Part 5

Above those chairs, along the frieze of the screen of this Chapel, are fourteen legendary sculptures, respecting the Confessor. The first is the trial of Queen Emma; the next the birth of Edward; another is his coronation; the fourth tells us how our saint was frightened into the abolition of the Dean-gelt, by his seeing the devil dance upon the money casks; the fifth is the story of his winking at the thief, who was robbing his treasure; the sixth is meant to relate the appearance of our Saviour to him; the seventh shows how the invasion of England was frustrated by the drowning of the Danish King; in the eighth is seen the quarrel between the boys Totsi and Harold, predicting their respective fates; in the ninth sculpture is the Confessor's vision of the seven sleepers; the tenth, how he met St. John the Evangelist in the guise of a pilgrim; the eleventh, how the blind were cured by their eyes being washed in his dirty water; the twelfth, how St. John delivers to the pilgrims a ring; in the thirteenth they deliver the ring to the King, which he had unknowingly given to St. John as an alms, when he met him in the form of a pilgrim; this was attended with a message from the saint, foretelling the death of the King; and the fourteenth shows the consequential haste made by him to complete his pious foundation.

Before leaving this Chapel you will observe a large plain tomb, composed of five slabs of grey marble; two make the sides, two the ends, and one the cover. This rough unpolished tomb enclosed the body of the glorious King EDWARD I., of whom we have just been speaking. He was son of Henry III., and born at Westminster, June 17, 1239, named Edward, in honour of St. Edward, his father's patron and predecessor, and afterwards Longshanks, from his tall and slender body. He is called Edward I., because he was the first of that name after the Conquest. He died July 7, 1307, after a reign of thirty-four years, and a life of sixty-eight. This tomb was opened in 1774, by permission of Dr. Thomas, then Dean of Westminster, granted to the Society of Antiquaries, a deputation of whom, with the Dean, attended the process. The body was perfect, having on two robes, one of gold and silver tissue, and the other of crimson velvet; a sceptre in each hand, measuring near five feet; a crown on his head, and many jewels; he measured six feet two inches.

Near this tomb is a large stone, plated with brass, to the memory of JOHN of WALTHAM, the twenty-sixth Bishop of Salisbury, anno 1388. He was master of the Rolls in 1382, then Keeper of the Privy Seal, in the year 1391, and died Lord High Treasurer of England to Richard II., in 1395.

In this Chapel was interred the heart of HENRY D'ALMADE, son of Richard, King of the Romans, brother of Henry III. He was sacrilegiously assassinated in the Church of St. Silvester, at Viterbo, as he was performing his devotions before the high altar. Simon and Guido Montford, sons of Simon de Montford, Earl of Leicester, were the assassins, in revenge for their father's death, who, with their brother Henry, was slain in the battle of Evesham, in fighting against their lawful sovereign. The picture of this murder the inhabitants had painted, and hung up in the church, where we are told it still remains. This murder happened in 1270, and in the year after the body of Henry was brought to England, and buried in the monastery of St. Helen's; but his heart was put in a cup, and placed near St. Edward's shrine, of the removal of which we have no account.

Upon a careful perusal of the guide-book to this portion of the Abbey, it will not be uninteresting to observe that the bodies of six kings, five queens, two princesses, a duke, and a bishop are deposited in this remarkable receptacle of the dead.

Before entering the Chapel of St. John, on the right or east side of the door, is a monument erected to the memory of JANE, daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Pulteney, and wife of Sir Clippesby Crewe, Knt. She died Dec. 2, 1639, aged twenty-nine.

On the left, or west side of the door, is a monument to the memory of JULIANA, only daughter of Sir Randolph Crewe, Knt., Lord Chief Justice of England. She died unmarried April 22, 1621.

Over the door is the monument of the Right Rev. Dr. BARNARD, Lord Bishop of Londonderry, who died in London, January 10, 1768, aged seventy-two, and was here buried.

VII.--Chapel of St. John.

_Begin on your Left._

1. Sir Thomas Vaughan.

2. Colonel Popham, 1651.

3. Carey, Son of the Earl of Monmouth, 1648.

4. Hugh de Bohun, and Mary his Sister, grandchildren of Edward the First.

5. Carey, Baron of Hunsdon, 1596.

6. Countess of Mexborough, 1821.

7. William of Colchester, Abbot of Westminster, 1420.

8. O. Ruthall, Bishop of Durham, 1524.

9. Thomas Millyng, Bishop of Hereford, 1492.

10. Abbot Fascet, 1500.

11. Mrs. Mary Kendall.

12. Cecil, Earl of Exeter, 1622, and Lady, 1608.

On the left, in this Chapel, is an ancient monument to the memory of Sir THOMAS VAUGHAN, Knight, Chamberlain to Edward, Prince of Wales, and Treasurer of Edward IV. On the top are the mutilated remains of a brass plate of the Knight.

