placed on a pedestal, with the following inscription:--"To the memory of
the Right Honourable George Tierney, born in 1762; died in 1830. A man
equally distinguished for the disinterested integrity of his public
conduct, and the unpretended virtues of his private life. In Parliament he
was long conspicuous for a style of oratory peculiarly his own; plain,
familiar, forcible, and persuasive, abounding in proofs of natural
shrewdness, and strokes of original learning, and sustained throughout by
an accurate knowledge of details, and an unostentatious command of clear
language. Without having obtained the rewards of wealth or station, he
secured the respect and esteem of his contemporaries, by the consistency
of his political principles, and his unwearied activity in supporting
them; by the simplicity of his manners, and the benevolence of his
character; and by an unaffected reverence for religion. His surviving
friends have raised this monument, to be a testimony of their affection,
and a reward of his talents and virtues."--_Westmacott, jun., sculptor._
Next is a new monument to the memory of HENRY RICHARD VASSAL FOX, Baron
Holland, born November 23, 1773, and died October 22, 1840, aged
sixty-seven. On the steps that lead up to the door of a vault are three
figures; on the left hand of the spectator is Genius, with his old funeral
emblem, the reversed torch; climbing the steps to the right are, in rich
combination, Literature and Science. A scroll is in the hands of
Literature, and that of Science rests upon her wheel. Over the doorway of
the tomb, the key-stone, enriched by a coiling serpent (the old emblem of
eternity), assists to support the cornice, from which rise a rusticated
pediment and pedestal; on the latter is placed a colossal bust of the
deceased Lord, and on either side of the tomb are bassi-relievi,
representing severally Charity and Justice. The monument is twenty feet
high, eleven feet six inches wide, and has six feet of projection from the
wall. The architectural portions are of Sicilian marble. Without
inscription.--_Baily, sculptor._
On the left is a monument erected by the corps of Royal Engineers, to the
memory of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir RICHARD FLETCHER, Knight and Baronet,
who, after highly-distinguished services, as Commanding Royal Engineer,
with the army under the Duke of Wellington, in the Peninsular War, was
killed at the storming of St. Sebastian, 1812, in the forty-fifth year of
his age.--_Baily, sculptor._
Above is a tablet with naval trophies, sacred to the memory of
Rear-Admiral Sir GEORGE HOPE, K.C.B., erected by several Captains in the
Royal Navy, who served under him as Midshipmen.--_Turnerelli, sculptor._
A small tablet to the memory of the Hon. CHARLES BANKS STANHOPE, second
son of Charles, Earl of Stanhope, and nephew of the Right Hon. William
Pitt, Major of the fiftieth Regiment of Foot, who in the act of gallantly
encouraging his men, fell by a musket-shot in the battle of Corunna. This
tablet is affectionately inscribed by his afflicted sister, who can
neither do justice to his virtues, nor sufficiently deplore his loss. Born
3rd June, 1785; died 16th January, 1809.
WILLIAM HORNECK, Esq.--This monument is embellished with books, plans, and
instruments of fortification, alluding to the employment of the deceased
as Chief Engineer to the Royal Train. The inscription informs us that he
learned the art of war under the great Duke of Marlborough. He died May 9,
1746, aged sixty-two.
Beneath, to the right, is a bust erected to Major JAMES RENNELL, who died
March 29, 1830, in his eighty-eighth year. His useful life, firm
character, and high talents, are amply exhibited in his works, and need no
other monument. This tablet, therefore, merely records, that this
celebrated man was buried near this spot.--_Baily, sculptor._
ZACHARY MACAULAY.--A bust on a pedestal; the inscription as follows:--"In
grateful remembrance of Zachary Macaulay, who, during a protracted life,
with an intense but quiet perseverance, which no success could relax, no
reverse could subdue, no toil, privations, or reproach could daunt,
devoted his time, talents, fortune, and all the energies of his mind and
body to the service of the most injured and helpless of mankind; and
partook for more than forty years in the counsels and in the labours
which, guided and blessed by God, first rescued the British empire from
the guilt of the Slave Trade, and finally conferred freedom on 800,000
slaves; this tablet is erected by those who drew wisdom from his mind, and
a lesson from his life, and who humbly rejoice in the assurance that,
through the Divine Redeemer, the foundation of all his hopes, he shares in
the happiness of those who rest from their labours, and their works do
follow them." He was born at Inverary, North Britain, on the 2nd of May,
1768, and died in London on the 13th May, 1838.--_Weekes, sculptor._
THE NAVE.
