Description of the church of St John's--Period of its erection
--Present site--Panoramic views--Form of structure--Length and
breadth--Interior--Decorations--Monuments--Organ--Tower--Bells
--Clock--Churchyard--Tombs and sepulchral inscriptions--An
acrostic--"Adam and Eve!"
The first place of public worship erected in St. John's was the
parochial church, commenced in 1683-4. It was a small wooden
building, standing about sixty yards further to the south than
the present church; and, if we are to believe an old writer,
totally destitute of beauty or comfort. During the administration
of Gen. Walter Hamilton, it was found to be in such a dilapidated
state, that in 1716 the necessity of erecting a new church was
submitted to the legislature; and with the concurrence of the
members of that body, an act was passed the same year, granting a
provision for building a new place of worship, (to be dedicated
to St. John,) and imposing a yearly tax for the purpose of
keeping the said church in repair. It was not, however, until
between the years 1721 and 1723, during the period that John Hart
was administrating the government of these islands, that the
erection of the church was commenced. Mr. Robert Cullen was the
architect, and by his suggestions, its site was laid to the north
of the old building; thus occupying the very spot where the
militia were stationed in 1710, when ordered to fire upon
Governor Park, in that unhappy difference between him and the
country, and which ended so fatally to himself.
The present parochial church is pleasantly situated upon an
ascent, at the head of the town, and commands from every side a
wide and beautiful view of the surrounding country. From the west
door, the eye ranges over the bustling town, with its motley
groups of passengers--dwells for a time upon the long line of
ruined buildings destroyed by the fire already described--scans
the lovely harbour, with its graceful shipping, the interesting
bay of the Five Islands on the one side, and, on the other, a
long line of cocoa-nut trees and brilliant sand, bespeaking the
situation of Dickenson's Bay--and then roves on to the offing,
where a large extent of ocean of the sweetest blue stretches out;
and where, perhaps, a far-off sail may be seen, which looks in
the distance like the white wing of some passing gull.
From the south door, another beautiful and panoramic view may be
obtained, particularly towards the close of the day, when the sun
has almost completed his daily journey, and, shorn of his fervent
beams, throws on every cloud his myriad dyes. The part of the
town then presented to the gaze of the beholder slopes by a
gradual descent towards the suburbs, bounded by Otto's Hill (an
estate belonging to the representatives of Bastien Baijer) and
the surrounding country. At the extent of the horizon runs a long
range of mountains--the more distant ones presenting a greyish,
gloomy colour, while others have their tops irradiated with a
brilliant fringe of gold or purple, as the different clouds
appear to rest upon them. Of this chain, the declivities of which
afford every species of beauty, and every gradation of varying
green, the lower ones are generally in a state of cultivation;
and their undulating surface presents in some places groups of
lovely trees, or breaks into patches of sugar-canes, clusters of
negro-huts, and sugar-mills.
The church itself, which is built of brick, washed of a light
yellow, is cruciform; the north and south vestibules forming the
arms of the cross. The extreme length, from the inner west door
to the altar-piece, is 130 feet; and the breadth, exclusive of
the vestibules, (or porches,) is 50 feet. In the interior,
eighteen plain wooden pillars divide the nave from the north and
south aisles; the sixteen lower ones forming the support to the
north and south galleries. The roof of the nave is a semicircular
vault, painted to represent the heavens, with all their drapery
of light and fleecy clouds; and when viewed from the west door,
has a very pretty effect.
The chancel roof is of the same pitch, but of a pyramidal form;
it is painted in the same manner as the nave, and is supported by
four square fluted columns.
The altar is very beautifully devised. In the centre are the
tables of the ten commandments, gold-lettered upon a black
ground. On each side are full-length paintings of Moses, and of
Aaron, in his "holy garments." That of Aaron is very finely
executed; the face is such as we can imagine that of the great
"high-priest" to have been, majestic, but beautiful; and the
"robes," the "breast-plate," the "ephod," the "curious girdle,"
and the "golden censer," are very correctly painted. The outer
tables of "The Belief" and "Lord's Prayer" are handsomely gilded
--the inscription being executed in letters of black; and over
the commandments, in the centre of the altar, is a medallion
painting of cherubs. The several compartments are divided by
gilded pilasters; the cornices, architraves, and friezes, are
very pretty and tasteful; and in the inter-columniations are one
or two triglyphs.
