Part 4

On the north side of Henry the Seventh's Chantry, in a chapel, is a very antique monument, decorated with several emblematical figures in brass, gilt, the principal of which is Neptune, in a pensive posture, with his trident reversed, and Mars with his head crouched. These support the tomb on which lie the effigies of GEORGE VILLIERS, Duke of Buckingham, and his Duchess, the great favourite of James I. and Charles I., who fell a sacrifice to national resentment, and perished by the hands of Felton, August 23, 1628, who had no other motive of action but the clamours of the people. CATHERINE, his Duchess, was interred in the same vault, April 8, 1643.

CROMWELL, four of his family, and six officers were buried in the vault at the end of this chapel. Their remains were removed at the Restoration.

The following are also interred in this portion of the Chapel:--JOHN CAMPBELL, Duke of Argyle and Greenwich, 1743. EDWARD VI., ELIZABETH CLAYPOLE, second daughter of Oliver Cromwell, 1658.

NORTH AISLE.

1. Monument to Queen Elizabeth, 1602, and her Sister Queen Mary, 1558.

2. Mary, Daughter of James the First, 1607.

3. Edward the Fifth and Duke of York, 1483.

4. Sophia, Daughter of James the First, 1606.

5. Marquis of Halifax, 1695.

6. Earl of Halifax, 1715.

From hence you pass to the North Aisle, by a door on the right hand, where is a monument to the memory of CHARLES MOUNTAGUE, the first of this family that bore the title of Lord Halifax, son of George Mountague, of Horton. In the reigns of William III. and George I. he was placed at the head of the Treasury, where, undertaking the reformation of the coin, which in those days was most infamously clipped, to the great loss of the public, he restored it to its proper value. For these and other public services, he was first created Baron, and then Earl of Halifax, and died May 19, 1715.

In front of this monument was buried JOSEPH ADDISON; to mark the spot a slab of white marble, inlaid with solid brass letters and devices, has recently been placed by the Earl of Ellesmere. The very appropriate epitaph was the effusion of Addison's friend and contemporary, Thomas Tickle:--

ADDISON.

"Ne'er to these chambers, where the mighty rest, Since their foundation, came a nobler guest; Nor e'er was to the bowers of bliss conveyed A fairer spirit, or more welcome shade. Oh, gone for ever! take this long adieu, And sleep in peace, next thy lov'd Mountague."

Egerton, Earl of Ellesmere, Born 1672, Died 1719. P.C. 1849. _Poole, mason_.

Also one to the memory of Sir GEORGE SAVILLE, created by Charles I. Baron of Eland, and Viscount Halifax, afterwards Earl, and lastly Marquis of Halifax. He was Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal for some time in the reigns of Charles II., James II., and William III.; and, at the beginning of the reign of James II., he was, for a few months, Lord President of the Council. He died April 5, 1695.

Here is the lofty and magnificent monument of Queen ELIZABETH, erected to her memory by James I., her successor. The inscription speaks her character, high descent, and the memorable acts of her glorious reign:--"That she was the mother of her country, and the patroness of religion and learning; that she was herself skilled in many languages; adorned with every excellence of mind and person, and endowed with princely virtues beyond her sex; that in her reign, religion was restored to its primitive purity; peace was established; money restored to its just value; domestic insurrections quelled; France delivered from intestine troubles; the Netherlands supported; the Spanish Armada defeated; Ireland, almost lost by the secret contrivances of Spain, recovered; the revenues of both Universities improved, by a law of provisions, and, in short, all England enriched; that she was a most prudent Governess, forty-five years a virtuous and triumphant Queen, truly religious, and blessed in all her great affairs; and that after a calm and resigned death, in the seventieth year of her age, she left the mortal part to be deposited in this Church, which she established upon a new footing. She died March 24, 1602, aged seventy." Queen MARY, whose reign preceded that of Queen Elizabeth, was interred here likewise. She died Nov. 17, 1558.--_Stone, sculptor._

At the end of this Aisle is a small tomb over which is a figure of a child, erected to the memory of MARY, third daughter of James I., born at Greenwich in 1605; and soon afterwards committed to the care of Lady Knevet, in whose house at Stainwell she died, December 19, 1607, at two years old.

And a child in a cradle, erected to the memory of SOPHIA, fourth daughter of the same King, born at Greenwich in 1606, and died in three days.

