upon a lofty altar, with a cherub supporting the plinth on which
he stands. Sir George died in January 1626. An ingenious author
speaking of this monument, says, that Sir George was the first erect
figure set up in the Abbey; “an attitude, says he, which I am far from
discommending, for ’tis my opinion, statues should always represent
life and action: ’tis peculiarly adapted to heroes, who ought never to
be supposed at rest, and should have their characters represented as
strong as possible: this before us is bold and manly, though not
chaste and elegant: ’tis finely elevated too, and the mourning
Pallases, at the base of it, are both well fancied and well applied.”
Near Sir Francis’s tomb is that of Aubery de Vere, the last Earl of
Oxford of that name, and Lieutenant-General of Queen Anne’s forces,
who died March 12, 1702.
In this chapel there are also some antique monuments; particularly on
the right hand, is that of John de Eastney, one of the Abbots, who was
a great benefactor to this church, and died on the 4th of May 1438. A
brazen statue of this Abbot in his mass habit, lies upon his tomb. It
is remarkable, that in breaking up a grave about thirty years ago, his
body was discovered in a coffin quilted with yellow sattin, having on
a gown of crimson silk, girded round him with a black girdle; on his
legs were white silk stockings, and over his face a clean napkin
doubled up, and laid corner wise. His body and legs are said to have
been plump and firm, but his face somewhat discoloured.
There is likewise here the monument of Sir John Harpedon, Knt. who
died in 1457. He lies in armour, resting his feet on a lion, and his
head on a greyhound.
_St. Erasmus’s, or Islip’s Chapel_, has but two monuments worthy of
notice; the first that of John Islip, Abbot of Westminster, the
founder of this chapel, which he dedicated to St. Erasmus. It is
adorned with much carving in devices, intaglios, and febuses, alluding
to the name of the founder, as a person slipping boughs off a tree; an
eye with the slip of the tree; and a youth sliding from a bough, with
_I slip_, in a label proceeding out of his mouth. In the middle is
Islip’s tomb which is a plain marble table, supported by four small
brass pillars; over it was anciently painted on the roof, a picture of
our Saviour on the cross. He died in January 1510.
The other is the tomb of Sir Christopher Hatton, son to Christopher
Hatton, Lord Chancellor of England. The principal figures are a knight
in armour, and a lady in deep mourning resting on the ascending sides
of a triangular pediment, parted in the middle by a trunkless helmet.
Over their heads is a neat piece of architecture, in the center of
which is a scroll with their arms, held up by naked boys, one of whom
holds an extinguished torch reversed over the Knight, to shew that Sir
Christopher died first; the other over the Lady holds his torch
upright and burning, to signify that she survived him. The inscription
informs us, that Sir Christopher died on the 10th of September 1619.
Over this chapel is a chauntry, in which are two large wainscot
presses, filled with the effigies of Princes, and others of high
quality, interred in the Abbey. These effigies, ’tis said, resembled
the deceased as near as possible, and were formerly exposed at the
funerals of our Princes and other great personages, in open chariots,
with their proper ensigns of royalty or honour. Those here deposited
are all maimed, some stripped, and others in tattered robes; but the
most ancient are the least injured, which seems as if the value of
their cloaths had occasioned this ravage; for the robes of Edward VI.
that were once of crimson velvet, but now appear like leather, are
left entire; while those of Queen Elizabeth and King James I. are
taken away, as is every thing of value from all the rest.
_St. John Baptist’s Chapel_, contains several monuments: one at the
entrance is to the memory of Mrs. Mary Kendall, the daughter of Thomas
Kendall, Esq; she died in her thirty-third year, and her epitaph
informs us, that “her many virtues rendered her every way worthy of
that close union and friendship, in which she lived with Lady
Catharine Jones; and in testimony of which, she desired that even
their ashes, after death, might not be divided; and therefore ordered
herself here to be interred, where she knew that excellent Lady
designed one day to rest, near the grave of her beloved and religious
mother, Elizabeth Countess of Kendall.”
Next to this is a monument erected to the memory of Col. Edward
Popham, and his Lady, whose statues in white marble stand under a
lofty canopy, resting their arms in a thoughtful posture upon a marble
altar, on which lie the gloves of an armed knight. This gentleman was
an active officer in Cromwell’s army, and his atchievements were here
inscribed on his tomb. Upon the restoration, the monument was ordered
to be demolished, and the inscription erased; but at the intercession
of some of his Lady’s relations, who had eminently served his Majesty,
the stone whereon the inscription was cut was only turned inwards, and
no other injury done to his monument.
In the midst of this chapel is a large table monument for Thomas
Cecil, Earl of Exeter, Baron Burleigh, Knight of the Garter, and Privy
Counsellor to King James I. whereon is placed his statue lying down,
with his Lady on his right side, and a vacant space on his left for
another. The Lady on his right side is his first wife the Lady Dorothy
Nevil, daughter to the Lord Latimer; and the vacant space was left for
his second wife, Frances Bridges, of the noble family of Chandois; but
as the right side was taken up, she gave express orders in her will,
not to place her effigy on his left, however, according to the
inscription, they are all buried together in one vault.