The communion-table is covered with dark purple velvet, fringed
deeply with gold; and on either end lie cushions to match. The
communion-service plate is very handsome; the large salver,
measuring eighteen inches in diameter, was presented to the
church by John Otto Baijer, Esq., about the year 1724. It
displays a representation of the "Lord's Supper," the figures in
beautiful _basso-relievo_, and bears the following inscription:--
Donum Domini Johannis Otto Baijer
Ad Templum Divi Johannis Antigua.
The two smaller salvers and the cup are inscribed as follows:--
In usum Templi Divi Johannis in Antigua
Gulielmus Jones Parochialis hujus olim Rector
Donum Dedit.
Besides the communion-plate, the table supports a pair of tall
silver lamps, with ground-glass burners, bearing the
inscription--
Donum Domini Petre Lee ad Templum Divi
Johannis in Antigua.
And on each side of the table stand quaint-looking chairs, for
the accommodation of the bishop and archdeacon, which have been
used for that purpose since the dismantling of the "Bishop's
Pew."
The pulpit and desk are of dark oak, as also the railings to the
stairs; and, like the communion-table, have each their drapery
and cushions of dark purple, with deep gold fringe and tassels,
and the "I. H. S." encircled with its golden rays. Formerly the
pulpit, surmounted by a sounding-board, stood further down the
nave; but after being removed once or twice, the desk has been
separated from the pulpit, and they are placed at the entrance of
the chancel, on each side the aisle.
About the centre of the church is suspended a brass chandelier,
consisting of ten branches, which have been lately fitted up with
ground-glass burners; it was a gift (by will, 2nd May, 1740) to
the church, from Phillip Darby, an old inhabitant of Antigua, and
rector of St. John's.
At the entrance of the church from the north vestibule stands a
small marble font, of a semi-spherical form, ornamented with four
heads of cherubs, and supported by a corniform pedestal. It is
intended to be placed at the extreme end of the middle aisle,
immediately before the west entrance, and opposite the altar--a
site far more applicable for it than where it now stands.
The church is lighted by fourteen windows: six in the north
aisle, six in the south aisle, and two in the east end of the
building. Formerly they were all fitted up with _jalousies_; but
within these last few years, the eight nearest the altar have
been reglazed with ground glass, arranged in a Gothic pattern.
These windows are divided into six compartments; and are so
contrived, that, by aid of a turnscrew, they can be opened to a
certain height. They certainly add to the _beauty_ of the
edifice, but deteriorate from its _comfort_ by rendering it
warmer than it otherwise would be: a circumstance not desirable
in this fervid climate.
Several fine monuments grace the walls of this sacred building;
but the oldest sepulchral inscription is upon a stone slab, in
the chancel, to the memory of Mrs. Gilbert, wife of Mr. Gilbert,
who introduced methodism[71] in Antigua, and who died in 1747.
In the south aisle are the following monuments:--
An elegant mural monument of white marble upon a black ground,
erected to the memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Ottley, wife of Richard
Ottley, Esq., and daughter of Ashton Warner, speaker of the house
of assembly in 1716. The ornamental part of this monument
consists of the figure of a seraph with outspread wings, leaning
upon a sepulchral urn, bearing a coronal of undying laurel leaves
in its right hand; and in its left an inverted torch, partly
extinguished, emblematical of the uncertainty of human life. The
inscription is as follows:--
"Near to this place is laid, with the remains of her honoured
parents, the body of Elizabeth, the pious, amiable, and
much-beloved wife of Richard Ottley; who departed this life, in
the Island of St Vincent, on Thursday, 28th August, in the year
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty-six, in the
thirty-second year of her age.
"She was the daughter of Ashton Warner, Esq.,[72]
Attorney-General of Antigua, by Elizabeth, his wife, and was born
the 7th June, 1735, O.S.; married 25th October, in the year 1753,
and left issue surviving her, one son and three daughters--viz.,
Drewry, Elizabeth, Mary Trant, and Alice.
"She possessed a graceful person, an excellent understanding, and
a sweetness of disposition that engaged the esteem of all that
knew her, and performed with so much complacency the several
duties in her family, and those of a good friend and neighbour,
that it may be truly said she died universally lamented, and a
real loss to that infant colony. Her inconsolable husband (in
whose arms she expired, after bearing with admirable fortitude
and resignation the excruciating pains of a long and difficult
labour) caused this monument to be erected to her memory.
