it is erected to his memory at great expence, and even by his
Sovereign Queen Anne. The great Mr. Addison has justly exposed it in
the Spectators, and complains at this brave rough English Admiral’s
being here represented by the figure of a beau; and also censures the
inscription, which instead of celebrating the many remarkable actions
he had performed in the service of his country, only informs us of the
manner of his death, from which it was impossible to reap any honour,
tho’ it may excite our pity. The inscription is as follows:
Sir Cloudesly Shovel, Knt. Rear-Admiral of Great Britain, and
Admiral and Commander in chief of the fleet—the just reward of
his long and faithful services. He was deservedly beloved of
his country, and esteemed, tho’ dreaded by the enemy, who had
often experienced his conduct and courage. Being ship-wrecked
on the rocks of Scylly, in his voyage from Toulon, the 22d of
October 1707, at night, in the 57th year of his age. His fate
was lamented by all, but especially by the seafaring part of
the nation; to whom he was a generous patron, and a worthy
example. His body was flung on the shore, and buried with
others in the sand; but being soon after taken up, was placed
under this monument, which his royal Mistress had caused to be
erected to commemorate his steady loyalty and extraordinary
virtues.
25. The monument of George Stepney, Esq; has his bust under a canopy,
and two naked boys weeping and holding handkerchiefs at their eyes.
This monument, though the materials are very rich, is allowed to be
void of design, and but poorly executed. The Latin inscriptions give
an account of his virtues, his learning and abilities, and the many
negociations in which he was employed at foreign courts. He died at
Chelsea in 1706.
26. A lofty and much more elegant monument for George Churchill, whose
merits are mentioned in a long Latin inscription, where it is said
that he was the second son of Sir Winston Churchill, of Dorsetshire,
Knt. and a not unworthy brother of John Duke of Marlborough: that he
was early trained to military affairs, and served with great honour by
sea and land, under King Charles II. King James II. King William III.
and Queen Anne: that he was Admiral of the English fleet, at the
burning of the French fleet at La Hogue, in King William’s reign; and
for his bravery there, made one of the Commissioners of the Admiralty:
that in the succeeding reign he was made Admiral in chief, and died on
the 8th of May 1718, aged fifty-eight.
27. Near that of Churchill’s, is a stately monument erected for Sir
Palmes Fairborne. Two pyramids of black marble standing on cannon
balls, have two Moorish Emperors heads in profile on their tops; these
pyramids are adorned with relievos, on one Sir Palmes is shot while
viewing the enemy’s lines before the town; and on the other is a
hearse and six horses bringing him off wounded to the castle. Above in
a lofty dome are the arms of the deceased, with this motto underneath,
TUTUS SI FORTIS, and over his arms a Turk’s head on a dagger, by way
of crest, which he won by his valour in fighting against that people
in the German war. On this monument is the following inscription:
Sacred to the immortal memory of Sir Palmes Fairborne, Knt.
Governor of Tangier, in execution of which command, he was
mortally wounded by a shot from the Moors, then besieging the
town, in the 46th year of his age, October 24, 1680.
His epitaph, wrote by Mr. Dryden, runs thus:
Ye sacred reliques, which your marble keep,
Here undisturb’d by wars, in quiet sleep:
Discharge the trust, which (when it was below) }
Fairborne’s undaunted soul did undergo, }
And be the town’s palladium from the foe. }
Alive and dead these walls he will defend:
Great actions great examples must attend.
The Candian siege his early valour knew,
Where Turkish blood did his young hands imbrue;
From thence returning, with deserv’d applause, }
Against the Moors his well-flesh’d sword he draws, }
The same the courage, and the same the cause. }
His youth and age, his life and death combine, }
As in some great and regular design, }
All of a piece throughout, and all divine. }
Still nearer heav’n his virtue shone more bright, }
Like rising flames expanding in their height, }
The martyr’s glory crown’d the soldier’s fight. }
More bravely British General never fell,
Nor General’s death was e’er reveng’d so well,
Which his pleas’d eyes beheld before their close,
Follow’d by thousand victims of his foes.
To his lamented loss, for times to come,
His pious widow consecrates this tomb.