In the recess of this tomb is a bust to the memory of FREDERICK DENISON MAURICE. Born August 29th, 1805; died April 1st, 1872; buried at Highgate. "God is Light." "He was sent to bear witness of that Light."--_T. Woolner, R.A._

Next to this, proceeding on your left hand, is a monument to the memory of Colonel EDWARD POPHAM, an officer in Oliver Cromwell's army, and his Lady. The inscription on this monument was erased at the Restoration, otherwise it would have been removed. He died at Dover, August 19, 1651.

A tablet to the memory of THOMAS CAREY, second son of the Earl of Monmouth. He was gentleman of the Bedchamber to Charles I.; and is said to have died of grief, in 1648, at the age of thirty-three, for the unhappy fate of his Royal Master.

Under this is a tombstone of grey marble, to the memory of HUGH DE BOHUN, and MARY, his sister, grandchildren to Edward I.

The next monument is to the memory of HENRY CAREY, first cousin to Queen Elizabeth, created Baron of Hunsdon, in Hertfordshire, in 1558; was some time Governor of Berwick, Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth, Privy Councillor and Knight of the Garter; but not being preferred as he expected, he laid the disappointment so much to heart, that he languished for a long time on a sick bed, at which the Queen being moved too late, created him an Earl, and ordered the patent and robes to be laid before him, but without effect. He died July 23, 1596, aged seventy-two.

In the middle of the Chapel is the tomb of THOMAS CECIL, Earl of Exeter, Baron Burleigh, Knight of the Garter, and Privy Councillor to James I.; whereon is his effigy, with a lady on his right side, and a vacant space on his left for another. He died February 7, 1622. The lady on his right side is Dorothy Nevil, his first wife, daughter and co-heiress of the Noble Lord Latimer, who died May 22, 1608; and the vacant space was left for his second wife, Frances Bridget, of the noble family of Chandos; but as the right side was taken up, she gave express orders, by her will, not to place her effigy on his left; notwithstanding which, they are all buried together in one vault, as the inscription expresses. She died in 1663.

In the corner to the left is a tablet:--"Sacred to the memory of the Right Hon. ELIZABETH, Countess of Mexborough, who departed this life June 7, in the year of our Lord 1821, aged fifty-nine. Her afflicted husband, John, Earl of Mexborough, hath erected this monument to her memory, in token of his deep sorrow for her loss, and of his sincere love and affection."

WILLIAM of COLCHESTER, Abbot of Westminster, who died in the year 1420, has also an ancient stone monument in this chapel, whereon lies his effigy, properly habited, the head supported by an angel, the feet by a lamb.

THOMAS RUTHALL, made Bishop of Durham by Henry VIII. He had been a Secretary of State to Henry VII., and was by Henry VIII. made a Privy Councillor, and sent on several embassies abroad. He died, immensely rich, in 1524.

A third is that of GEORGE FASCET, Abbot of Westminster, in the time of Henry VII., of whom we can find nothing material. He died in the year 1500.

On this monument stands the stone coffin of THOMAS MILLYNG, Bishop of Hereford, some time Abbot of Westminster, and Privy Councillor to Edward IV., who died in 1492.

Facing you is a monument to the memory of Mrs. MARY KENDALL, daughter of Thomas Kendall, Esq., and of Mrs. Mary Hallett, his wife, of Killigarth, in Cornwall, who died in her thirty-third year. Her many virtues, as her epitaph sets forth, "rendered her every way worthy of that close union and friendship in which she lived with Lady Catherine Jones; and in testimony of which, she desired that even their ashes, after death, might not be divided, and therefore ordered herself here to be interred, where she knew that excellent lady designed one day to rest near the grave of her beloved and religious mother Elizabeth, Countess of Ranelagh. She was born at Westminster November 8, 1677, and died at Epsom, March 4, 1710."

Above is a monument to ESTHER DE LA TOUR DE GOUVERNET, the Lord Eland's lady. The inscription is in Latin and English, and contains an encomium on her many excellent virtues. She died in 1694, aged twenty-eight.--_Nadaud, sculptor._

VIII.--Chapel of Islip, otherwise Saint John the Baptist.

