Part 5
46. The monument of Sir Godfrey Kneller, Knt. has a bust of Sir Godfrey under a canopy of state, the curtains of which are gilt and tied with golden strings, and on each side the bust is a weeping Cupid, one resting on a framed picture, the other holding a painter’s pallat and pencils. This monument is not however much esteemed.
On the pedestal is a Latin inscription, signifying that Sir Godfrey Kneller, Knt. who lies interred here, was painter to King Charles II. King James II. King William III. Queen Anne, and King George I. Underneath is his epitaph written by Mr. Pope, which has been also much censured:
Kneller! by Heav’n, and not a master taught! Whose art was nature, and whose pictures thought; Now for two ages having snatch’d from fate Whate’er was beauteous, or whate’er was great, Rests crown’d with Princes’ honours, Poets’ lays, Due to his merit, and brave thirst of praise. Living, great Nature fear’d he might outvie Her works; and dying, fears herself may die.
47. We come now to the monument of Anna Countess Dowager of Clanrikard, which is adorned with excellent carving, and a fine statue of that Lady resting upon a tomb. The inscription gives an account of her descent, marriages, and issue, and informs us, that she died on the 14th of January 1732, in the 49th year of her age.
48. The monument of John Woodward, M. D. is a very beautiful one, and the figures most admirably finished. The head of the deceased is represented in profile, in a very masterly manner, and the Lady who holds it is inimitably performed. The inscription contains a panegyric on the parts and learning of the deceas’d.
49. A neat plain monument erected to the memory of Heneage Twisden, a young hero, who fell in the battle of Blairgnies in Hainault, while he was Aid de Camp to John Duke of Argyle, who commanded the right wing of the Confederate army. He was the seventh son of Sir William Twisden, Bart. and a youth of the greatest expectations; but the fortune of war put a stop to his rising merit, in 1709, and in the 29th year of his age.
Near this monument are two small ones to the memory of two of his brothers, Josiah and John; Josiah was a Captain at the siege of Agremont, near Lisle in Flanders, and was slain by a cannon shot in 1708, at twenty-three years of age. John was a Lieutenant in the Admiral’s ship, under Sir Cloudesly Shovel, and perished with him in 1707, aged twenty-three.
50. A monument erected in honour of Col. James Bringfield, ornamented with military trophies, cherubs, &c. and surrounded by a mantling enclosing a tablet, on which is inscribed the military preferments of the deceased, the manner of his death and burial, and the praises of his piety and virtue. He was born at Abingdon in Berks, was Equerry to Prince George of Denmark, and Aid de Camp to the Great Duke of Marlborough; but was killed by a cannon ball, as he was remounting his General on a fresh horse, at the battle of Ramelies, May 12, 1706, and was interred at Barechem in Brabant, in the 50th year of his age.
51. The monument of Mr. Killegrew has been reckoned one of the best pieces of sculpture in the whole church, and what is remarkable, is cut out of one stone. The embellishments are distinct and very picturesque, and the inscription, short, modest, and soldier-like. It is as follows:
Robert Killegrew, of Arwenack in Cornwall, Esq; son of Thomas and Charlotte, Page of honour to King Charles II. Brigadier General of her Majesty’s forces, killed in Spain in the battle of Almanza, April 14, 1707. Ætatis fuæ 47. MILITAVI ANNIS 24.
52. The next is a monument erected to the memory of Mrs. Mary Beaufoy, who is represented in a devout posture, with cherubs crowning her: on each side are Cupids lamenting the early decay of a virgin beauty, and underneath the arms of her family quarterly upheld by cherubs. On the base is the following inscription:
Reader! whoever thou art, let the sight of this tomb imprint in thy mind, that the young and old without distinction, leave this world; and therefore fail not to secure the next. This Lady was only daughter and heiress to Sir Henry Beaufoy, of Guyscliffe, near Warwick, by the Hon. Charlotte Lane, eldest daughter of George Lord Viscount Lansborough. She died July 12, 1705.