26. On a table monument enriched with military trophies, and raised
against the wall, is the following inscription:
To the memory of the honoured Major Richard Creed, who
attended his Majesty King William the Third in all his wars,
every where signalizing himself, and never more himself than
when he looked an enemy in the face. At the glorious battle of
Blenheim, Ann. Dom. 1704, he commanded those squadrons that
began the attack; in two several charges he remained unhurt;
but in a third, after many wounds received, still valiantly
fighting, he was shot through the head. His dead body was
brought off by his brother, at the hazard of his own life, and
buried there. To his memory his sorrowful mother erects this
monument, placing it near another which her son, when living,
used to look upon with pleasure, for the worthy mention it
makes of that great man Edward Earl of Sandwich, to whom he
had the honour to be related, and whose heroic virtues he was
ambitious to imitate.
27. The monument of Sir John Chardin, who distinguished himself by his
travels into the east, is adorned with a globe, which exhibits a view
of the different countries he visited, and around it are represented a
number of geographical instruments.
28. The monument of Sidney Earl of Godolphin is adorned with a bust
richly dressed, and has an inscription which mentions the employments
and honours through which he passed. He died on September 15, 1712,
aged sixty-seven.
29. The next is a double monument erected to the memory of Sir Charles
Harbord, and Clement Cottrel, Esq; On the base is represented in
relievo a dreadful sea-fight, and on the top in a wreath of laurel is
this inscription, “To preserve and unite the memory of two faithful
friends, who lost their lives at sea together, May 28, 1672.” These
two young gentlemen both perished in the Royal James, with the Earl of
Sandwich, who commanded in that ship as Vice-Admiral against the Dutch
in that memorable fight off the coast of Sussex in the reign of King
Charles II. The Royal James being set on fire, Sir Charles Harbord,
first Lieutenant, though he might have saved himself by swimming as
many others did, yet out of pure affection to his worthy Commander,
chose to die with him. Young Cottrel was a volunteer, and after being
the first man who had boarded a Dutch ship of 70 guns, and pulled down
her ensign with his own hands, returned to the Royal James unwounded,
and also perished with his friends. This gentleman understood seven
languages, tho’ but twenty-two years of age. This moving story is
recited at large on the monument.
30. A tomb erected to the memory of Anne Fielding, the first wife of
Sir Samuel Morland, Knt. and Bart. chiefly remarkable for having two
very learned inscriptions: the first, in Hebrew, is to this effect:
O thou fairest among women! O virtuous woman! The hand of the
Lord hath done this.
The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the
name of the Lord.
Under this is an Ethiopic inscription, which has been thus translated:
Come let us lament over this monument, raised for thee by a
beloved husband; but in certain hope that thou art united with
Christ.
This Lady was truly religious, virtuous, faithful, and, as a
dove, mild and chaste; while she continued in life, she was
honoured, and, through mercy, is happy in death.
Under the Ethiopic is this inscription in English:
Anne, daughter to George Fielding, Esq; and of Mary his wife,
the truly loving (and as truly beloved) wife of Samuel
Morland, Knt. and Bart. died Feb. 20, Ann. Dom. 1679–80.
31. Near this last is a tomb much in the same taste, erected to the
memory of Carola Harsnet, the second wife of the same Baronet, who
died in child-bed of her second son, Oct. 10, 1674, in the 23d year of
her age. Here are two inscriptions, the first in Hebrew, and the other
in Greek, which have been thus translated:
Blessed be the Lord, my wife was precious: blessed be thy
remembrance, O virtuous woman.
When I think of thy mildness, patience, charity, modesty, and
piety, I lament thee, O most excellent creature, and grieve
exceedingly: but not like such as have no faith; for I believe
and expect the resurrection of those who sleep in Christ.
32. Between the two former is a beautiful monument to the memory of
John Smith, Esq; a fine bust in relievo of that gentleman, is
supported by a weeping figure representing his daughter, both which
are designed and executed with great judgment and spirit. The Lady
sits upon an urn, which, with its base and a pyramid behind, unite the
whole in a most harmonious and agreeable stile. On the base is a Latin
inscription, setting forth his descent and issue.
33. Over the door that opens into the cloisters is a noble and elegant
monument erected for General Wade. In the center is a beautiful marble
pillar, enriched with military trophies most exquisitely wrought. The
principal figures, are Fame pushing back Time, who is eagerly
approaching to demolish the pillar, with all the ensigns of honour,
with which it is adorned; the General’s head is in a medalion, and the
whole is executed with great beauty and elegance. The inscription
underneath runs thus:
To the memory of George Wade, Field-Marshal of his Majesty’s
forces, Lieutenant-General of the ordnance, Colonel of his
Majesty’s third Regiment of Dragoon guards, Governor of
Fort-William, Fort-Augustus, and Fort-George, and one of his
Majesty’s most honourable Privy Council. He died March 14,
1748, aged seventy-five.