In the middle of this Chapel formerly stood the monument of Abbot ISLIP; it consisted of a ground plinth, or basement, on which was an alabaster statue of the Abbot, who was represented as a skeleton in a shroud or winding sheet. Over this was a canopy, on which was anciently a fine painting of our Saviour on the Cross, destroyed by the Puritans in Cromwell's time, who were enemies to everything that favoured Popish idolatry, though ever so masterly. Islip was a great favourite with Henry VII., and was employed by him in decorating his new chapel, and in repairing and beautifying the whole Abbey. He dedicated his own chapel to St. John the Baptist, and died May 12, 1532, and was buried in his own chapel.

On the right is the tomb of Sir CHRISTOPHER HATTON, and his Lady, in reclining attitudes on cushions. Sir Christopher died September 10, 1619; and his widow erected this memorial of his virtues and of their own affectionate union.

On the left, opposite the Chapel of Islip, are two very ancient monuments of Knights Templars. The first, that of EDMUND CROUCHBACK, son of Henry III., so called, as some affirm, from the deformity of his person; but according to others from his attending his brother in the holy wars, where they wore a crouch or cross on their shoulders as a badge of Christianity. From this Prince the House of Lancaster claimed their right to the crown. On the base, towards the area, are the remains of ten knights, armed, with banners, surcoats of armour and cross-belted, representing, undoubtedly, his expedition to the Holy Land, the number exactly corresponding with what Matthew Paris reports, namely, Edward and his brother, four Earls, and four Knights, of whom some are still discoverable, particularly the Lord Roger Clifford, as were formerly, in Waverley's time, William de Valence, and Thomas de Clare.

The next ancient monument is to the memory of AYMER DE VALENCE, second and last Earl of Pembroke of this family; he was third son of William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, "whom he succeeded in his estates and honours. He was employed in the Scottish wars in the reigns of Edward I. and II. Edward II., in 1314, appointed him general of all his forces from the Trent to Roxborough. He was appointed to attend Isabel, the Queen Mother, to France, and there murdered, on June 23rd, 1323."

The Countess of Lancaster's tomb is seen from the choir, but from this part is hid by the monument of Lord Ligonier; it is canopied with an ancient Gothic arch, the sides of which were decorated with vine branches in relief, the roof within springing into many angles, under which lay the image of a lady, in an antique dress, her feet resting upon lions, and her head on pillars, supported by angels on each side. This monument covered the remains of AVELINE, Countess of Lancaster, daughter of William de Fortibus, Earl of Albemarle and Holdernesse, by Isabella daughter and heiress of Baldwin, Earl of Devon. This lady married Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, son of Henry III., but died the very year of her marriage, Nov. 4, 1293.

On the right is a monument to the memory of General WOLFE, who was killed at the siege of Quebec, 1759. He is represented falling into the arms of a grenadier, with his right hand over the mortal wound: the grenadier is pointing to Glory in the form of an angel in the clouds, holding forth a wreath ready to crown him, whilst a Highland sergeant looks sorrowfully on: two lions watch at his feet. The inscription as follows:--"To the memory of James Wolfe, Major General and Commander-in-Chief of the British Land Forces on an expedition against Quebec, who, after surmounting, by ability and valour, all obstacles of art and nature, was slain in the moment of victory, on the 13th of September, 1759, the King and the Parliament of Great Britain dedicate this monument."--_Wilton, sculptor._

On the right hand wall, side of Wolfe, is a monument to the memory of Bishop DUPPA, tutor to Charles II., a man of such exemplary piety, lively conversation, and excess of good nature, that when Charles I. was a prisoner in Carisbrooke Castle, he thought himself happy in the company of so good a man. He was born at Greenwich, and educated first at Westminster School, and then at Christ Church College, Oxford, of which he was afterwards Dean; and being selected for the Preceptor to the then Prince of Wales, was first made Bishop of Chichester, from thence translated to Salisbury, and after the Restoration to the See of Winchester. He died March 26, 1622, in the seventy-fourth year of his age.--_Burman, sculptor._

