Although disappointed in the hope we had entertained of being, by this
time, in a position to announce that some decided steps had been taken
to carry out, in a practical manner, the great scheme of preserving a
record of our existing Monuments, we are gratified at being enabled to
bring under the notice of our readers several communications which
show the still increasing interest which is felt upon the subject.
The first, by Sir Thomas Phillipps, besides some valuable information
upon the matter immediately under consideration, contains several very
useful suggestions upon other, though kindred points.
In approving of the design mentioned in your "NOTES" by MR. DUNKIN, it
has surprised me that in no one of the communications which you have
there printed is any allusion to the multitude of inscriptions already
collected, and now preserved in the British Museum and other libraries.
A list of what are already copied should _first_ be made, which would
considerably abridge the labour of collecting. For instance, the whole
of Gloucestershire has been preserved by Bigland, and nearly two-thirds
of these have been printed. I should recommend his plan to be adopted,
being _multum in parvo_, as to the headstones in the churchyards, and
the clearest for reference by its alphabetical order of parishes. He
copies them about 1780; so that now seventy years remain to be obtained.
His collection would make two, or at most three, volumes folio, by which
we can form an approximate idea as to the extent for the kingdom, which
I estimate at one hundred volumes for the forty counties, because some
of these are very small, and many monuments have been destroyed by the
barbarous Gothlike conduct of church renovators and builders. (_A
propos_ of which conduct, I believe they are liable to an _action at
law_ from the next of kin: at all events, it is sacrilege.) In many
county histories, _all_ the monuments inside the churches, up to nearly
the date of the publication, have been printed, as in Nichols's
_Leicestershire_. I have myself printed the greater part of those for
Wiltshire; but some are incorrectly printed, not having been collated;
for I merely printed a few as handbooks to accompany me in my personal
correcting survey of each church at another time. I have also printed as
far as letter "E" of Antony à Wood's and Hinton's _Oxfordshire
Monuments_, of which, I believe, MR. DUNKIN has a MS. copy. Now, it
would be useless to reprint those which have been printed; consequently
I should imagine twenty-five or thirty volumes, on Bigland's plan, would
comprise all the villages; and I should imagine five or ten volumes at
most would comprise all the capital towns. Allow me here to suggest the
absolute necessity of taking "Notes" of the residence, parentage, and
kindred of _every one_ of the families of that vast tide of emigration
now quitting our shores; and I call Lord Ashley's and Mr. Sidney
Herbert's attention to it. These poor people will, many of them, become
rich in half a century; will then probably die without a kindred soul in
America to possess their wealth; and their next of kin must be sought
for in the mother land, where, unless some _registered memorial_ of
their departure and connexions is kept, all traces of their origin may
be lost for ever. It was the neglect of an act like this which has
involved the beginning of nations in such profound obscurity. It was the
neglect of such a register as I here propose, that makes it so difficult
now for the American to discover the link which actually connected him
with England. There is a corporate body, long established in this
country, whose sole occupation is to make such registers; but at present
they confine themselves to those called gentlemen. Why not make them
useful as registers of the poor, at a small remuneration for entering
each family. These poor, or their descendants, will some day become
gentlemen, and perhaps not ashamed of their ancestry, although they may
derive it through poverty. How gratified they may feel to be able, by
means of this proposed registry, clearly to trace themselves to Great
Britain (once the mistress of half the world), when their now adopted
country has risen up in her place, and the mother has become subject to
the daughter.
And then, too, how valuable will Americans and Canadians, Australians
and New Zealanders, find the proposed _Monumentarium_ of MR. DUNKIN.
THOS. PHILLIPPS.
Middle Hill, April, 1851.
The next is from a frequent contributor to our pages, and we have
selected it for publication from among many which we have received
promising assistance in the carrying out of the great scheme, because
it shows very strikingly how many of the memorials, which it is the
especial object of that scheme to preserve, have disappeared within
the last few years.
Your valuable remarks on this head have induced me to send you a few
observations in the same direction. You have justly said that the means
by which the object can be accomplished fall into the three distinct
operations of Collection, Preservation, and Publication. The first will
require the help of all antiquaries throughout the kingdom who will
volunteer their services, and of the clergymen resident in country
parishes. Where possible, it would be well to find a co-operator in
every county town, who would undertake the collection of all ancient
memorials in his own district, either by personal inspection, or by the
aid of the clergy. For this county we have, fortunately, a record of
all or most of the monuments existing in the time of James I., published
in Burton's History. Besides the monuments, there are also mentioned the
coats of arms preserved in the churches. In the useful and voluminous
world of Nichols, the record is brought down nearly to the commencement
of the present century. But in late years, many ancient memorials have
been removed altogether, or displaced. A day or two ago, I found only
one monument in a village church, where Burton says there were two in
his time. The chancel of St. Martin's Church, Leicester, a few years
ago, contained a large number, of which many have been placed elsewhere,
in order to "improve" the appearance of this part of the edifice. I
believe a list of the monuments is preserved somewhere. This kind of
proceeding has been carried on very generally throughout the country
since the desire for "church restoration" has prevailed, and has led to
great alterations in the interiors of our old parish churches. I should
be happy to lend a helping hand in the collections for Leicester and the
neighbourhood.