53. After passing by a few monuments unworthy of notice, we come to that of Admiral Baker, adorned with a rostral column of curiously veined marble, decorated with the prows of galleys, a Medusa’s head, and other naval and military trophies, with this short inscription underneath:
To the memory of John Baker, Esq; Vice-Admiral of the White Squadron of the British Fleet; who, when he commanded in the Mediterranean, died at Port Mahon, Nov. 10, 1736, aged fifty-six. He was a brave, judicious and experienced officer; a sincere friend, and a true lover of his country.
_Manet post Funera Virtus._
54. Next to this is Mr. Priestman’s monument, to which is suspended by a knot of ribbons, fastened to a column of variegated marble, a fine medalion, with the words HENRY PRIESTMAN, Esq; round the head. Underneath are naval trophies and sea instruments; and upon the base is an inscription, shewing that the person to whom this monument is erected, was Commander in chief of a squadron of ships of war in the reign of King Charles II. a Commissioner of the Navy, and one of the Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral of England in the reign of King William III. He died Aug. 20, 1712, aged 65.
55. The monument of Philip Carteret, son to Lord George Carteret, who died a King’s scholar at Westminster, ripe for the university, on the 19th of March 1710, aged nineteen. On the upper part is an admirable bust of this noble youth, and underneath a very fine figure of Time standing on an altar, and holding a scroll in his hand, whereon is written in Sapphic verses, lines to the following import, which he is supposed to be repeating:
Why flows the mournful Muse’s tear, For thee! cut down in life’s full prime? Why sighs, for thee, the parent dear! Cropt by the scythe of hoary Time?
Lo! this, my Boy’s the common lot! To me thy memory entrust; When all that’s dear shall be forgot, I’ll guard thy venerable dust.
From age to age, as I proclaim Thy learning, piety, and truth; Thy great example shall enflame; And emulation raise in youth.
56. A neat monument erected for Edward de Carteret, the son of Sir Edward de Carteret, Gentleman Usher to King Charles II. who died on the 30th of October 1677, in the eighth year of his age. It is ornamented with cherubs and with festoons of leaves and fruit.
57. The monument of Thomas Levingston, Viscount Teviot, is decorated with the arms, supporters, and crest of that nobleman, and with military trophies, alluding to his profession of a soldier. On the face of the monument is a long inscription in Latin, shewing that he was born in Holland, but descended from the Levingstons in Scotland; that from his childhood he was trained to arms; and having attended the Prince of Orange into Britain, as a Colonel of foot, rose to the rank of a Lieutenant-General in the army, and General of the Scotch forces, was made Master of the ordnance, and a Privy Counsellor; that he secured Scotland to the King by one decisive action on the Spey, for which he was advanced to the dignity of a Viscount, and that he died on the 14th of Jan. 1710, aged sixty.
58. A handsome monument erected for the Lord Constable, ornamented with a cherub below, and the family arms above. It has this short inscription:
Near this lies the Right Hon. Robert Lord Constable, Viscount Dunbar, who departed this life Nov. 23, 1714, in the sixty-fourth year of his age.
59. A plain neat monument for Peter Heylin, D.D. and Prebendary of this church, who died on the 8th of May 1662. It is adorned with a pediment, and the arms of the deceased, and contains a long inscription in Latin, mentioning the most remarkable incidents in his life.
60. The tomb of Charles Williams, Esq; adorned with very remarkable scroll-work, and scollopping; what is very singular is, its being supported by a death’s head on the wings of Time. This gentleman died on the 29th of August 1720, aged eighty-seven.
61. A small but elegant monument erected to the memory of the celebrated Henry Purcell, Esq; well known by his admirable musical compositions. The inscription consists of this short and comprehensive sentence:
Here lies Henry Purcell, who left this life, and is gone to that blessed place, where only his harmony can be exceeded. He died Nov. 21, 1697, in his 37th year.