Beneath is a tablet, "Sacred to the memory of JOHN THEOPHILUS BERESFORD, eldest son of Marcus Beresford, and the Lady Frances, his wife, Lieutenant in the eighty-eighth regiment of foot, who died in the twenty-first year of his age, at Villa Formosa, in Spain, of wounds received from the exploding of a powder magazine, at Ciudad Rodrigo, after he had passed unhurt through eight days of voluntary service, of the greatest danger during the siege, for which he received the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief. Brave and zealous in his military duties, animated by a strong feeling of piety to God, and distinguished by his ardent filial affection and duty towards a widowed mother, he has left to her the recollection of his rising virtues as her only consolation under the irreparable loss she has sustained by his death. Born, Jan. 16, 1792, and died Jan. 29, 1812; interred with military honours, in the fort of Almeida.--'_Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul._'--Wisdom of Solomon, chap. iv., verse 11."--_Westmacott, sculptor._

Next to this is a tablet to the memory of Sir JAMES ADOLPHUS OUGHTON, Commander-in-Chief of his Majesty's forces in North Britain. The inscription is a recital of his military employments, and a record of his death, which took place April 14, 1780, in the sixty-first year of his age.--_Hayward, sculptor._

On the floor is the image of an Abbot in his mass habit curiously engraved on brass, representing JOHN DE EASTNEY, who died March 4, 1498. By the records of the Church he appears to have been a great benefactor to it; he ornamented the grand west window with some noble paintings on glass of which some little still remains. He gave the screen to the Chapel, and presented two images gilt for the altar of St. Peter and St. Paul, and one for the chapter house. He paid the King 1,000_l._ on account of the merchants, and 3,700_l._ to the Court of Rome, due for the confirmation of abbots.

A little to the left, on another gravestone, plated with brass, is the figure of an armed Knight, resting his feet on a lion, and his head on a greyhound, which, as the register informs us, represents Sir JOHN HARPEDON, Knight, who died in 1457.

Adjoining this is a gravestone, on which have been the figures, in brass, of THOMAS BROWNE and HUMPHREY ROBERTS, two monks of this Church, who died in 1508.

On the right as you enter the Chapel is another gravestone, on which has been the effigy of Sir THOMAS PARRY, Knight, Treasurer of the Household, Master of the Court of Wards and Liveries to Queen Elizabeth. He died December 15, 1560.

IX.--Chapels of St. John the Evangelist, St. Andrew, and St. Michael.

_Begin on the left._

1. General Villettes, 1808.

2. General Sir Charles Stuart, 1801.

3. Two Sons of General Forbes, 1791 and 1799.

4. Admiral Kempenfelt, 1782.

5. Earl and Countess of Mountrath, 1751 and 1766.

6. Admiral Totty, 1802.

7. Earl and Countess of Kerry, 1518.

8. Mr. Telford, 1834.

9. Dr. Baillie, 1823.

10. Miss Davidson, 1767.

11. Dr. Young, 1829.

12. Lord and Lady Norris and Family, 1601.

13. Mrs. Ann Kirton, 1603.

14. Sarah, Duchess of Somerset, 1692.

15. Nightingale Family, 1734 and 1752.

16. Admiral Sir George Pocock, 1792.

17. Sir George Holles, son of Sir Francis Vere, 1626.

18. Captain Edward Cook, 1799.

19. Sir Humphry Davy, 1829.

20. Sir Francis Vere, 1608.

Turning round on your right is an unique monument to the memory of Sir FRANCIS VERE, a gentleman of the first reputation, both for learning and arms, "one of the most accomplished soldiers of Queen Elizabeth's reign, having the command of the auxiliary troops in the Dutch service, nearly twenty years." He died August 28, 1608, in the fifty-fourth year of his age. Loose armour is represented being supported by four armed knights.

On the back of General Wolfe's monument is a tablet to the memory of Sir HUMPHREY DAVY, Bart., distinguished throughout the world "by his discoveries in chemical science; President of the Royal Society; Member of the National Institute of France. Born 17th December, 1778, at Penzance. Died 29th May, 1829, at Geneva, where his remains are interred."

A monument is here erected, by the East India Company, as a grateful testimony to the value and eminent services of Captain EDWARD COOKE, Commander of his Majesty's ship Sybille, who on the 1st of March, 1799, after a long and well-contested engagement, captured La Forte, a French frigate of very superior force, in the Bay of Bengal; an event not more splendid in its achievement, than important in its result to the British trade in India. He died in consequence of the severe wounds he received in this memorable action, on the 23rd of May, 1799, aged twenty-seven.--_Bacon, sculptor._

The next is a monument to the memory of Sir GEORGE HOLLES, nephew of Sir Francis Vere, and a Major-General under him. He died May, 1626, aged fifty. This monument was erected by John, Earl of Clare.--_Nicholas Stone, sculptor._