"The son with whom she died reclines upon that breast which would
have nourished him had the Almighty so permitted."
A very chaste and elegant white marble tablet, forming a Gothic
arch, erected to the memory of the Honourable Sam. Otto Baijer, a
descendant of Bastien Baijer, who signed the capitulation in
1666, bearing the following inscription:--
As a last mournful token of affection,
This Tablet is erected by
Elizabeth Mary Otto Baijer,
To the memory of her beloved Father,
The Honourable Samuel Otto Baijer,
Of Pares Estate, in this Island;
Who died at Philadelphia
On the 20th of December, 1835,
Aged 54 years.
Also to the memory of her Mother,
Elizabeth Mary Otto Baijer,
Who died in 1813, at Dove Hall,
In the Island of Jamaica,
In the 27th year of her age.
Also to the memory of her Brother,
Rowland Archibald Otto Baijer,
Son of the above-named
Samuel Otto Baijer and Mary Elizabeth his Wife,
Who died at Pares Estate, in this Island,
On the 24th of November, 1837,
Aged 25 years and 8 months,
And whose remains repose near this spot.
A small, unpretending marble tablet:--
Sacred
To the Memory of
Elizabeth Jane Harman,
Who died on the 16th April, A.D. 1828,
Aged 21 years.
"We have this treasure in earthen vessels."
A pyramidal monument, supported by fluted pillars, and bearing a
small sarcophagus, surmounted by two figures of children or
cherubs, holding in their hands a scroll, on which is written
texts from Scripture. The inscription is as follows:--
"Supported only by a meek obedience to the decrees of Eternal
Wisdom, and a firm trust in the Atonement of a gracious Redeemer,
William and Ruth Atkinson, once inhabitants of Antigua, and now
of Dominica, as an inadequate evidence of their intense and
aggravated anguish for the poignant and crushing trial they have
undergone in the loss of both their children, pay this melancholy
tribute, when advancing into manly, lively virtue, such as fills
the parents' soul with solid comfort.
"George Atkinson, their first and last spared hope, had nearly
reached his twelfth year. This blooming prop of their declining
age--when, by a mild and artless truth, joined to innate goodness
and suavity of temper, he had irresistibly won the esteem and
love of all--quitted this life without a struggle on Sunday, 5th
Dec. 1779.
"William Atkinson, their youngest, died in infancy.
What poets paint, what marbles feebly tell,
Defective far are all;
Such woes are only to be known
To real feeling souls.
Where equal growing filial worth's bewail'd,
The name of Son thus lost, all consolation fail'd.
1782."[73]
A small tablet, representing a white scroll upon a black ground,
surmounted by a laurel chaplet, bearing inscription:
In memory of
Auther Teagle,
Who departed this life
On the 20th November, 1839,
Aged 43 years.
"Thy will be done."
In the north aisle are four monuments; the first, beginning from
the east, erected to a late curate of St. John's. It consists of
a white marble tablet, and above, the figure of an angel soaring
upwards, and encompassed with clouds. The tablet bears the
following inscription:--
To the memory of
The Rev. William Thomas Bernard, A.B.,
Of Trinity College, Dublin,
Late curate of this parish,
Where, after a short residence of four months,
In the faithful exercise of his ministry, and
The manifestation of much private worth,
He died of fever, Nov. 2nd, 1835,
In the 26th year of his age,
Most deeply and generally regretted,
This tribute of esteem and affection
Is erected,
Partly by his much afflicted Sister,
Ellen M. Baily,
And partly by the Right Rev. William Hart Coleridge, D.D.,
Lord Bishop of this diocese,
The clergy of Antigua, and other friends in the
Island, who mourn his early loss.
Beneath the tablet are his coat of arms, with the motto--
"Bear and Forbear."
A white marble monument, with a deep border of variegated brown
marble, to the memory of a descendant of Sir Thomas Warner. The
ornamental part consists of a female figure enveloped in
widow-like drapery, and leaning upon an urn. The inscription is
as follows:--
This monument
Is erected to the memory of
The Honourable William Warner, Esq.,
Who was a member of His Majesty's Council,
And Treasurer of this Island.