But the most magnificent monument in this chapel is against the east
wall, where stood the altar of St. John Baptist; this was erected to
the memory of Henry Carey, first cousin to Queen Elizabeth, who, on
being denied the honours of peerage, laid the disappointment so much
to heart, that he languished for a long time on a sick bed, at which
the Queen being moved, too late, created him a Baron, and ordered the
patent and robes to be laid before him, but without effect. He died on
the 23d of July 1596, aged seventy-two.
Here also is a monument to Thomas Carey, second son to the Earl of
Monmouth, who is said to have died of grief in 1648, at the age of
thirty-three, on account of the untimely fate of his royal master King
Charles I.
Here are likewise a few antique monuments, particularly one in which
the figure of a Bishop properly habited, lies under a Gothic canopy.
This is supposed to be erected for Thomas Rathal, Bishop of Durham,
who died in 1524.
And an ancient stone monument for William of Colchester, whose
effigies lie with the head supported by an angel, and the feet by a
lamb.
_St. Paul’s Chapel_, has on the left hand, a lofty monument erected to
the memory of Sir John Puckering, Knt. and Lord Chancellor in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, in which office he died on the 20th of April
1596. His epitaph in Latin over his effigies, is thus translated:
The publick care and laws engag’d my breast,
To live was toilsome, but to die is rest;
Wealth, maces, guards, crowns, titles, things that fade,
The prey of Time and sable Death are made.
VIRTUE INSPIRES MEN.
His Wife this statue rears to her lov’d spouse,
The test of constancy and marriage vows.
_I trust I shall see the Lord in the Land of the Living._
Adjoining to this monument, is one, much decay’d, for Sir James
Fullerton and his Lady, whose effigies lie upon it, and on a table of
black marble is the following quaint inscription:
Here lie the Remains of Sir James Fullerton,
Knt. first Gentleman of the Bedchamber
to King Charles the First (Prince
and King) a generous Rewarder of all
Virtue, a severe Reprover of all Vice, a
profest Renouncer of all Vanity. He
was a firm Pillar to the Commonwealth,
a faithful Patron to the Catholic Church,
a fair Pattern to the British Court. He
lived to the Welfare of his Country, to
the Honour of his Prince, to the Glory
of his God. He died _fuller_ of Faith
than of Fear, _fuller_ of Resolution than
of Pain, _fuller_ of Honour than of Days.
There is a monument erected to the memory of Sir James Bromley,
Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth, who died on the 12th of April 1587.
This monument is of alabaster, with pillars of Lydian marble gilt, and
Sir James is represented lying in his Chancellor’s habit, with his
four sons and four daughters kneeling on the base.
In the same chapel is a plain monument of Sir Dudley Carlton, who for
his services to King James I. and King Charles I. was made Viscount
Dorchester, and Secretary of State. He died on the 15th of February
1631, and is represented on his tomb sitting in a half rais’d posture.
To the east of this monument is another of alabaster to the memory of
Frances the wife of Thomas Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex, who
distinguished herself by her humanity and generosity, and died on the
15th of April 1589. She is represented in a recumbent posture, resting
on an embroidered cushion, dressed in robes, and with a coronet on her
head.
Next to this is the monument of Francis Lord Cottington of Hanworth,
who died on the 9th of June 1652, and of his Lady who died in 1633.
This monument is of black touchstone, and remarkably different from
every other in the Abbey, On the top is a circular frame of gilt
brass, enclosing the bust of the Lady, and beneath is his Lordship on
a table monument resting on his left arm, and over a satyr’s head is
the inscription in English mentioning his Lordship’s titles and
employments.
_St. Nicholas’s Chapel_ contains several remarkable monuments: near the
entrance is one of black marble, finely polished, to the memory of the
Lady Jane Clifford, youngest daughter to the Duke of Somerset, and
wife to Charles Lord Clifford and Dungarvan, who died Nov. 23, 1679.
This black monument is adorned with cherubims and a scroll of
alabaster, whereon is written a long inscription in English,
containing an account of the Lady’s descent and marriage.
By the door on the same side, is a monument of alabaster erected for
Lady Cecil, the daughter of Lord Cobham, who having married Sir Robert
Cecil, son to William Lord Burleigh, Treasurer of England, died in
child-bed in 1591. The Latin inscription is a dialogue between herself
and husband, expressing their mutual affection.
At some distance is a magnificent temple of various coloured marble,
erected to the memory of Anne Duchess of Somerset, wife to Edward Duke
of Somerset. She died on the 16th of April 1618, aged twenty-eight.
The inscription is in Latin and English, and contains a pompous detail
of the noble lineage of this great Lady, her alliances and issue.