62. The next is the monument of William Croft, Doctor in music. On the pedestal is an organ in bas relief, and on the top, a bust of the deceased,
63. The tomb of John Blow, Doctor in music, is adorned with cherubs, flowers, and a canon in four parts set to music. In the center is an English inscription, by which it appears he was organist, composer, and master to the children in the chapel royal thirty-five years, and organist to this Abbey fifteen years; that he was scholar to Dr. Christopher Gibbons; and master to the famous Mr. Purcell, and to most of the eminent masters of his time. He died Oct. 1. 1708, in his sixtieth year; and his epitaph observes, that his own musical compositions, especially his church music, are a far nobler monument to his memory than any other that can be raised to him.
64. We come now to the neat and elegant monument erected to the memory of Dr. Boulter, Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. It is of the finest marble beautified with an admirable new invented polish. The bust of this worthy Archbishop is finely executed; his long flowing hair has all the gracefulness of nature, without the smallest degree of that stiffness which belongs to stone; and his venerable countenance strikes the beholder with reverence. The ensigns of his dignity wherewith the monument is adorned, are most exquisitely fine, and every part about it discovers a masterly genius in the sculptor. The inscription is inclosed in a beautiful border of porphyry, and is as follows:
Dr. Hugh Boulter, late Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of all Ireland, a Prelate so eminent for the accomplishments of his mind, the purity of his heart, and the excellence of his life, that it may be thought superfluous to specify his titles, recount his virtues, or even erect a monument to his fame. His titles he not only deserved, but adorned; his virtues are manifest in his good works, which had never dazzled the public eye, if they had not been too bright to be concealed; and as to his fame, whosoever has any sense of merit, any reverence for piety, any passion for his country, or any charity for mankind, will assist in preserving it fair and spotless, that when brass and marble shall mix with the dust they cover, every succeeding age may have the benefit of his illustrious example. He was born Jan. 4, 1671, was consecrated Bishop of Bristol, 1718, translated to the Archbishopric of Armagh, 1723, and from thence to Heaven, Sept. 27, 1742.
65. A plain table monument erected to the memory of Dr. Samuel Bradford, Bishop of Rochester, who died on the 14th of May 1731, in the seventy-ninth year of his age. It contains a long Latin inscription scarce legible, surrounded with the arms, and proper ensigns of his several dignities.
66. The next is a monument erected to the memory of Richard Kane, Esq; Governor of Minorca, adorned with a curious bust of that gentleman in white marble, placed upon a handsome pedestal, whereon are inscribed the most remarkable passages of his life. He was born at Down in Ireland, Dec. 20, 1661. In 1689 he first appeared in a military capacity at the memorable siege of Derry; and after the reduction of Ireland, followed King William into Flanders, where he distinguished himself, particularly by his intrepid behaviour at the siege of Namur, where he was grievously wounded. In 1702, he bore a commission in the service of Queen Anne, and assisted in the expedition to Canada; from whence he again returned into Flanders, and fought under the Duke of Argyle and Greenwich, and afterwards under Lord Carpenter. In 1712, he was made Sub-Governor of Minorca, through which island he caused a road to be made, which had been thought impracticable. In 1720 he was ordered by King George I. to the defence of Gibraltar, where he sustained an eight months siege against the Spaniards, when all hope of relief was extinguished. For which gallant service he was afterwards, by King George II. rewarded with the government of Minorca, where he died Dec. 19, 1736, and was buried in the castle of St. Philip.
67. The monument of Percy Kirk, Esq; is adorned with a fine bust of that gentleman, on each side of which is a winged seraph, one with a dagger in his right hand inverted, and in his left a helmet; the other resting on a ball, and holding in his left hand a torch reversed. The inscription lets us know, that he was Lieutenant-General of his Majesty’s armies; that he was son to Percy Kirk, Lieutenant-General in the reign of King James II. by the Lady Mary, daughter to George Howard Earl of Suffolk, and that he died Jan. 1, 1741, aged fifty-seven.