Against the end wall is an altar, raised by Charles II. to the memory of EDWARD V. and his brother, who, by their treacherous uncle, Richard III., were murdered in the Tower. The inscription, which is in Latin, gives a particular account of their sad catastrophe, and is in English thus:--"Here lie the relics of Edward V., King of England, and Richard, Duke of York, who, being confined in the Tower, and there stifled with pillows, were privately and meanly buried, by order of their perfidious uncle, Richard, the usurper. Their bones, long inquired after and wished for, after laying 191 years in the rubbish of the stairs (_i.e._, those lately leading to the Chapel of the White Tower), were, on the 17th of July, 1674, by undoubted proofs, discovered, being buried deep in that place. Charles II., pitying their unhappy fate, ordered these unfortunate Princes to be laid among the relics of their predecessors, in the year 1678, and the thirtieth of his reign." It is remarkable, that Edward was born November 4, 1471, in the sanctuary belonging to this Church, whither his mother took refuge during the contest between the houses of York and Lancaster; at eleven years of age, upon the death of his father, 1483, he was proclaimed King; and on the 23rd of June, in the same year, was murdered in the manner already related. Richard, his brother, was born May 28, 1474, and married, while a child, to Ann Mowbray, heiress of Norfolk.

In front of Queen Elizabeth's tomb are the bodies of GEORGE MONCK, Duke of Albemarle, 1670. EDWARD, Earl of Sandwich, 1672.

V.--Chapel of St. Paul.

_Begin on your left._

1. Sir Henry Belasyse, 1717.

2. Colonel Macleod.

3. Sir John Puckering, 1596.

4. Sir James Fullerton.

5. Lord Chancellor Bromley, 1587.

6. Sir Dudley Carleton, 1631.

7. Countess of Sussex, 1589.

8. Lord and Lady Cottington, 1631.

9. James Watt, 1819.

10. Sir Giles Daubeny, 1507.

11. Lewis Robsart, Standard Bearer to Henry V., 1431.

Lord Delaval and Lord Tyrconnel's Banners hang over the place of their interment.

On your left hand is a monument to the memory of Sir HENRY BELASYSE, Knt., Lieutenant-General, some time Governor of Galway in Ireland, and afterwards of Berwick-on-Tweed, in the reign of William III. He died December 16, 1717, aged sixty-nine. Bridget, wife of his only son, W. Belasyse, Esq., died July 28, 1735, aged twenty.--_Scheemakers, sculptor._

Next this, one--"To the memory of Lieutenant-Colonel CHARLES MACLEOD, who fell at the siege of Badajos, aged twenty-six years. This monument is erected by his brother officers. In Lieutenant-Colonel Macleod, of the forty-third Regiment, who was killed in the breach, his Majesty has sustained the loss of an officer who was an ornament to his profession, and was capable of rendering the most important services to his country." Vide Marquis Wellington's Dispatch, 8th April, 1812.--_Nollekens, sculptor._

Sir JOHN PUCKERING, Knt., and his Lady, remarkable, as his inscription sets forth, for his knowledge in the laws, as well as piety, wisdom, and many other virtues. He was Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England four years, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in which office he died, April 30, 1596. His epitaph, in Latin, over his effigy, is thus translated:--

"The public cares and laws engaged my breast; To live was toilsome, but to die is rest. Wealth, maces, guards, crowns, titles, things that fade, The prey of time and sable death are made.

VIRTUE INSPIRES MEN.

His wife this statue rears to her loved spouse, The test of constancy and marriage vows." "I trust I shall see the Lord in the land of the living."

Sir JAMES FULLERTON and his Lady, with an epitaph:--"Here lie the remains of Sir James Fullerton, Knight, First Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Charles the First (Prince and King), a generous rewarder of all virtue, a severe reprover of all vice, a professed renouncer of all vanity. He was a firm pillar to the Commonwealth, a faithful patron to the Catholic Church, a fair pattern to the British Court. He lived to the welfare of his country, to the honour of his Prince, to the glory of his God. He died _fuller_ of faith than of fear, _fuller_ of consolation than of pains, _fuller_ of honour than of days."

In the middle of this Chapel is a table monument, on which lie the effigies of Sir GILES DAUBENY, created Lord Daubeny in the first year of the reign of Henry VII., and Dame ELIZABETH, his wife. He seems to have been a man of great authority in the reign of Henry VII., as he was Lord Lieutenant of Calais, in France, Lord Chamberlain to his Majesty, Knight of the Most noble Order of the Garter, and father of Henry Lord Daubeny, the first and last Earl of Bridgewater of that surname, by Elizabeth, of the ancient family of the Arundels, in Cornwall. He died May 22, 1507, and his lady in 1500.

