Part 9
"This singular epitaph points out the last resting-place of Henry Marten, one of the judges who condemned King Charles I. to the scaffold. On the Restoration, Marten was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment, Chepstow Castle being selected as the place of his incarceration. There he died in 1680, in the twenty-eighth year of his captivity, and seventy-eighth of his age. He was originally interred in the chancel of the church; but a subsequent vicar of Chepstow, Chest by name, who carried his petty party animosities even beyond the grave, had the dead man's dust removed, averring that he would not allow the body of a regicide to lie so near the altar. And so it was that Marten's memorial came to occupy its present position in the passage leading from the nave to the north aisle. We are told that one Mr. Downton, a son-in-law of this pusillanimous parson, touched to the quick by his relative's harsh treatment of poor Marten's inanimate remains, retorted by writing this satirical epitaph for the Rev. Mr. Chest's tombstone:--
Here lies at rest, I do protest, One CHEST within another! The chest of wood was very good,-- Who says so of the other?
"Some doubt has been thrown on the probability of a man of Marten's culture having written, as is implied in the inscription, the epitaph which has a place on his memorial.
"The regicide was a son of Sir Henry Marten, a favourite of the first James, and by him appointed Principal Judge of the Admiralty and Dean of Arches. Young Henry was himself a prominent person during the period of the disastrous Civil War, and was elected Member of Parliament for Berkshire in 1640. He was, in politics, a decided Republican, and threw in his lot with the Roundhead followers of sturdy Oliver. When the tide of popular favour turned in Charles II.'s direction, and Royalty was reinstated, Marten and the rest of the regicides were brought to judgment for signing the death warrant of their monarch. The consequence, in Marten's case, was life-long imprisonment, as we have seen, in Chepstow Castle."
Next is a copy of an acrostic epitaph from Tewkesbury Abbey.
Here lyeth the body of THOMAS MERRETT, of Tewkesbury, Barber-chirurgeon, who departed this life the 22nd day of October, 1699.
T hough only Stone Salutes the reader's eye, H ere (in deep silence) precious dust doth lye, O bscurely Sleeping in Death's mighty store, M ingled with common earth till time's no more, A gainst Death's Stubborne laws, who dares repine, S ince So much Merrett did his life resigne.
M urmurs and Teares are useless in the grave, E lse hee whole Vollies at his Tomb might have. R est in Peace; who like a faithful steward, R epair'd the Church, the Poore and needy cur'd; E ternall mansions do attend the Just, T o clothe with Immortality their dust, T ainted (whilst under ground) with wormes and rust.
In the churchyard of Irongray a table stone, reared by Sir Walter Scott, commemorates Helen Walker, the prototype of Jeanie Deans, whose integrity and tenderness are, in his "Heart of Midlothian," so admirably portrayed by that great novelist. The following is the inscription:--
This stone was erected by the author of Waverley to the memory of HELEN WALKER, who died in the year of God 1791. This humble individual practised in real life the virtues with which fiction has invested the imaginary character of Jeanie Deans; refusing the slightest departure from veracity, even to save the life of a sister, she nevertheless showed her kindness and fortitude, in rescuing her from the severity of the law at the expense of personal exertions which the time rendered as difficult as the motive was laudable. Respect the grave of poverty when combined with love of truth and dear affection. Erected October 1831.
Robert Paterson, better known as "Old Mortality," rests in the churchyard of Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire. We learn from Dr. Charles Rogers's "Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions in Scotland" (1871) that Paterson was born in 1715, and was the youngest son of Walter Paterson and Margaret Scott, who rented the farm of Haggista, parish of Hawick. He some time served an elder brother who had a farm in Comcockle-muir, near Lochmaben. He married Elizabeth Gray, who, having been cook in the family of Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, of Closeburn, procured for him an advantageous lease of a freestone quarry at Morton. Here he resided many years, labouring with exemplary diligence. From his youth attached to the sect of the Cameronians, he evinced a deep interest in the memory of those who had suffered in the cause of Presbytery. Occasionally he restored their tombstones. At length his zeal in the restoration of these stony memorials acquired the force of a passion. In 1758 he began to travel from parish to parish, ever working with hammer and chisel in renewing the epitaphs of the martyrs. His self-imposed task no entreaties of wife or children could induce him to abandon. Though reduced to the verge of poverty, he persisted in his labours till the last day of his existence. He died at Banpend village, near Lockerbie, on the 29th January, 1801, aged eighty-six. At his death he was found possessed of twenty-seven shillings and sixpence, which were applied to the expenses of his funeral. Sir Walter Scott, who has made "Old Mortality" the subject of a novel, intended to rear a tombstone to his memory, but was unable to discover his place of sepulture. Since the discovery has been made, Messrs. Black, of Edinburgh, who possess the copyright of the Waverley novels, have reared at the grave of the old enthusiast a suitable memorial stone. It is thus inscribed:--
Erected to the memory of ROBERT PATERSON, the "Old Mortality" of Sir Walter Scott, who was buried here February, 1801.