Honourable by his office of Counsellor,
But
More honourable as a man:
For if
Virtue alone is true nobility,
And if justice, moderation, temperance, meekness,
Consummate honesty, charity, generosity, and
Conjugal affection, are virtues that are held in any estimation
Among men,
This man,
Who lived in the exercise of them all
Was truly honourable.
He died on Friday, 11 October, 1771, in the forty-third year of
his age,
Universally regretted, and lamented by all orders and degrees
among
Us.
To commemorate her anguish for his loss, and as a public
Testimony of her love and duty, his disconsolate widow hath
Caused this memorial to be raised.
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
A very elegantly designed white pyramidal monument erected to the
memory of an only child. A chastely sculptured female figure
leans upon a "storied urn," with a beautifully chiselled wreath
of flowers thrown around her. This monument has been
unfortunately injured, one of the hands and part of the arm of
the figure being broken off.
In memory of her only and beloved daughter,
Sarah Kelsick,
Wife of Mr. John Kelsick, merchant in Antigua,
Who died on 20th day of March, 1785,
In the 19th year of her age.
This monument was erected by her disconsolate mother,
Sarah Eccleston,
Wife of Isaac Eccleston, Esq.,
1792.
From the parent, the husband, the friend,
Her social and amiable virtues
Claim the tribute of affliction,
And though early cut off,
She must ever live in the memory of those
Who had the happiness of her acquaintance.
Vivit post funera virtus.
The next is an elaborate and splendid monument, erected by the
country to the memory of Ralph Lord Lavington; and however
peculiar the taste which dictated the design, the execution, at
least, possesses merit. The top figure represents his lordship in
a sitting posture, habited in the old court dress, and his plumed
hat lying at his feet. The inscription is traced upon a light
grey marble, hollowed out so as to allow of the insertion of a
small sarcophagus, bearing his coat of arms, with a
beautifully-executed branch of oak-leaves thrown across it.
Two female figures recline on each side; the one on the left
hand, representing Astrea with her scales by her side, and the
hilt of the sword of justice, very minutely and beautifully
sculptured, protruding from behind the sarcophagus; her
finely-formed and classic face is up-turned towards the old lord.
In the other figure we behold the genius of the island, mourning
for the loss of a favourite governor. She holds in her right hand
a scroll, upon which is inscribed--"Resolved, that a monument be
erected to his memory," while with her left hand she shades her
features as if in deep grief. At the feet of these figures rolls
the sea, the waves, surmounted with their foam, very well
executed. This costly monument bears the following inscription:--
Sacred
To the memory of
Ralph Payne Lord Lavington,
Of the kingdom of Ireland,
One of His Majesty's most honourable Privy Council,
Knight of the most honourable Order of the Bath,
and Captain-general, and Commander-in-chief of
The Leeward Islands.
Upon the base of the monument is the following brief biographical
inscription:--
"He was born in the Island of St. Christopher's, of an English
family, distinguished for its loyalty and public spirit. His
education he received in England, and it prepared him for the
distinctions which awaited his return to his native isle, when he
was elected a member of the House of Assembly, and on its first
meeting unanimously called to the chair of the House, in which
high situation he gave an early display of those superior talents
and eminent qualifications which afterwards secured him the
confidence of his king, and the esteem of his country. On his
return to England in 1762, he was elected a member of the House
of Commons for the borough of Plympton, Devonshire; and from his
perfect knowledge of colonial affairs, he was appointed in 1771--
a period of national interest--to be captain-general and
commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands, at which time he was
also invested with the most honourable Order of the Bath. He
remained in the exercise of his government until 1774, when he
returned to England, and was appointed a member of the Board of
Green Cloth. During the period of his residence in England, he
sat in five parliaments, and in 1795, his Majesty was graciously
pleased to raise him to the dignity of a peer in Ireland, by the
style and title of Baron Lavington of Lavington. In 1799, he was
sworn one of his Majesty's most honourable Privy Council, and
again appointed to the chief command of the Leeward Islands, in
the wise and able administration of which important trust he
passed his latter years
And closed his venerable life.
This nobleman
Was revered for his public qualities,
As he was beloved for his private virtues.
He blended the dignity of his high office with the affability of
his disposition and the gracefulness of his manners,
And at once commanded the respect, and conciliated the affections
of all ranks of people
Within the circle of his government
As a sincere and lasting testimony of their veneration and
regret,
The Legislature of Antigua
Have erected this monument
He died at the Government House of this Island, on the 3rd day of
Aug. 1807, aged 68; and was interred at his own estate, called
Carlisles."