JAMES WATT: he is represented with compasses forming designs, seated on an oblong pedestal. The inscription as follows:--"Not to perpetuate a name, which must endure while the peaceful arts flourish, but to show that mankind have learned to honour those who best deserve their gratitude, the king, his ministers, and many of the nobles and commoners of the realm, raised this monument to James Watt, who, directing the force of an original genius, early exercised in philosophical research, to the improvement of the steam-engine, enlarged the resources of his country, increased the power of man, and rose to an eminent place among the most illustrious followers of science, and the real benefactors of the world. Born at Greenock, 1736, died at Heathfield, in Staffordshire, 1819."--_Chantrey, sculptor._

Sir THOMAS BROMLEY, Knight, Privy Councillor to Queen Elizabeth, and eight years Chancellor, in which office he died, April 12, 1587, to the grief of all good men. The eight children depicted on this tomb, were all by his Lady, Elizabeth, of the family of Fortescue.

Sir DUDLEY CARLETON, afterwards made Viscount Dorchester, for his eminent services to Charles I. and his father, both abroad and at home. He was a person versed in the languages, customs, and laws of most of the European nations, and was entrusted both by James I. and his successors, with the most important foreign negotiations. After the death of James I., he was sent to Holland, and was the last deputy who voted in the Assembly of the States, which great privilege the crown of England possessed from the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign to this period. He died Feb. 15, 1631, aged fifty-seven.

FRANCES, Countess of Essex. This great lady was the wife of Thomas Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex, Lord Deputy of Ireland, and Knight of the Garter, &c., and daughter of Sir William Sidney, of Pensehurst, Knight. By her last will, having outlived her husband, she instituted a divinity lecture to be read in this Collegiate Church, gave 5,000_l._ towards the building of a new College in Cambridge, now called Sidney Sussex College; and left a sufficient yearly revenue for the maintenance of one master ten fellows, and twenty scholars, either in the said new college, or else in Clare Hall. She died April 15, 1589, aged fifty-eight.

Next to this is a monument of black marble, very remarkably different from every other in the Abbey. On the top of it is a circular frame of gilt brass, enclosing the bust of ANN, Lady Cottington, wife of Francis, Lord Cottington, Baron of Hanworth, so created by Charles I. She was daughter of Sir William Meredith, of Denbighshire, by Jane, his wife, of the family of the Palmers, in Kent, and died February 22, 1633, in the thirty-third year of her age, having had four daughters and a son, all of whom died before their father, who, on a table monument beneath, lies in effigy, resting on his left arm; and over a satyr's head is this inscription in English: "Here lies Francis, Lord Cottington, of Hanworth, who, in the reign of Charles I., was Chancellor of his Majesty's Exchequer, Master of the Court of Wards, Constable of the Tower, Lord High Treasurer of England, and one of the Privy Council. He was twice Ambassador in Spain, once for the said King, and a second time for Charles II., now reigning, to both of whom he most signally showed his allegiance and fidelity, during the unhappy civil broils of those times; and for his faithful adherence to the Crown (the Usurper prevailing) was forced to fly his country; and, during his exile, died at Valladolid, in Spain, June 19, 1652, in the seventy-fourth year of his age, whence his body was brought, and here interred, by Charles Cottington, Esq., his nephew and heir, in 1679."

The next is a very old Gothic monument, erected to the memory of LEWIS ROBERT, or ROBSART, a foreigner, but standard bearer to Henry V., a Knight of the Bath, and afterwards of the Garter, and at length created Lord Bourchier. His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of St. Bartholomew Bourchier, and probably a relation to Geoffrey Chaucer, the old English poet.

On leaving this Chapel, on your right is a monument to the memory of WILLIAM PULTENEY, Earl of Bath, with a medallion and urn, supported by Wisdom and Poetry. The inscription is as follows:--"Erected to the memory of William Pulteney, Earl of Bath, by his brother, the Hon. Harry Pulteney, General of his Majesty's Forces, 1764, Ob. July 7, 1767, Æt. eighty-one."--_Wilton, sculptor._

CHARLES HOLMES, Esq., Rear-Admiral of the White; who is represented in a Roman habit, leaning against a cannon mounted on a sea carriage; an anchor, cable, and flag in the back ground.--"He died the 21st of Nov., 1761, Commander-in-Chief of his Majesty's fleet stationed at Jamaica, aged fifty. Erected by his grateful nieces, Mary Stanwix and Lucretia Stowe."--_Wilton, sculptor._

In front of the monument to Admiral Holmes, is an old gravestone, plated with brass, with Latin inscription, to JOHN of WINDSOR, nephew of Sir William of Windsor, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the reign of Edward III. He died April 4, 1414.