The Organ Screen was erected by the Dean and Chapter in 1831, designed by
Mr. Blore, Architect to the Abbey, and executed with great precision. Four
pilasters with decorated finials divide the Screen into three
compartments, the centre for the gate of entrance to the choir from the
west, the other two contain the monuments of Sir Isaac Newton and Earl
Stanhope; on each of the pilasters are projecting pedestals, on which are
the figures of Henry III. and his Queen, Edward the Confessor, and his
Queen, and Edward I. and his Queen.
Sir ISAAC NEWTON.--This is a grand and expressive monument, every way
worthy of the great man to whose memory it was erected, who is sculptured
recumbent, leaning his right arm on four folios, thus titled--_Divinity,
Chronology, Optics, and Phil: Prin. Math:_ and pointing to a scroll
supported by winged cherubs. Over him is a large globe, projecting from a
pyramid behind, whereon is delineated the course of the comet in 1680,
with the signs, constellations, and planets. On the globe sits the figure
of Astronomy with her book closed. Underneath the principal figure is a
most curious bas-relief, representing the various labours in which Sir
Isaac chiefly employed his time: such as discovering the causes of
gravitation, settling the principles of light and colours, and reducing
the coinage to a determined standard. The device of weighing the sun by
the steelyard has been thought at once bold and striking; and, indeed, the
whole monument does honour to the sculptor. The inscription on the
pedestal is in Latin, short, but fall of meaning; intimating that, by a
spirit nearly divine, he solved, on principles of his own, the motions and
figures of the planets, the paths of the comets, and the ebbing and
flowing of the sea; that he discovered the dissimilarity of the rays of
light and the properties of colours from thence arising, which none but
himself had ever thought of; that he was a diligent, wise, and faithful
interpreter of nature, antiquity, and the Holy Scriptures; that by his
philosophy he maintained the dignity of the Supreme Being; and by the
purity of his life, the simplicity of the Gospel. The inscription
concludes with a beautiful exclamation--"How much reason mortals have to
pride themselves in the existence of such and so great an ornament to the
human race!" He was born December 25, 1642, and died March 20,
1726.--_Rysbrack, sculptor._
JAMES, Earl STANHOPE.--This monument, in which, likewise, the principal
figure leans upon his arm in a cumbent posture, holding in his right hand
a general's staff, and in his left a parchment scroll. A Cupid stands
before him, resting himself upon a shield. Over a martial tent sits a
beautiful Pallas, holding in her right hand a javelin, and in the other a
scroll. Behind is a slender pyramid. On the middle of the pedestals are
two medals, and on each side of the pilasters one. Under the principal
figure is a Latin inscription, setting forth the merits of this great man,
as a soldier, a statesman, and a senator. In 1707, he concluded an
advantageous treaty with Spain, and in the same year was sent Ambassador
to Charles III. In 1708, he took Port-Mahon. In 1710, he forced his way to
the gates of Madrid, and took possession of that capital. In 1714, he
impeached the Duke of Ormond. In September, 1715, he was made Secretary at
War. In December, 1716, he was made Secretary of State. In 1717, he was
made First Commissioner of the Treasury, and Chancellor of the Exchequer;
and in July following created a Peer. In March, 1718, he was a second time
made Secretary of State. In 1720, he died, in his forty-seventh
year.--_Rysbrack, sculptor._
"To the memory of PHILIP (second) Earl STANHOPE, conspicuous for universal
benevolence, unshaken public integrity, and private worth. Deep were his
researches in philosophy, and extensive his ideas for his country's good.