"Why seeks he with unwearied toil Through death's dim walk to urge his way Reclaim his long asserted spoil, And lead oblivion into day."
Here is a picture of the stone placed over the grave of William Shakespeare, at Stratford-on-Avon, with its well-known and frequently quoted inscription:--
At Loddon, in Norfolk, is buried one who, like the bard of Avon, had a great horror of his bones being removed. The epitaph is as follows:--
When on this spot affection's downcast eye, The lucid tribute shall no more bestow; When friendship's breast no more shall heave a sigh, In kind remembrance of the dust below; Should the rude sexton digging near this tomb, A place of rest for others to prepare, The vault beneath to violate presume; May some opposing Christian cry "Forbear"-- Forbear! rash mortal, as thou hop'st to rest When death shall lodge thee in thy destined bed, With ruthless spade, unkindly to molest The peaceful slumbers of the kindred dead.
In Tideswell churchyard, among several other singular gravestone inscriptions, the following occurs, and is worth reprinting:--
In memory of BRIAN, son of JOHN and MARTHA HAIGH, who died 22nd December, 1795, Aged 17 years.
Come, honest sexton, with thy spade, And let my grave be quickly made; Make my cold bed secure and deep, That, undisturbed, my bones may sleep. Until that great tremendous day, When from above a voice shall say,-- "Awake, ye dead, lift up your eyes, Your great Creator bids you rise!" Then, free from this polluted dust, I hope to be amongst the just.
Under the shadow of the ancient church of Bakewell, Derbyshire, is a stone containing a long inscription to the memory of John Dale, barber-surgeon, and his two wives, Elizabeth Foljambe and Sarah Bloodworth. It ends thus:--
Know posterity, that on the 8th of April, in the year of grace 1757, the rambling remains of the above JOHN DALE were, in the 86th yeare of his pilgrimage, laid upon his two wives.
This thing in life might raise some jealousy, Here all three lie together lovingly, But from embraces here no pleasure flows, Alike are here all human-joys and woes; Here Sarah's chiding John no longer hears, And old John's rambling Sarah no more fears; A period's come to all their toylsome lives, The good man's quiet; still are both his wives.
On a slab affixed to the east wall of St. Mary's Church, Whitby, is an inscription containing some remarkable coincidences:--
Here lie the bodies of FRANCIS HUNTRODDS and MARY his wife, who were both born on the same day of the week month and year (viz.) Sepr ye 19th 1600 marry'd on the day of their birth and after having had 12 children born to them died aged 80 years on the same day of the year they were born September ye 19th 1680, the one not one above five hours before ye other.
Husband and wife that did twelve children bear, Dy'd the same day; alike both aged were 'Bout eighty years they liv'd, five hours did part (Ev'n on the marriage day) each tender heart So fit a match, surely could never be, Both in their lives, and in their deaths agree.
The following is from St. Julian's Church, Shrewsbury:--
The remains of HENRY CORSER of this parish, Chirurgeon, who Deceased April 11, 1691, and ANNIE his wife, who followed him the next day after:--
We man and wife, Conjoined for Life, Fetched our last breath So near that Death, Who part us would, Yet hardly could. Wedded againe, In bed of dust, Here we remaine, Till rise we must. A double prize this grave doth finde, If you are wise keep it in minde.