Adjoining is a monument to the memory of Sir GEORGE POCOCK, K.B., Admiral of the Blue, who distinguished himself at the taking of Geriah, and in leading the attack at the reduction of Chandernagore; afterwards, with an inferior force, he defeated the French Fleet under M. D'Ache in three several engagements; returning from his successful career in the East, he was appointed to command the fleet upon the expedition against the Havannah, by his united efforts in the conquest of which, he added fresh laurels to his own brow, and a valuable possession to this kingdom. A life so honourable to himself, and so endeared to his friends and his family, was happily extended to the age of eighty-six, and resigned, in the year 1793, with the same tranquil and serene mind which peculiarly marked and adorned the whole course of it.--_Bacon, sculptor._

A monument to the memory of JOSEPH GASCOIGNE NIGHTINGALE, and his Lady. The lady is represented expiring in the arms of her husband; beneath, slyly creeping from a tomb, the King of Terrors presents his grim visage, pointing his unerring dart to the dying figure, at which sight the husband, suddenly struck with astonishment, horror, and despair, seems to clasp her to his bosom to defend her from the fatal stroke. Inscription:--"Here rest the ashes of Joseph Gascoigne Nightingale, of Mamhead, in the county of Devon, Esq., who died July 20, 1752, aged fifty-six; and of Lady Elizabeth, his wife, daughter and co-heiress of Washington, Earl of Ferrars, who died August 17, 1734, aged twenty-seven. Their only son, Washington Gascoigne Nightingale, Esq., in memory of their virtues, did by his last will, order this monument to be erected."--_Roubiliac._

Next to this is a monument of note, sacred to the memory of SARAH, Duchess of Somerset, relict of John Seymour, Duke of Somerset, daughter of Sir Edward Alston, Knt. On the base of this monument are two charity boys, one on each side, bewailing the death of their benefactress, who is represented in a modern dress, resting upon her arm, under a canopy of state, and looking earnestly up at a group of cherubims issuing from the clouds above her. Underneath is a Latin inscription to this effect:--"Here lies the late illustrious Duchess of Somerset, celebrated for charity and benevolence, who erected a grammar school for boys at Tottenham, in Middlesex, enlarged the income of the Green-coat Hospital at Westminster, largely endowed Brazenose College, in Oxford, and St. John's, in Cambridge, for the education and instruction of youth in good piety and literature. She was likewise an encourager of trade and handicrafts, and had a tender regard to old age, by erecting an almshouse at Froxfield, in Wiltshire, for thirty widows. She was very charitable to the poor of St. Margaret's, Westminster, where she instituted a lecture, and gave many stately ornaments to the Church." She died October 25, 1692.

Against the east wall is a tablet erected to the memory of ANN, wife of James Kirton, of Castle Carey, Somersetshire, Gent. She died September 7, 1603.

Sir HENRY NORRIS, his Lady, and six sons. He was ancestor of the present Earl of Abingdon, and for his valour in the Low Countries, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, was created Lord Norris of Ricot. He died in 1601. His six sons are represented kneeling round the tomb; viz., William, John, and Thomas, on the south side; Henry, Edward, and Maximilian, on the north side. On the south side of the canopy in alto-relievo is represented the march of an army of horse, with an encampment in the back ground, together with the standard of the Belgic States, and a soldier bearing a shield, with the Norris's arms. On the summit is a small statue of Fame.

Up against the wall is a tablet to the learned Dr. YOUNG, M.D. The inscription sets forth that he was eminent in every department of human learning; and that, by abstruse investigation of letters and science, he at length unveiled the obscurity which had rested upon the hieroglyphics of Egypt. Died May 10, 1829, in the fifty-sixth year of his age.--_Chantrey, sculptor._

Next is a full length statue of Mrs. SIDDONS, a celebrated actress, as Lady Macbeth, in the Night Scene. Erected by subscription.--_Thomas Campbell, sculptor._ Contiguous is the statue of her brother JOHN KEMBLE, in the character of Cato, by Flaxman. Born at Prescott, Feb. 1, 1757; died at Lausanne, Feb. 26, 1823.

Here is also a very neat monument to the memory of SUSANNA JANE DAVIDSON, only daughter of William Davidson, of Rotterdam, merchant, whom it pleased the Almighty to visit in the bloom of life with a lingering disease, of which she died at Paris, January 1, 1767, aged twenty.--_Hayward, sculptor._