In this chapel is likewise a very expensive monument, erected by the
great Lord Burleigh, to the memory of his wife Mildred, and their
daughter the Lady Anne, Countess of Oxford, representing a stately
temple built with porphyry, and other kinds of marble gilt. It is
divided into two compartments, one elevated over the other. In the
lower lies Lady Burleigh, in a recumbent posture, with her daughter
Lady Jane in her arms; and at her head and feet are her children and
grand-children kneeling. In the upper compartment is the figure of a
venerable old man, supposed to be the Lord Burleigh, on his knees, as
if at fervent prayer. The Lady Burleigh died April 4, 1589, aged
sixty-three, after being forty years married, and her daughter, the
Lady Oxford, June 5, 1588. On the tomb is a long Latin inscription,
explaining the figures, and displaying their respective virtues and
accomplishments.
The next monument I shall mention in this chapel, is that of the Lady
Winifrid, married first to Sir Richard Sackville, Knt. and afterwards
to John Paulet, Marquis of Winchester. On the base are the figures of
a Knight armed and kneeling, and facing him a Lady in mourning also on
her knees; behind whose back lies an infant on a baptismal font with
its head supported by a pillow.
In the middle of the chapel is a fine raised monument of polished
marble, to the memory of Sir George Villars and his Lady, whose son
was raised by King James I. to the dignity of Duke of Buckingham.
In this chapel are two beautiful pyramids; the largest erected to the
memory of Nicholas Bagnal, a child of two months old, overlaid by his
nurse; the other to the memory of Anna Sophia Harley, a child of a
year old, daughter to the Hon. Christopher Harley Embassador to the
French King. She died in the year 1600, and her father, as appears by
the inscription, caused her heart to be inclosed in a cup, and placed
upon the top of the pyramid.
There are also in this chapel, a monument to the memory of the Lady
Elizabeth Fanes, and one or two others, scarcely worth notice.
_The Chapel of St. Edmund_, has at the entrance a lofty monument with
Gothic spires erected to the memory of John of Eltham, second son to
King Edward III. and so called from Eltham in Kent. His statue in
armour is of white alabaster, the head incircled by a coronet. He died
in Scotland at nineteen years of age, unmarried, tho’ three different
matches had been proposed to him, the last of which, to Mary daughter
of Ferdinand King of Spain, he accepted, but lived not to consummate
it.
Next to this is a small table monument, on which lie the effigies of
William of Windsor, and Blanch of the Tower, the son and daughter of
Edward III. They took their surnames from the places of their birth,
and both died in their infancy. They are dressed in the habits of the
times, the young Prince in a short doublet, of the indecency of which
Chaucer’s parson complains, and the Princess in a horned head-dress,
which Stow says, was frightful.
On another tomb lies the statue of the Lady Frances, Duchess of
Suffolk, represented dressed in her robes. She was the daughter of the
famous Charles Brandon by Mary the French Queen, daughter to Henry
VII. and became Duchess of Suffolk by marrying Henry Grey, Marquis of
Dorset, who, upon her father’s decease, was created Duke of Suffolk.
On her tomb are two inscriptions, the first in Latin verse in praise
of her virtues, and the other in English, shewing her different
marriages.
The next is an elegant monument of white marble, erected by John Earl
of Clare, to the memory of his son Francis Hollis, a youth of great
bravery, who, after returning from making a campaign in Flanders, died
on the 12th of August 1622, aged eighteen. He is represented clad in
Grecian armour, sitting on a Greek altar. A good author mentioning
this statue, says, that it expresses more juvenile sweetness and
beauty, than any thing of the kind he ever saw, and that if this
figure has any fault in character or design, it is being placed in a
languid sedentary posture, tho’ cloathed in armour, and described as a
hero in his bloom; a more spirited attitude, he observes, would have
been more suitable to the person represented, would have given the
statuary greater latitude to exert his genius, and afforded more
satisfaction to the spectator. The epitaph on this is as follows:
What so thou hast of nature or of arts,
Youth, beauty, strength, or what excelling parts
Of mind and body, letters, arms, and worth,
His eighteen years, beyond his years brought forth;
Then stand, and read thyself within this glass,
How soon these perish, and thy self may pass;
Man’s life is measur’d by the work, not days,
No aged sloth, but active youth hath praise.
On an altar, in the same taste, but differently ornamented, sits the
statue of the Lady Elizabeth Russel, the daughter of Lord Russel. This
statue is of white alabaster, and the Lady is represented in a
sleeping posture. Your guides say, that she died with a prick of her
finger; but this story has no other foundation, than a misapprehension
of the statuary’s design; for having represented her asleep, and
pointing with her finger to a death’s head under her right foot, it
has been supposed, by the position of her finger pointing downwards,
that it was bleeding, and that this had closed her eyes in death;
though the artist’s design seems rather to allude to the composed
situation of her mind at the approach of death, which she considered
only as a profound sleep, from which she was again to wake to a joyful
resurrection, of which the motto under her feet, is an evident
illustration; _Dormit, non mortua est_; “She is not dead, but
sleepeth.” The Latin inscription on the scroll beneath, only tells
that this monument was erected to her memory by her afflicted sister
Anne. The device is an eagle, the emblem of eternity, resting on a
florilege of roses, &c.