Near this spot was buried JOHN PYM, the celebrated Parliamentary orator, who died December 13, 1643; and also JAMES USHER, Archbishop of Armagh, 1656.

VI.--Chapel of St. Edward.

1. Henry the Third, 1272.

2. Queen Eleanor, 1290.

3. Henry the Fifth, 1423.

4. Queen Phillippa, 1369.

5. Edward the Third, 1377.

6. Margaret Woodville, Daughter of Edward the Fourth, on which is placed a Sword and Shield of State, carried before Edward the Third, 1316.

7. Richard the Second and Queen, 1399, 1394.

8. Coronation Chair of Edward the First, 1297.

9. Coronation Chair made for Mary, Wife of William the Third.

10. Tomb of Edward the First, 1307.

11. Shrine of Edward the Confessor, 1065.

12. Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, 1397.

13. John of Waltham, Bishop of Salisbury, 1388. Pavement laid down in 1260.

The first curiosity that commands your reverence is the ancient venerable shrine of ST. EDWARD, once the glory of England, but now defaced and robbed of its beauty, by the devotees of this extreme pious man, all of whom were proud to possess some stone or dust from his tomb. This shrine was erected by Henry III. in 1269, to receive the remains of St. Edward, upon his translation from the shrine built by Henry II., upon the canonization of Edward, King of England (third of that name, and the last of the Saxon race), by Pope Alexander III., in 1163, who caused his name to be placed in the catalogue of saints, and issued his bull to the Abbot Laurentius, and the Convent of Westminster, enjoining, "That his body be honoured here on earth, as his soul is glorified in heaven." He died in 1065. How costly the shrine, &c., was, appears by a record in the Tower.--_Parl. Roll. 51st of Henry III._ "Henry III., with consent of the Abbot and Convent of Westminster, pledged the jewels belonging to the body and shrine of Edward the Confessor to foreigners, being necessitated on account of heavy emergencies; the value of the said jewels amounted to £2,557. 4_s._ 8_d._"

On the south side of the shrine, EDITHA, daughter of Goodwyn, Earl of Kent, and Queen of St. Edward, lies interred. The writers of those times commended her for beauty, learning, prudent economy, gentle manners, and inimitable skill in needlework, having wrought with her own hands the curious and magnificent robes the King used to wear on his collar days. She died at Winchester, Jan. 15, 1073. Part of a Latin epitaph on this excellent Princess has been handed down, and is to this effect:--

"Success ne'er sat exulting in her eye, Nor disappointment heaved the troubled sigh; Prosperity ne'er sadden'd o'er her brow, While glad in trouble she enjoyed her woe: Beauty ne'er made her vain, nor sceptres proud, Nor titles taught to scorn the meaner crowd. Supreme humility was awful grace, And her chief charm a bashfulness of face."

Near this was buried MATILDA, Queen of England, daughter of Malcolm, King of Scots, and wife to Henry I. She died May 1, 1118. This Queen would, every day in Lent, walk from her palace to this church barefoot, and wearing a garment of hair. No verse or stone to mark the place of interment are to be found.

On the north side of this Chapel is an ancient tomb of admirable workmanship and materials, the panels being of polished porphyry, and the Mosaic work round them of gold and scarlet; at the corners of the table are twisted pillars, gilt and enamelled, and the effigy of HENRY III. upon it is of gilt brass, finely executed. He died in 1272, after a troublesome reign of fifty-six years, aged sixty-five, and was buried by the Knights Templars, of whose order his father was the founder, with such splendour, that Wykes, the Monk, says, he made a more magnificent figure when dead, than he had done while living.--_Cavalini._

Near that of Henry III. is a small monument in memory of ELIZABETH TUDOR, second daughter of Henry VII., who died at Eltham, in Kent, Sept. 14th, 1495, aged three years, from whence she was removed in great funeral pomp, and here buried.