The whole of this very handsome monument is enclosed in an arch
of plain black marble. I should have mentioned that the
ornamental parts of this tomb are all in pure _white_ marble.
The remaining monument is erected to the memory of Mrs. Musgrave,
who was unfortunately thrown out of her carriage (the horse
becoming restive and breaking the shafts) and killed upon the
spot. This unhappy catastrophe occurred in one of the streets of
St. John's, and a representation of the event, absurd as it may
seem, is sculptured upon the monument (which is of white marble)
in basso-relievo. In the background is the animal, apparently of
the cart-horse breed, scampering away with the broken shafts and
traces hanging around him; in the foreground, is the figure of a
man, kneeling and supporting in his arms a female, whose listless
posture portrays the dire event. The face of the female is well
executed, the features expressing acute suffering, while they
tell the hand of death is upon them; but the figure is execrable
in its proportions, the hand and arm being quite as large as the
leg and foot of the man, if not larger. The inscription is as
follows:--
"No warning given! unceremonious fate!
A sudden rush from life's meridian joys!
A wrench from all she loved."[74]
Sacred to the memory
of
Eliza Musgrave,
Wife of William Musgrave, Esq.,
Of the Inner Temple, barrister-at-law.
She departed this life
On the morning of the 12th Feb., 1815,
Aged 24 years,
Beloved and lamented by all who knew her.
Her God she reverenced;
Towards her neighbours she never wilfully offended;
To her husband she was everything
His fondest wishes could picture or embrace.
He idolized her while she lived,
And his respect for her exalted worth
Survives beyond the grave.
The remembrance of her many virtues
Remains indelibly inscribed
In his dejected bosom.
"Friends, our chief treasure, how they drop!
How the world falls to pieces round about us!
And leaves us in the ruin of our joy!
What says this transportation of my friends?
It bids me love the place where now they dwell,
And scorn this wretched spot it leaves so poor."[75]
The aisles of the church are paved with a coarse species of
marble, laid down in alternate diamonds of black and white. The
chancel is raised by two steps, and has a stone pavement. The
body of the church contains 152 pews, but with the assistance of
the galleries, of which there are three, affords about 1800
sittings. The governor's pew is very neatly fitted up with
crimson damask, and contains some gaily coloured ottomans; over
the pew are the royal arms of England. Service is performed in
the church on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and our exemplary
rector, with true Christian indefatigability, administers the
sacrament monthly, at eight in the morning, and after the usual
morning service.
The organ with which the church is furnished, was erected (partly
by subscription) in 1760, at the cost of 450l. sterling, the
vestry making up what was wanting. It is still a very fine
instrument, and our talented and respected organist, G. Hart,
Esq., fully recompenses us for any defects it may labour under by
his inimitable execution.[76]
At the west end of the nave rises a plain quadrangular tower,
surmounted by an octagonal cupola. The elevation to the apex of
the cupola is sixty-five feet; the altitude of the tower itself
is fifty feet. This tower was not erected until 1789, some years
after the parent church, but from being constructed of the same
materials, presents a uniform appearance; the cupola is built of
wood, the perpendicular compartments being _jalousied_. John
Delap Halliday, Esq. gave 500l. towards its erection.[77]
Within these last few months, two windows have been pierced at
the east side of the tower, in the small chamber where the works
of the clock are placed. These were made at the suggestion of Mr.
Jones, the keeper of the clock, and which prove very beneficial
to him when inspecting and cleaning that necessary appurtenance.
Before that period this chamber was perfectly dark, which not
only rendered the air within it extremely damp, but presented an
obstacle to the due regulation of the instrument contained in it;
for candles are but a sorry substitute for the clear light of day
when employed in such delicate business as rectifying the
machinery of a horologe. Under the care of Mr. Jones the works
are kept beautifully clean, which of course will produce a good
effect. This instrument was the gift of John Delap Halliday, (as
may be seen by the inscription upon the works,) of Antigua, and
the maker of it Charles Penton, London, 1788. The windows are
glazed, and present exactly the same appearance as those to be
found in the suburban dwelling-houses around that mighty
metropolis, London.