In the church of Little Driffield, East Yorkshire, were placed in modern times two inscriptions to the memory of Alfred, King of Northumbria. The first states:--
In the chancel of this church lie the remains of ALFRED, King of Northumbria, who departed this life in the year 705.
The present one reads as follows:--
WITHIN THIS CHANCEL LIES INTERRED THE BODY OF ALFRED KING OF NORTHUMBRIA DEPARTED THIS LIFE JANUARY 19TH A.D. 705 IN THE 20TH YEAR OF HIS REIGN STATUTUM EST OMNIBUS SEMIL MORI.
In St. Anne's churchyard, Soho, erected by the Earl of Orford (Walpole), in 1758, these lines were (or are) to be read:--
Near this place is interred THEODORE, King of Corsica, Who died in this Parish December XI., MDCCLVI., Immediately after leaving The _Kings Bench Prison_, By the benefit of the _Act of Insolvency_; In consequence of which He _registered his Kingdom of Corsica For the use of his Creditors_!
The grave--great teacher--to a level brings Heroes and beggars, galley-slaves and kings! But THEODORE this moral learned, ere dead; Fate pour'd its lessons on his living head, Bestow'd a kingdom, and denied him bread.
In the burial-ground of the Island of Juan Fernandez, a monument states:--
In Memory of ALEXANDER SELKIRK, Mariner, A native of Largo, in the county of Fife, Scotland, Who lived on this island, in complete solitude, for four years and four months. He was landed from the Cinque Ports galley, 96 tons, 18 guns, A.D. 1704, and was taken off in the Duke, privateer, 12th February, 1709. He died Lieutenant of H.M.S. Weymouth, A.D. 1723, aged 47 years. This Tablet is erected near Selkirk's look out, By Commodore Powell and the Officers of H.M.S. Topaze, A.D. 1868.
It is generally believed that the adventures of Selkirk suggested to Daniel Defoe the attractive story of "Robinson Crusoe." In the "Dictionary of English Literature," by William Davenport Adams, will be found important information bearing on this subject.
In _Gloucester Notes and Queries_ we read as follows: "Stout's Hill is the name of a house situated on high ground to the south of the village of Uley, built in the style which, in the last century, was intended for Gothic, but which may be more exactly defined as the 'Strawberry Hill' style. In a house of earlier date lived the father of Samuel Rudder, the laborious compiler of the 'History of Gloucestershire' (1779). He lies in the churchyard of Uley, on the south side of the chancel, and his gravestone has a brass-plate inserted, which records a remarkable fact:--
Underneath lies the remains of ROGER RUTTER, _alias_ RUDDER, eldest son of John Rutter, of Uley, who was buried August 30, 1771, aged 84 years, having never eaten flesh, fish, or fowl, during the course of his long life.
Tradition tells us that this vegetarian lived mainly on 'dump,' in various forms. Usually he ate 'plain dump;' when tired of plain dump, he changed his diet to 'hard dump;' and when he was in a special state of exhilaration, he added the variety 'apple dump' to his very moderate fare."
On Saturday, the 2nd May, 1800, the remains of William Cowper were interred in that part of Dereham Church known as St. Edmund's Chapel. He died without a will, but Lady Hesketh consented to administer his estate, and eventually placed a tablet to his memory on the wall of the chancel, near his grave. It is constructed of white marble, and over the top are represented two volumes, labelled respectively "Holy Bible" and "The Task." The inscription as follows was written by Cowper's friend, Hayley:--
In memory of WILLIAM COWPER, Esq., Born in Hertfordshire in 1731, Buried in this Church in 1801.
Ye who with warmth the public triumph feel Of talents, dignified by sacred zeal, Here, to devotion's bard devoutly just, Pay your fond tribute due to Cowper's dust! England, exulting in his spotless fame, Ranks with her dearest sons his fav'rite name; Sense, fancy, wit, suffice not all to raise So clear a title to affection's praise; His highest honours to the heart belong; His virtues form'd the magic of his song.
Charles and Mary Lamb are buried in the churchyard of Edmonton, and a white headstone, marks the spot, on which is recorded, in bold black letters, the following inscription written by Lamb's friend, the Rev. Henry Francis Cary, the translator of Dante:--
To the memory of CHARLES LAMB, died 27th December 1834, aged 59.