At the feet of Henry III. is an ancient monument of ELEANOR, Queen of Edward I. On the sides of this monument are engraven the arms of Castile and Leon, quarterly, and those of Fontheiu, hanging on vines and oak leaves; and round the copper verge is embossed this inscription, in Saxon characters: "Ici gist Alianor iadis Reyne de Engletere femme al Rey Edeward Fiz (lerey Henry efylle alrey deespaygne econtasse de) puntif del alme deli Deu pur sa pite eyt merci. Amen." Translation:--_Here lies Eleanor, formerly Queen of England, wife to King Edward son of King Henry, daughter of the King of Spain, and Countess of Ponthieu; upon whose soul may God for His pity have mercy. Amen._ The upper line is visible on the south side, the words within brackets are concealed under the tomb of King Henry V., the remainder is on the north side. It is remarkable, the body only of this Queen lies here interred, and her heart in the choir of the Friars Predicants in London. She died Dec. 27, 1290.--_Cavalini._

The chantry of Henry V. is next, on each side of which are images as large as life, guarding, as it were, the staircases ascending to it. Beneath is the tomb of that glorious and warlike Prince, HENRY of MONMOUTH (so called from the place of his nativity). On the upper slab lies a headless and otherwise mutilated figure of the King, carved in oak, which was originally covered with silver; the head appears to have been cast in silver; but this, Camden says, "was gone when he wrote his Britannica, in the reign of Elizabeth." This Prince was guilty of great extravagances in his youth, and is said, with Sir John Falstaff, to have belonged to a gang of sharpers; yet, upon his advancement to the crown made a most excellent King, and, by the memorable battle of Agincourt, acquired to himself and the English nation immortal glory. He died in France, Aug. 31, 1422, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and the tenth of his reign. In the chantry above, is the saddle, helmet, and shield, supposed to have been used at Agincourt, brought here at his interment.--_John Anderne, sculptor._

The next is an ancient tomb to the memory of PHILLIPPA, third daughter of William, Earl of Hainault, and Queen of Edward III., with whom she lived forty-two years, and bore him fourteen children. Harding tells us, that when an embassy was sent to choose one of the Earl's daughters, a certain English Bishop advised to choose the lady with the largest hips, as promising a numerous progeny. She died August 15, 1369; and the King, her husband, bestowed a profusion of expense in performing her exequies and erecting her tomb, round which were placed as ornaments the brazen statues of no less than thirty kings, princes, and noble personages, her relations.

Adjoining to this is the tomb of EDWARD III., which is likewise covered with a Gothic canopy. On a table of grey marble lies the effigy of this Prince, though his corpse was deposited in the same grave with the Queen's, according to her request on her death-bed. This tomb was surrounded, like the former, with statues, particularly those of his children, six of which remain on the south side of the tomb; viz., Edward, Joan-de-la-Tour, Lionel, Edmund, Mary, and William. He died June 21, 1377, aged sixty-four.

Here is likewise a monument in memory of MARGARET, daughter of Edward IV., by Elizabeth Woodville, his Queen, which had once an inscription upon it, showing her name, quality, and age, being only nine months. She died April 19, 1472.

Between the Chairs are placed the shield and sword carried before Edward III., in France. The sword is seven feet long, and weighs eighteen pounds.

Under a large stone, once finely plated with brass, lies the great THOMAS of WOODSTOCK, Duke of Gloucester; he was brother to the Black Prince, and sixth and youngest son of Edward III. He was murdered at Calais, Sept. 8, 1397.

Next adjoining to this is a tomb, erected to the memory of RICHARD II. and his Queen; over which is a canopy of wood, remarkable for a curious painting of the Virgin Mary and our Saviour still visible upon it. This Richard was son of Edward the Black Prince, and grandson of Edward III., whom he succeeded at eleven years of age. He was murdered on St. Valentine's day, 1399. In the same tomb lies his Queen, ANNE, daughter of Charles IV., and sister of Wenceslaus, Emperor and King of Bohemia, who brought him neither dowry nor issue. She died at Shene, June 7, 1394, after being married twelve years.

THE CORONATION CHAIRS.--The most ancient of them was made to enclose the stone (which is reported to be Jacob's Pillar), brought with regalia from Scotland, by Edward I., and offered to St. Edward's shrine, in the year 1297 (after he had overcome John Baliol, King of Scots, in several battles). In this chair all the reigning Sovereigns have been crowned since Edward I. The other chair was made for Queen Mary II. At the coronation, one or both of them are covered with gold tissue, and placed before the altar, behind which they now stand, surrounded by several monarchs, who seem to guard them even in death.