The tower contains two bells; the tenor one inscribed--"Edmund
Powell, Golden Grove, 1684," and was kept for the use of the
coloured classes in other days. The large bell was presented to
the church by John Delap, (before he assumed the name of
Halliday,) Esq., 1788. It bore the following inscription:--"The
gift of John Delap, Esq. The Rev. James Lindsey, rector; Thomas
Hanson Halloran, and Daniel Hill, churchwardens. Charles Penton,
London, fecit. John Warner, founder, of London, 1788." It was
taken down the 11th of February, 1840, on account of a serious
injury beyond repair, shipped for London on board the "Antigua
Packet," and exchanged for a new one of the same size, which now
serves to call the people to church, and to speak the demise of
the inhabitants; but it is silent at a wedding, for in this
country no merry peal of bells announces that event which
elsewhere is ever the signal for joy and festivity.
Having attempted the description of the church, I will now
proceed to mention the churchyard, which lies upon a gentle
slope, and contains numerous tombs, with their iron or wooden
railings. The most beautiful tomb in the ground was erected to
the memory of the Honourable Otto Baijer, by his widow, who
afterwards died on her passage to England in 1726. Her remains
were brought back to Antigua, and now repose by the side of her
loved husband. It is of pure white marble, although stained by
exposure to the weather, and is elegantly ornamented with various
fruits and flowers in basso-relievo.
The oldest sepulchral monuments, of which I could make out the
inscriptions, are to the memory of Troughton, 1704; Col. Philip
Lee. 1704;[78] Capt. Bastien Baijer, 1715; Thos. Oasterman, Esq.,
1724; Frederic Cope, 1739; and Mrs. Warner, the wife of Ashton
Warner, Esq., 1748.
The inscription upon the tomb of Frederic Cope demands, however,
further mention. It is an acrostic; the _poetry_ I leave to the
judgment of my readers.
THE INSCRIPTION.
"F ar removed from every human eye he is,
R egardless now of earth, partakes of heaven's bliss;
E xalted was his lively soul whilst here below,
D elighted ever tender friendships for to show;
E asy and cheerful through every scene of Life;
R eady to forgive all; but unto me, his wife,
I ndulgent to the last degree, for ever kind--
C alm was his spirit, virtuous was his mind.
C areful he ever was to take no bribe in Law;
O h! full, full well the abject hate of mortals saw.
P artial he never was, just to each man's fame,
E ach initial letter will now declare his name."
He was born in London, of honest parents, on the 21st day of May,
1711, and died, in Antigua, on the 8th ------, 1739.
A fine large marble tomb, to the memory of the Honourable Ashton
Warner, who died 11th of February, 1762, stands near to this very
original sepulchral acrostic; and at no great distance a single
stone to the memory of some admiral (the inscription obliterated)
with its anchors and flags, and escutcheons.
On the east side of the north vestibule stands the tomb of
Major-general George W. Ramsey, governor-in-chief of Antigua,
Monserrat, and Barbados, in 1816, who departed this life,
November 1st, 1819, in the 58th year of his age. The iron railing
has become rusted and bent,[79] and the tomb bears many a
blackened mark.
Near to the last resting-place of governor Ramsey, stands another
very handsome tomb of white marble, erected to that well-known
and eccentric character, Patrick Kirwan. He was a native of
Galway, and as true an Irishman as ever handled a shillelah, or
vowed devotion to "the shamrock so green." Mr. Kirwan resided in
Antigua for many years, as a planter and proprietor of estates,
where his "bulls and blunders" are still remembered and repeated
with delight. Upon one occasion he sent for a sun-dial from
England, which he intended to have erected near his dwelling; but
upon its arrival, it looked so smart with its golden rays and
gnomen, that "Pat" pronounced it the very height of profanation
to have such a pretty "cratur" exposed to the relentless shafts
of master Sol; and so to preserve its beauty, and keep all
secure, he had a tight snug shed built over it, which eventually
forbid the entrance of any straggling sunbeam which might feel
inclined to call upon it, to learn the hour. Poor Mr. Kirwan! his
Irish blood was always leading him to commit blunders, which were
sure to raise a laugh at his expense. During a partial rebellion
of the negroes, at a period when he was manager of an estate, a
few miles from the capital, he one morning presented himself
before the proprietor with a very flushed face, and excited mien
--"Good morning, Mr. Kirwan," said his employer. "What brings you
to town so suddenly--you look alarmed, I hope nothing is the
matter?" "Faith, an there is though!" retorted the Irishman, "and
if the blessed St. Patrick himself had been here, he would have
looked alarmed too. Why, there's a perfect _resurrection_ of the
negroes upon your estate!" "A what?" inquired the surprised
proprietor. "A perfect _resurrection_," repeated Pat, "and I have
come to ask you what I must do?" His employer could scarcely
repress a smile at this strange intelligence. At length, however,
he summoned gravity enough to reply, "If that's the case, Mr.