Farewell, dear friend, that smile, that harmless mirth, No more shall gladden our domestic hearth; That rising tear, with pain forbid to flow, Better than words no more assuage our woe; That hand outstretched from small but well-earned store, Yield succour to the destitute no more, Yet art thou not all lost, thro' many an age With sterling sense of humour shall thy page Win many an English bosom pleased to see That old and happier vein revived in thee. This for our earth, and if with friends we share Our joys in heaven we hope to meet thee there.
Also MARY ANNE LAMB, Sister of the above. Born 3rd December 1767, Died 20th May 1847.
In the church is a memorial to Lamb and Cowper. It occupies a good position at the west end of the north wall, and consists of two inscribed white marble panels, enshrined in a graceful freestone design, the arches of which are supported by veined marble pilasters. In the upper portion of each panel is carved a portrait in relief, the one on the right showing the head of Cowper, while on the left the features of Lamb are characteristically depicted.
The following are the inscriptions contained on the memorial:--
(_Left panel._)
In memory of CHARLES LAMB "The Gentle Elia" and author of Tales from Shakespeare, etc. Born in the Inner Temple 1775 educated at Christ's Hospital died at Bay Cottage Edmonton 1834 and buried beside his sister Mary in the adjoining churchyard.
At the centre of his being lodged A soul by resignation sanctified O, he was good if e'er a good man lived! WORDSWORTH.
(_Right panel._)
In memory of WILLIAM COWPER, THE POET Born in Berkhampstead 1731 Died and buried at East Dereham 1800. He was the author of The Diverting History of "John Gilpin."
John Gilpin was a citizen Of credit and renown, A trainband captain eke was he Of famous London town.
John Gilpin's spouse said to her dear, Though wedded we have been These twice ten tedious years, yet we No holiday have seen.
To-morrow is our wedding day, And we will then repair Unto "the Bell" at Edmonton, All in a chaise and pair, etc.
(_Along base of design._)
This monument to commemorate the visit of the London and Middlesex Archæological Association/ to Edmonton church and parish on the 26th July 1888/ was erected by the President of the Meeting Joshua W. Butterworth, F.S.A.
For some years we have been interested in the life and poetry of Mary Pyper, "A Poet of the Poor," and in our "Literary Byways" have told at length the story of her career. We there state, through the exertions of Dr. Rogers in May, 1885, a handsome cross was erected over her remains in Greyfriars' churchyard, Edinburgh, simply bearing her name, "Mary Pyper." Such was the information we received from a friend whom we induced to see the memorial and give us particulars of it, and to our surprise when we visited her grave in April, 1899, we found on the cross the following inscription, which we presume has been added since its erection:--
By admiring Friends Erected in memory of MARY PYPER, who amidst untoward surroundings cherished her gift as a writer of sacred verse. Born 25th May, 1795. She died at Edinburgh, 25th May, 1870.
Let me go! The day is breaking; Morning bursts upon the eye; Death this mortal frame is shaking, But the soul can never die!
The lines are from her poem entitled "The Christian's View of Death," which finds a place in several standard works of poetry. Her best known production is an "Epitaph: A Life," and often attributed incorrectly to German sources. It is as follows:--
"I came at morn--'twas Spring, and smiled, The fields with green were clad; I walked abroad at noon, and lo! 'Twas Summer--I was glad. I sate me down--'twas Autumn eve, And I with sadness wept; I laid me down at night--and then 'Twas Winter--and I slept."
Among self-taught poets Mary Pyper is entitled to an honourable place.
Mr. John T. Page furnishes us with the following inscriptions copied from Hogarth's monument in Chiswick churchyard. It was erected, says Mr. Page, in 1771, seven years after his death, and is a tall piece of masonry crowned with a funeral urn. Beneath this, on the side facing the church, are carved in low relief a mask, maul-stick, palette and brushes, a laurel wreath and an open book bearing the title of his famous "Analysis of Beauty." On the same side, on a small block of Aberdeen granite at the foot of the memorial, is recorded the fact that it was
Restored by WILLIAM HOGARTH, of Aberdeen, in 1856.