34. A plain neat monument erected to the memory of Robert Cannon, D.
D. Dean of Lincoln, and Prebendary of this church, who died on the
28th of March 1722, aged fifty-nine.
35. An elegant monument of Mrs. Katharine Bovey. Faith is here
represented with her book closed, and Wisdom lamenting the death of
her Patroness, between which is the Lady’s head in relief enclosed in
an annulet of black marble curiously veined. The inscription, which is
in English, gives an excellent character of the deceased, who died on
the 21st of January 1726, in the seventy-second year of her age; and
informs us that Mrs. Mary Pope, who lived with her near forty years,
in perfect friendship, erected this monument to her memory.
36. A small table monument to the memory of Mr. Henry Wharton, which
is only remarkable an account of the distinguished character of the
person whose name is inscribed upon it. Mr. Wharton was Rector of
Chartham in Kent, Vicar of the church of Minster in the Isle of
Thanet, Chaplain to Archbishop Sancroft, and one of the most
voluminous writers of his years. He died on the 3d of March 1694, aged
only thirty-one, and was so universally respected by the Bishops and
Clergy, that Archbishop Tillotson, and several other prelates, with a
vast body of the clergy, the choir and King’s scholars, all in solemn
procession attended his funeral, and joined in an anthem composed on
this occasion by the great Purcell.
37. A plain neat monument erected to the memory of Dr. Thomas Spratt,
Bishop of Rochester, who died in 1713, aged seventy seven, and of his
son Mr. Thomas Spratt, Archdeacon of Rochester, and Prebendary of the
churches of Rochester, Winchester, and Westminster, whose remains lie
near those of his father. This monument was erected by John Friend, M.
D. as a testimony of his respect for those two worthy personages.
38. A monument for Sir Lumley Robinson, Bart. of Kentwell-Hall in
Suffolk, who by an untimely death ended his life Aug. 6, 1684, aged
thirty-six. It is adorned with columns supported by death’s heads, and
the arms upon the base by a cherub. The sides of the pediment have
enrichments of laurel branches, &c. and on the top is a vase.
39. The monument of John Friend, M. D. has an admirable bust of that
gentleman, standing on a pedestal of fine white veined marble, and
under it is a long inscription in Latin, setting forth the
distinguished acquirements, and great abilities of that eminent
physician.
40. Mr. Congreve’s monument has an half length marble portrait of that
gentleman, placed on a pedestal of fine Egyptian marble, and enriched
with emblematical devices relating to the drama. Underneath is this
inscription in English:
Mr. William Congreve died January 19, 1728, aged fifty-six,
and was buried near this place. To whose most valuable memory
this monument is set up by Henrietta Duchess of Marlborough,
as a mark how dearly she remembers the happiness she enjoyed
in the sincere friendship of so worthy and honest a man; whose
virtue, candour and wit, gained him the love and esteem of the
present age; and whose writings will be the admiration of the
future.
41. The monument of the Right Hon. James Craggs, Esq; his statue is
represented leaning on an urn, and was one of the first in the Abbey
represented standing. The inscription, which is in golden characters,
shews that he was Principal Secretary of state, and a man universally
beloved, which is there particularly remarked, because as he was only
a shoe-maker’s son, it is the more surprizing that in the high station
to which he was raised by his merit, he should escape envy, and
acquire the general esteem. He died on the 16th of February 1720. Upon
the base of this monument are the following lines, written by Mr.
Pope:
Statesman, yet friend to truth, of soul sincere,
In action faithful, and in honour clear!
Who broke no promise, serv’d no private end;
Who gain’d no title, and who lost no friend;
Ennobled by himself, by all approved;
Prais’d, wept, and honour’d by the Muse he lov’d.
[Illustration: _S. Wale delin_ _C. Grignion sc._ _Cap^t. Cornwall’s
Monument_]
42. On the south side of the great west entrance is a noble monument
erected to the memory of the brave Captain Cornwall, who after
distinguishing himself by his heroism, was unhappily slain in the
battle between the English fleet, commanded by the Admirals Matthews
and Lestock, and the French. This monument was erected to his honour
by order of Parliament, and is a noble testimony of the public
gratitude for his distinguished merit. On the back is a lofty pyramid
of Egyptian marble beautifully variegated, and finely polished,
standing on a base of the same marble. Upon this base is a rock of
white marble, along the different parts of which run sea weeds. Near
the top stands a fine figure of Fame, placing a medalion of the
Captain on the summit of the rock, underneath which is a naval crown,
a globe, the trumpet of Fame, and other ornaments, and behind rises to
the top of the pediment a palm, entwined with a laurel. On the other
side of the medalion stands a beautiful figure of Britannia, with the
British Lion couchant at her feet. Beneath, in an opening of the rock,
is a Latin inscription on a fine piece of polished porphyry,
mentioning his descent, and the manner of his death, which happened
while fighting for his country, on the 3d of February 1743, in the
45th year of his age, and that the Senate of Britain consecrated this
monument to his memory. In another opening of the rock, a little
lower, is represented in bass relief a view of the engagement in which
this great man perished, and at the bottom of the rock on the sides
lie cannons, flags, anchors, &c. all of white marble.