He was ever a determined supporter of the Trial by Jury, of the freedom of
Elections, of a numerous and well-regulated Militia, and of the liberty of
the Press. On the 7th day of March, 1786 (and in the seventy-second year
of his age), he terminated an honourable life, spent in the exercise of
virtue, in the improvement of science, and in the pursuit of truth. In
respectful remembrance of him, the above lines are inscribed by his
affectionate son, Charles, Earl Stanhope."
The Pulpit, in the Nave, is used only for the special evening services,
and is composed of variegated marbles interspersed with rich foliage and
some very tasteful mosaics, and around it are six excellent figures of St.
Paul, St. Peter, and the four Evangelists, and in a medallion in front, a
head of the Saviour _surrounded_ with thorns, and pointing upwards with
his right hand from his left shoulder. The following is painted on one
side:--"This Pulpit is presented to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster by
a few friends, in grateful commemoration of the Opening of the Nave for
public worship and preaching, in January, 1858. 'As ye go, preach, saying
the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'" (St. Matt., chap. 10, v. 7.)--_Field,
sculptor._
ROBERT STEPHENSON.--Nearly in front of the new pulpit, upon the floor, is
a brass figure of life-size upon a rich foliage diaper over the remains of
this eminent engineer, in addition to which has just been erected a superb
painted window illustrative of his fertile genius. He died 12th October,
1859, aged fifty-six.
At the foot of R. Stephenson's grave is a slab of black Irish marble
inlaid with brass, sacred to the memory of Sir CHARLES BARRY, Knt., R.A.
and F.S.A., and Architect of the New Palace of Westminster and other
buildings, who died A.D. 1860, aged 64 years, and lies buried beneath this
brass, which represents the Victoria Tower and the Ground Plan of the
Houses of Parliament.
Nearly opposite this slab is a granite tombstone, upon which is the
following inscription:--"Beneath this stone rest the remains of COLIN
CAMPBELL, Lord Clyde, who by his own deserts, through fifty years of
arduous service, from the earliest battles in the Peninsular War to the
Pacification of India, in 1858, rose to the rank of Field-Marshal and the
Peerage. He died lamented by the Queen, the army, and the people, August
the 14th, 1863, in the seventy-first year of his age."--_Gaffin, fecit._
Field-Marshal Sir GEORGE POLLOCK, Bart., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., Constable of
the Tower. Died 6th October, 1872, aged 86 years. "O God the Lord, the
strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of
battle."--Psalm cxl. 7.
A little to the west of the latter is the tombstone of TOMPION and GRAHAM,
the celebrated chronometer inventors. Tompion died 1713, aged
seventy-five. Graham died 1751, aged seventy-eight.
Beside Tompion is the grave of LIVINGSTONE, over which there is a large
black marble slab, with the following inscription: "Brought by faithful
hands over land and sea, here rests David Livingstone, Missionary,
Traveller, Philanthropist. Born March 19th, 1813; died May 1st, 1873, at
Chetamba's village, Ulala. For 30 years his life was spent in an
unwearied effort to evangelize the Native races, to explore the
undiscovered secrets, to abolish the desolating slave trade of Central
Africa, where, with his last words, he wrote: 'All I can add in my
solitude is, May Heaven's rich blessing come down on every one, American,
English, or Turk, who will help to heal this open sore of the world.'
'Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring,
and they shall hear My voice.'" The Latin verses are from Lucan the Roman
poet, who, in his "Pharsalia," describes the aspiration of Julius Cæsar to
solve the problem, even then before the world, of the causes and source of
the Nile. The verses may be thus translated:--_So great is my love of
truth that there is nothing I would rather know than the causes of the
river that have lain hid through so many ages...._
On the right of the West door, in the middle of a pyramid, is a large
medallion of brass, resting on a cherub below, and suspended by another at
the top. Round the medal is a Latin inscription, thus translated:--"JOHN
CONDUIT, Master of the Mint." This gentleman succeeded his relation, the
great Sir Isaac Newton, in that office, and desired to be buried near him,
as appears by a long Latin inscription on the base. Died May 23, 1737,
aged forty-nine. Catherine, his wife, died Jan. 20, 1739, aged fifty-nine,
and lies interred in the same tomb.--_Cheere, sculptor._
A stone arch has been turned over the west door, on which is erected a
monument, voted by Parliament to the memory of the Right Hon. WILLIAM
PITT. This illustrious statesman is represented habited in the robes of
Chancellor of the Exchequer. To the right of the base of the statue, is
History recording his speeches, whilst Anarchy, on the left, lies subdued,
and writhing in chains at his feet. The Statues composing this group are
nine feet in height. Inscription:--"This monument is erected by Parliament
to William Pitt, son of William Earl of Chatham, in testimony of gratitude
for the eminent public services, and of regret for the irreparable loss of
that great and disinterested Minister. He died Jan. 23, 1806, in the
forty-seventh year of his age."--_Sir Richard Westmacott, R.A., sculptor._
On the left is a lofty pyramid of a bluish coloured marble, to the memory
of Sir THOMAS HARDY, Knt., whose effigy is reclining upon a tomb of
elegant workmanship, with a naked boy on his left side weeping over an
urn. The inscription, a little history of the deceased's life, is here
copied:--"Sir Thomas Hardy, to whose memory this monument was 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 Rook, 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. He died August 16, 1732,
aged sixty-seven."--_Cheere, sculptor._
Captain JAMES CORNEWALL.--This noble monument, which is thirty-six feet
high, has a large base and pyramid of rich Sicilian marble. Against the
pyramid is a rock (embellished with naval trophies, sea weeds, &c.) in
which are two cavities; in the one is a Latin epitaph; in the other, a
view of the sea-fight before Toulon, in bas-relief, on the foreground
whereof the Marlborough, of ninety guns, is seen fiercely engaged with
Admiral Navarre's ship, the Real, of one hundred and fourteen guns, and
her two seconds, all raking the Marlborough fore and aft. On the rock
stand two figures; the one represents Britannia, under the character of
Minerva, accompanied with a lion: the other figure is expressive of Fame,
who, having presented to Minerva a medallion of the hero, supports it
whilst exhibited to public view. The medallion is accompanied with a globe
and various honorary crowns as due to valour. Behind the figure is a lofty
spreading palm-tree (whereon is fixed the hero's shield or coat of arms),
together with a laurel-tree, both which issue from the naturally barren
rock, as alluding to some heroic and uncommon event. The
inscription:--"Amongst the monuments of ancient merit in this sacred
Cathedral, let the name of James Cornewall be preserved, the third son of
Henry Cornewall, of Bradwarden Castle, in the County of Hereford, Esq.,
who, from the very old and illustrious stock of the Plantagenets, deriving
a truly ancient spirit, became a naval commander of the first eminence;
equally and deservedly honoured by the tears and applause of Britons, as a
man who bravely defended the cause of his country in that sea-fight off
Toulon, and being by a chain-shot deprived of both his legs at a blow,
fell unconquered, on the 3rd of February, 1743, in the forty-fifth year of
his age, bequeathing his animated example to his fellow sailors as a
legacy of a dying Englishman, whose extraordinary valour could not be
recommended to the emulation of posterity in a more ample eulogy, than by
so singular an instance of honour; since the Parliament of Great Britain,
by an unanimous suffrage, resolved that a monument, at the public expense,
should be consecrated to the memory of this most heroical
person."--_Tayler, sculptor._
South Aisle.
At the back of Cornewall's, is the monument to the Right Honourable JAMES
CRAGGS, who was made Secretary at War in April, 1717, and one of his
Majesty's Privy Council and Secretary of State, in March, 1718. The statue
of this gentleman, large as the life, is finely represented as leaning on
an urn, which has upon it in golden characters, an inscription, showing
that he was principal Secretary of State, and a man _universally beloved_,
which is there particularly marked, because, as he was of low extraction,
being only a shoemaker's son, it is the more admirable, that in the high
station to which his merit had raised him, he should escape envy, and
acquire the general esteem. He died February 16, 1720, aged thirty-five.