It has well stood the "storm and stress" since then, but is now beginning to show signs of the need of another restoration, for, on the east side, over the inscription, the combined armorial bearings of Hogarth and his wife are as nearly as possible obliterated.
The inscriptions are as follows:--
(_N. Side._)
Farewell great Painter of mankind! Who reach'd the noblest point of Art, Whose _pictur'd Morals_ charm the Mind, And through the Eye correct the Heart.
If _Genius_ fire thee, Reader, stay; If _Nature_ touch thee, drop a Tear; If neither move thee, turn away, For HOGARTH'S honour'd dust lies here. D. GARRICK.
(_E. Side._)
Here lieth the body of WILLIAM HOGARTH, ESQR., who died October the 26th 1764 aged 67 years MRS. JANE HOGARTH wife of William Hogarth Esqr. Obit. the 13th of November 1789 Ætat 80 years.
(_W. Side._)
Here lieth the Body of MRS. ANNE HOGARTH Sister to WILLIAM HOGARTH ESQR. She died August the 13th 1771 aged 70 years Also the Body of MARY LEWIS Spinster died 25th March 1808 Aged 88 years.
(_S. Side._)
Here lieth the Body of DAME JUDITH THORNHILL Relict of SR JAMES THORNHILL KNIGHT of Thornhill in the County of Dorset She died November the 12th 1757 aged 84 years.
The lapse of one hundred and thirty years, says Mr. Page, has not served to dim the ardour with which the works of William Hogarth are cherished by the English nation. His "Harlot's Progress" not only served to reconcile his father-in-law, Sir James Thornhill, to the runaway match the plebeian Hogarth had contracted three years before with his daughter, but it is still looked upon as his _chef d'oeuvre_ by many eminent critics; and there is nearly always to be seen a crowd round his "Marriage a la Mode" in the National Gallery. The virulent contest with Wilkes and Churchill, with which his last days were embittered, has long ago been forgotten, and the name of William Hogarth still lives, and will be popular for all time through his admired series of paintings and engravings, which are prized and hoarded with an ever-increasing love by their happy possessors.
Fairholt, in his "Homes, Works, and Shrines of English Artists"[3] gives an interesting sketch of the career of William Etty, the son of a miller, who for seven years was an apprentice to a printer in Hull, but devoted all his spare time to art, and eventually after many struggles won a high place amongst the painters of the period. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Olave, York, where from the beautiful grounds of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, and through one of the arches of the ruined Abbey of St. Mary, his tomb may be seen. The arch near his grave was closed, but was opened to bring in sight his tomb. Mr. Fairholt is in error in saying it bears the simple inscription:--
WILLIAM ETTY, ROYAL ACADEMICIAN.
Some years ago from the other side of the tomb we copied the following inscription from a crumbling stone:--
WILLIAM ETTY, ROYAL ACADEMICIAN, Who in his brilliant works has left an enduring monument of his exalted genius. Earnestly aiming to attain that lofty position on which his highly gifted talents have placed him, he throughout life exhibited an undeviating perseverance in his profession.
To promote its advancement in his beloved country he watched the progress of those engaged in its study with the most disinterested kindness. To a cultivated and highly poetical mind Were united a cheerfulness and sweetness of disposition With great simplicity and urbanity of manners. He was richly endeared to all who knew him. His piety was unaffected, his faith in Christ sincere, and his devotion to God exemplary. He was born at York, March 10th, 1787, and died in his native city, November 13th, 1849. "Why seek ye the living among the dead?"--Luke xxii., 5.
Etty, says Fairholt, had that wisdom which few men possess, the wisdom of a contented mind. He loved his quiet home, in his provincial birthplace, better than the bustle of London, or the notoriety he might obtain by a residence there. His character and his talent would ensure him attention and deference anywhere, but he preferred his own nook by the old church at York. He probably felt with the poet, that
"The wind is strongest on the highest hills, The quiet life is in the vale below."
The remains of Cruikshank rest in the crypt in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, and over his grave the following inscription appears:--
GEORGE CRUIKSHANK, Artist, Designer, Etcher, Painter. Born at No. -- Duke Street, St. George's, Bloomsbury, London on September 27th, 1792. Died at 263, Hampstead Road, St. Pancras, London, on February 1st, 1878. Aged 86 years.