43. The next is an elegant monument for Sir Thomas Hardy, Knt. On the
back is a lofty pyramid of a bluish coloured marble, at the foot of
which the statue of the deceased is placed, reclining upon a tomb of
elegant workmanship, with a naked boy on his left side weeping over an
urn: the enrichments round the pedestal on which he stands are just
and proper; and the inscription contains the following short history
of his life:
Sir THOMAS HARDY, to whose memory this monument is erected,
was bred in the royal navy from his youth, and was made a
Captain in 1693.
In the expedition to Cadiz, under Sir George Rooke, he
commanded the Pembroke; and when the fleet left the coast of
Spain, to return to England, he was ordered to Lagos Bay,
where he got intelligence of the Spanish galleons being
arrived in the harbour of Vigo, under convoy of seventeen
French men of war: by his great diligence and judgment he
joined the English fleet, and gave the Admiral that
intelligence which engaged him to make the best of his way to
Vigo, where all the aforementioned galleons and men of war
were either taken or destroyed.
After the success of that action, the Admiral sent him with an
account of it to the Queen, who ordered him a considerable
present, and knighted him.
Some years afterwards he was made a Rear-Admiral, and received
several other marks of favour and esteem from her Majesty, and
from her Royal Consort Prince George of Denmark, Lord High
Admiral of England.
44. The monument of John Conduit, Esq; is allowed, in point of design,
to be not inferior to that last mentioned, and there is something in
the manner which shews them both to be the workmanship of the same
hand. In the middle of the pyramid is a large medalion of brass, round
which is a Latin inscription, thus english’d, JOHN CONDUIT, MASTER OF
THE MINT; this medalion is suspended by a cherub above, and rests on
another below. This gentleman succeeded his relation the great Sir
Isaac Newton in that office, and desired to be interred near him, as
appears from a long Latin inscription on the base. He died May 23d,
1727, aged forty-nine. Catharine his wife died Jan. 20, 1739, and lies
interred under the same tomb.
45. The monument of William Horneck, Esq; is enriched with books,
plans, and instruments of fortification, alluding to the employments
of the deceased; who was chief engineer to the royal train of
artillery, and, as his inscription informs us, learned the art of war
under the great Duke of Marlborough. He died May 10, 1743.
46. The monument of Sir Godfrey Kneller, Knt. has a bust of Sir
Godfrey under a canopy of state, the curtains of which are gilt and
tied with golden strings, and on each side the bust is a weeping
Cupid, one resting on a framed picture, the other holding a painter’s
pallat and pencils. This monument is not however much esteemed.
On the pedestal is a Latin inscription, signifying that Sir Godfrey
Kneller, Knt. who lies interred here, was painter to King Charles II.
King James II. King William III. Queen Anne, and King George I.
Underneath is his epitaph written by Mr. Pope, which has been also
much censured:
Kneller! by Heav’n, and not a master taught!
Whose art was nature, and whose pictures thought;
Now for two ages having snatch’d from fate
Whate’er was beauteous, or whate’er was great,
Rests crown’d with Princes’ honours, Poets’ lays,
Due to his merit, and brave thirst of praise.
Living, great Nature fear’d he might outvie
Her works; and dying, fears herself may die.
47. We come now to the monument of Anna Countess Dowager of
Clanrikard, which is adorned with excellent carving, and a fine statue
of that Lady resting upon a tomb. The inscription gives an account of
her descent, marriages, and issue, and informs us, that she died on
the 14th of January 1732, in the 49th year of her age.
48. The monument of John Woodward, M. D. is a very beautiful one, and
the figures most admirably finished. The head of the deceased is
represented in profile, in a very masterly manner, and the Lady who
holds it is inimitably performed. The inscription contains a panegyric
on the parts and learning of the deceas’d.