68. We come now to the monument erected to the memory of that brave commander the Lord Aubrey Beauclerk, ornamented with arms, trophies, and naval ensigns, and in an oval nich on a beautiful pyramid of dove-coloured marble, is a fine bust of that young Hero. On this pyramid is the following historical inscription:
The Lord Aubrey Beauclerk was the youngest son of Charles Duke of St. Albans, by Diana, daughter of Aubrey de Vere Earl of Oxford. He went early to sea, and was made a commander in 1731. In 1740, he was sent upon that memorable expedition to Carthagena, under the command of Admiral Vernon, in his Majesty’s ship the Prince Frederic, which, with three others, was ordered to cannonade the castle of Boccachica. One of these being obliged to quit her station, the Prince Frederic was exposed, not only to the fire from the castle, but to that of Fort St. Joseph, and to two ships that guarded the mouth of the harbour, which he sustained for many hours that day, and part of the next, with uncommon intrepidity. As he was giving his commands upon deck, both his legs were shot off; but such was his magnanimity, that he would not suffer his wounds to be drest, till he communicated his orders to his first Lieutenant, which were, _To fight his ship to the last extremity_. Soon after this he gave some directions about his private affairs, and then resigned his soul with the dignity of a Hero and a Christian. Thus was he taken off in the thirty-first year of his age, an illustrious commander of superior fortitude and clemency, amiable in his person, steady in his affections, and equalled by few in the social and domestic virtues of politeness, modesty, candour, and benevolence. He married the widow of Col. Francis Alexander, a daughter of Sir Henry Newton, Knt. Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Florence and the Republic of Genoa, and Judge of the high court of Admiralty.
Over his inscription is the following epitaph:
Whilst Britain boasts her Empire o’er the deep, This marble shall compel the brave to weep; As men, as Britons, and as soldiers mourn: ’Tis dauntless, loyal, virtuous Beauclerk’s urn. Sweet were his manners, as his soul was great, And ripe his worth, tho’ immature his fate; Each tender grace that joy and love inspires, Living, he mingled with his martial fires; Dying, he bid Britannia’s thunder roar, And Spain still felt him, when he breath’d no more.
69. A beautiful monument erected to the memory of Admiral Balchen, on which is his bust well executed in the finest white marble. The enrichments, arms and trophies, are admirably wrought, but in fastening the cable to the anchor this excellent artist has shewn that he is no mariner. In the front is a fine representation of a ship in a storm. The inscription is as follows:
To the memory of Sir John Balchen, Knt. Admiral of the White Squadron of his Majesty’s fleet in 1744, being sent out Commander in chief of the combined fleets of England and Holland, to cruize on the enemy, was on his return home in his Majesty’s ship the Victory, lost in the Channel by a violent storm; from which sad circumstance of his death we may learn, that neither the greatest skill, judgment, or experience, joined to the most firm unshaken resolution, can resist the fury of the winds and waves; and we are taught from the passages of his life, which were filled with great and gallant actions, but ever accompanied with adverse gales of fortune, that the brave, the worthy and the good man, meets not always his reward in this world. Fifty-eight years of faithful and painful services he had passed, when being just retired to the government of Greenwich Hospital to wear out the remainder of his days, he was once more, and for the last time, called out by his King and Country, whose interest he ever preferred to his own, and his unwearied zeal for their service ended only in his death; which weighty misfortune to his afflicted family became heightened by many aggravating circumstances attending it; yet amidst their grief had they the mournful consolation to find his gracious and royal Master mixing his concern with the general lamentations of the public, for the calamitous fate of so zealous, so valiant, and so able a Commander; and as a lasting memorial of the sincere love and esteem borne by his widow, to a most affectionate and worthy husband, this honorary monument was erected by her. He was born Feb. 2, 1669, married Susannah, daughter of Col. Apreece of Washingly in the County of Huntingdon. Died Oct. 7, 1744, leaving one son and one daughter, the former of whom, George Balchen, survived him but a short time; for being sent to the West Indies in 1745, Commander of his Majesty’s ship the Pembroke, he died in Barbadoes in December the same year, aged 28, having walked in the steps, and imitated the virtue and bravery of his good, but unfortunate father.