Kirwan, the best advice I can give you is, to put a _hoe_ into
their hands as fast as they rise, and set them to work
immediately."
But with all his "_bulls and blunders_," Mr. Kirwan was
deservedly respected, and his death universally regretted. He
died in 1819, in the 66th year of his age. The inscription upon
his monument informs us "By his direction this tomb was erected."
At the entrance of the east gate is a mural stone monument,
erected to the memory of James Cullen, by his brother Robert
Cullen. This monument is pointed out to strangers on account of
the peculiarity of its form, with the assertion that the person
who built the church is buried there, and that the coffin is
obliged to stand in a perpendicular position. This, however, is
not correct; the monument certainly stands there, but the place
where the body is entombed is 23 feet further to the west; and
instead of being raised to the memory of the architect of the
church, that individual erected it to perpetuate the memory of
his brother. This fact is engraven upon the monument; but so
unexploring are the Antiguans in general, that I think but few of
the inhabitants are aware of the real truth, but still think the
coffin stands upright.
This strange practice of putting up the grave-stone at a distance
from the grave is not the only instance of the kind to be met in
the churchyard of St. John's. At one of the west gates lies a
stone slab, to the memory of the late organist; and upon reading
the inscription, I supposed that the body reposed beneath. But
not so: that lies far away, with "not a stone to mark the place."
Upon asking a pew-opener the reason for placing the slab in that
situation, his reply was, "It does so nicely, you know, for the
people to walk on, and looks well."
The churchyard is entered by five iron gates, of handsome
patterns. At the north, a flight of stone steps leads up to the
church, while from the south gate, the building is approached by
an easy and gradual ascent, paved with brick. The pillars of the
south gate are surmounted by stone figures, representing St. John
the Baptist, and St. John the Evangelist. These figures were
intended to receive the vows of the good catholics at Dominica;
but as it happened to be war time, when they took their departure
from "_la belle France_," on their passage they fell in with an
English man-of-war, who most unceremoniously took them into
keeping, and brought them to Antigua; where, by universal
consent, they were placed as sentinels in their present position,
instead of being decked out in gold and silver leaf, and mock
jewels. The negroes, however, refuse to recognise them by their
own titles, but have unanimously dubbed them "Adam and Eve"--the
Baptist, I suppose, playing the part of the lady, as his garments
are longer and more voluminous than those of his companion.
------
[71] See Chapter XX.
[72] A descendant of Sir Thomas Warner, who planted the first
English colony in Antigua.
[73] This strangely-worded inscription is copied verbatim.
[74] Slightly altered from Young's "Night Thoughts."
[75] Young's "Night Thoughts," Night 7th.
[76] To the organ is attached a choir, composed of the boys and
girls from the parochial school.
[77] From this John Delap Halliday descends the present Admiral
Tollemache--viz.--
Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysert, born June, 1708; married
Grace, eldest daughter of John Earl of Granville, by whom he had
(among other issue) a daughter, Jane, married, 1770, John Delap
Halliday, of the Leasowes, county of Salop, and of Antigua, Esq.,
by whom she had issue, I. John Halliday, Admiral R.N., and who
has assumed the name of Tollemache, and who married Elizabeth,
second daughter of John, 3rd Earl of Aldborough, by whom he has,
among other children, Elizabeth, the present Countess of
Cardigan; and II. Charlotte, married Henry, fourth son of 6th Sir
William Wolseley, of Wolseley, county Stafford.
[78] The gentleman who presented the pair of silver candlesticks
for the communion table. He was an Irishman by birth and
education; but after having served in the wars in Flanders, he
emigrated to Antigua, and became Speaker of the House of Assembly
in that island in 1702.
[79] It is said to have been done by lightning.