49. A neat plain monument erected to the memory of Heneage Twisden, a
young hero, who fell in the battle of Blairgnies in Hainault, while he
was Aid de Camp to John Duke of Argyle, who commanded the right wing
of the Confederate army. He was the seventh son of Sir William
Twisden, Bart. and a youth of the greatest expectations; but the
fortune of war put a stop to his rising merit, in 1709, and in the
29th year of his age.
Near this monument are two small ones to the memory of two of his
brothers, Josiah and John; Josiah was a Captain at the siege of
Agremont, near Lisle in Flanders, and was slain by a cannon shot in
1708, at twenty-three years of age. John was a Lieutenant in the
Admiral’s ship, under Sir Cloudesly Shovel, and perished with him in
1707, aged twenty-three.
50. A monument erected in honour of Col. James Bringfield, ornamented
with military trophies, cherubs, &c. and surrounded by a mantling
enclosing a tablet, on which is inscribed the military preferments of
the deceased, the manner of his death and burial, and the praises of
his piety and virtue. He was born at Abingdon in Berks, was Equerry to
Prince George of Denmark, and Aid de Camp to the Great Duke of
Marlborough; but was killed by a cannon ball, as he was remounting his
General on a fresh horse, at the battle of Ramelies, May 12, 1706, and
was interred at Barechem in Brabant, in the 50th year of his age.
51. The monument of Mr. Killegrew has been reckoned one of the best
pieces of sculpture in the whole church, and what is remarkable, is
cut out of one stone. The embellishments are distinct and very
picturesque, and the inscription, short, modest, and soldier-like. It
is as follows:
Robert Killegrew, of Arwenack in Cornwall, Esq; son of Thomas
and Charlotte, Page of honour to King Charles II. Brigadier
General of her Majesty’s forces, killed in Spain in the battle
of Almanza, April 14, 1707. Ætatis fuæ 47. MILITAVI ANNIS 24.
52. The next is a monument erected to the memory of Mrs. Mary Beaufoy,
who is represented in a devout posture, with cherubs crowning her: on
each side are Cupids lamenting the early decay of a virgin beauty, and
underneath the arms of her family quarterly upheld by cherubs. On the
base is the following inscription:
Reader! whoever thou art, let the sight of this tomb imprint
in thy mind, that the young and old without distinction, leave
this world; and therefore fail not to secure the next. This
Lady was only daughter and heiress to Sir Henry Beaufoy, of
Guyscliffe, near Warwick, by the Hon. Charlotte Lane, eldest
daughter of George Lord Viscount Lansborough. She died July
12, 1705.
53. After passing by a few monuments unworthy of notice, we come to
that of Admiral Baker, adorned with a rostral column of curiously
veined marble, decorated with the prows of galleys, a Medusa’s head,
and other naval and military trophies, with this short inscription
underneath:
To the memory of John Baker, Esq; Vice-Admiral of the White
Squadron of the British Fleet; who, when he commanded in the
Mediterranean, died at Port Mahon, Nov. 10, 1736, aged
fifty-six. He was a brave, judicious and experienced officer;
a sincere friend, and a true lover of his country.
_Manet post Funera Virtus._
54. Next to this is Mr. Priestman’s monument, to which is suspended by
a knot of ribbons, fastened to a column of variegated marble, a fine
medalion, with the words HENRY PRIESTMAN, Esq; round the head.
Underneath are naval trophies and sea instruments; and upon the base
is an inscription, shewing that the person to whom this monument is
erected, was Commander in chief of a squadron of ships of war in the
reign of King Charles II. a Commissioner of the Navy, and one of the
Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral of England
in the reign of King William III. He died Aug. 20, 1712, aged 65.
55. The monument of Philip Carteret, son to Lord George Carteret, who
died a King’s scholar at Westminster, ripe for the university, on the
19th of March 1710, aged nineteen. On the upper part is an admirable
bust of this noble youth, and underneath a very fine figure of Time
standing on an altar, and holding a scroll in his hand, whereon is
written in Sapphic verses, lines to the following import, which he is
supposed to be repeating:
Why flows the mournful Muse’s tear,
For thee! cut down in life’s full prime?
Why sighs, for thee, the parent dear!
Cropt by the scythe of hoary Time?
Lo! this, my Boy’s the common lot!
To me thy memory entrust;
When all that’s dear shall be forgot,
I’ll guard thy venerable dust.
From age to age, as I proclaim
Thy learning, piety, and truth;
Thy great example shall enflame;
And emulation raise in youth.