Upon the base of the monument is this epitaph, 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 gained no title, and who lost no friend.
Ennobled by himself, by all approv'd,
Prais'd, wept, and honour'd, by the muse he lov'd."
--_Signor Guelphi, sculptor._
A statue of WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, placed here by the friends and admirers of
the late Poet. Mr. Wordsworth was born at Cockermouth, in Cumberland, on
April 7, 1770, and died at Rydal Mount, Ambleside, Westmoreland, on April
23, 1850. The statue is much admired; and the meditative attitude in which
the Poet is represented, and the quiet and sacred spot in which it is
placed, apart from the crowd, and in a peaceful retirement of its own,
harmonize with and are expressive of, the tranquil tenour of his life, and
the thoughtful, sublime, and philosophic character of his works.
Next to this is a bust of KEBLE, by T. Woolner. It occupies the middle of
the three arcades on the west side of the South Tower, and adjoins the
monument of Wordsworth. It has a pedestal of alabaster containing a black
marble inscription panel, on either side of which is a green marble
pillar, between the carved capitals of which is seated a vesica-shaped
panel of alabaster, richly moulded, carved, and studded with gems of blue
fluor-spar within ovals of gilt beads. Above this is placed a Calvary
cross of alabaster with gemmed and inlaid arms and trefoiled ends. The
internal part of the vesica panel is occupied with the white marble bust,
life size, placed on an enriched corbel of alabaster, on which corbel are
inclined pillars which support a trefoiled and gabled canopy overhanging
the bust. The total height of the work is nine feet, and its width three
feet.
A small tablet to HENRY WHARTON, remarkable only by the great name
inscribed upon it, who was Rector of Chartham, in Kent; Vicar of the
Church of Minster, in the Isle of Thanet; Librarian to Archbishop
Sancroft, and one of the most voluminous writers of his years, perhaps, in
the world. He died March 3, 1694, aged only thirty-one, and was an
universally respected by the Bishops and clergy, that Archbishop
Tillotson, and several other Prelates, with a vast body of clergy, the
choir and King's scholars, all in solemn procession, attended his funeral,
and joined in the anthems composed on this occasion by the great Purcell.
Above this tablet of Wharton is a gallery, used by the Royal Family to see
the procession of the Knights of the Bath: they enter at Poets' Corner
door, and proceed round the West end, and up the North Aisle, into Henry
VII.'s Chapel, where the installation takes place.
In an oval frame is a half-length marble portrait of WILLIAM CONGREVE,
Esq., placed on a pedestal of the finest Egyptian marble, and enriched
with emblematical figures alluding 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."--_Bird, sculptor._
A bust of JOHN FRIEND, M.D., on a pedestal of fine white veined marble;
and beneath is a long Latin inscription, setting forth his great and
distinguished acquirements. He was a physician of the first rank for
knowledge and experience; was no less successful in his practice than
ingenious in his writings. He was first educated at Westminster School,
and afterwards at Christ Church College, Oxford, where his learning soon
made him conspicuous. On his leaving the University, and adopting the
profession of physic, he was chosen a member of the College of Physicians
in London, and soon after a Fellow of the Royal Society. His writings are
lasting monuments of his extensive genius. He died July 26,
1728.--_Rysbrack, sculptor._
Sir LUMLEY ROBINSON, Baronet.--This monument is neatly designed and
ornamented; the columns are supported by Death's heads, and the arms upon
the base by a cherub. On the top was a vase, and, rising to the pediments,
enrichments of laurel branches, &c. The inscription has nothing
remarkable. He was of Kentwall Hall, in Suffolk, and died August 6, 1684,
aged thirty-six.--_Settie, sculptor._