70. A noble and elegant monument erected in honour of General Guest. It is adorned with a pyramid and base of the most beautiful Egyptian porphyry, ornamented with the finest enrichments, and on the latter is an admirable bust of the General of white marble. The whole is executed in the most delicate and masterly manner. It has this short, but apposite inscription:
Sacred to those virtues that adorn a Christian and a Soldier, this marble perpetuates the memory of Lieut. Gen. Joshua Guest, who closed a service of sixty years by faithfully defending Edinburgh castle against the Rebels, 1745.
71. The next worthy of notice is the elegant monument of Sir Charles Wager. The principal figure here is that of Fame holding a portrait of Sir Charles in relief, which is also supported by an infant Hercules. The enrichments are naval trophies, instruments of war and navigation, &c. on the base is represented in relief the destroying and taking of the Spanish galleons in 1708, The inscription is as follows:
To the memory of Sir CHARLES WAGER, Knt. Admiral of the White, first Commissioner of the Admiralty, And Privy Counsellor; A man of great natural talents, Who bore the highest commands, And pass’d through the greatest employments, With credit to himself, and honour to his country. He was in private life Humane, temperate, just, and bountiful: In public station, Valiant, prudent, wise, and honest: Easy of access to all; Plain and unaffected in his manners, Steady and resolute in his conduct: So remarkably happy in his presence of mind, That no danger ever discompos’d him; Esteemed and favoured by his King; Beloved and honoured by his Country. He died 24 May 1743. Aged 77.
72. The next tomb in the Abbey that demands our attention, is that erected to the memory of John Hollis Duke of Newcastle, by his daughter the Countess of Oxford. This is perhaps the loftiest and most costly of any in the Abbey. A pediment is supported by beautiful columns of variegated marble. The Duke is represented resting upon a sepulchral monument, holding in his right hand a General’s staff, and in his left a ducal coronet. On one side the base stands a statue of Wisdom, on the other, of Sincerity. On the angles of the upper compartment sit angels, and on the ascending sides of the pediment sit two cherubs, one with an hour-glass, alluding to the admeasurement of man’s life by grains of sand; the other pointing upwards, where life shall no longer be measured by hours and minutes. On the base is an inscription enumerating his Grace’s titles, and several employments; his marriage and issue; and informing us that he was born Jan. 9, 1661–2, and died July 15, 1711.
73. The monument of William Cavendish Duke of Newcastle is also very pompous, but is in the old taste. Under a rich canopy of state lie, as the inscription expresses it, “The loyal Duke of Newcastle, and his Duchess, his second wife, by whom he had no issue: her name was Margaret Lucas, youngest sister to Lord Lucas of Colchester, a noble family; for all the brothers were valiant, and all the sisters virtuous. The Duchess was a wise, witty, and learned Lady, which her many books do well testify: She was a most virtuous, and a loving and careful wife, and was with her Lord all the time of his banishment and miseries; and when he came home, never parted from him in his solitary retirements.” This is the English inscription. The Latin gives his titles and employments; and observes, that for his fidelity to King Charles I. he was made Captain-General of the forces raised for his service in the North, fought many battles, and generally came off victorious; but that when the rebels prevailed (being one of the first designed a sacrifice) he left his estate, and endured a long exile. It then gives his issue by his first wife, and concludes with observing, that he died Dec. 27, 1676, in his eighty-fourth year.
74. On the adjoining pillar is a neat tablet, on which is this inscription:
Grace, eldest daughter of Sir Thomas Mauleverer of Allerton Mauleverer in Yorkshire, Bart. born 1622, married unto Col. Scott, a member of the Hon. House of Commons 1644, and died Feb. 24, 1645.