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Oxford’s Cavalier Mausoleum
Author: Andrew Polkey Orders of the day, Volume 34, Issue 1, March/April 2002 |
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Oxford’s Cavalier Mausoleum (part 2) is available here On a recent visit to Oxford I paid my respects to the Lucy chapel in Christ Church Cathedral – the final resting-place and mausoleum of a number of prominent Royalists from the Civil War period. I had been here some years before on a cursory visit after a King’s Guard regimental banquet at nearby Pembroke College, and armed with a copy of Strangers in Oxford (1), had made a pilgrimage to places associated with the original regiment during its time as a component part of the Oxford Army. A brief foray to the Cathedral located the Lucy chapel and its Cavalier monuments, but I had insufficient time for a closer scrutiny and was too soon obliged to return home north of Trent. In late November 2001 I stood once again in the Lucy chapel, on this occasion with more time to spare and a determination to record the inscriptions. Armed with enough of a working knowledge of Latin to attend a Novus Ordo High Mass at the Oratory earlier in the day, plus my ‘O’ level rusty acquaintance reinforced by a useful Latin primer on monumental inscriptions (2), I prepared to decipher the Roman lettering on the memorials. However, there was insufficient light and some of the monuments were fixed to the wall at a height such as to render them unreadable. At this moment of difficulty, one of the Cathedral attendants, the steward Mr Glyn Turner, asked if he might be of help – and indeed he was! My enquiries brought forth a printed transcript of all eight monuments as well as an erudite discourse that could have kept me there all day! There was much else to explore in that venerable building – the carved fragments of the mediaeval shrine of St. Frideswide, a few remnants saved from the iconoclastic wrath of the Puritans; the rare painted glass of van Linge, completed only a few years before the Civil War; and the more recent but magnificent Victorian stained glass of Burne-Jones, and many other treasures too numerous to examine in so brief a visit. So it was that I acquired a copy of the transcript and was at last able to discover the identities of the Royalist dead commemorated in the chapel. Though many were buried here in Christ Church during the war, not all possessed memorials, and three of King Charles’s own family: George Stuart, Lord d’Aubigny, Lord John Stuart and Lord Bernard Stuart, have no discernible grave. Yet eight individuals did have memorials – most dating from the Restoration – and when Gilbert Scott restored the Cathedral c1870-6, these were gathered from various parts of the building and placed together in the Lucy chapel. The transcript tells us that “the eight men commemorated in this small space of ground form an epitome of the different sorts of men who, by duty or inclination – and sometimes both – followed their King to Oxford and died here with his exiled or besieged court, or laid down their lives for him in the field.” Those with memorials are:
(1) The inscription to Sir Henry Gage (1597-1645) reads as follows:“Here lies the troop commander Henry Gage, Knight, son and heir of John Gage of Haling, Esquire, in the country (sic) of Surrey, great-grandson of John Gage of the most noble order of Knights of the Garter. He served in Belgium over 20 years in every battle and the sieges of Bergen-op-Zoom, Breda and especially St.Omer. Sent from Belgium to the King of Great Britain he brought equipment for seven thousand troops. Given a command he took Boarstall House by storm and later, when the garrison of Basing House was cut off from supplies, he showed great energy and, when hope had already been abandoned, brought them provisions. Together with the Count of Northampton he relieved the garrison of Banbury. He was knighted for this and subsequently for the second time drove the enemy from Basing House. He was now made Governor of Oxford. But in an action near the bridge at Culham, while boldly leading his men in a third assault on the enemy, he was hit by a bullet and killed on the 11th January 1645 at the age of 47. In solemn mourning his funeral was attended by members of the Royal Family, Noblemen, Soldiers, Members of the University and citizens (of Oxford), all manifesting their grief at the loss of a man outstanding for his natural genius, skill in languages, military renown, sense of duty, loyalty and love for his King and Country. This memorial was set up by his mourning and grieving brother George Gage.” Gage was an ardent Catholic, or, to quote his opponents, “the most Jesuisted Papist alive” and beneath his memorial tablet is a small revealing inscription “Aeterna Praepone Caducis” (prefer things Eternal to things Temporal) (3). (2) Major General Sir John SmithHis memorial slab is the only one of two in English and lies on the floor of the chapel where it can easily be read. He too was a Catholic, related to the Throckmortons of Gunpowder Plot fame and was famously knighted on the field of battle at Edgehill for recapturing the King’s Standard after its seizure by the Roundheads, and he remained the King’s standard bearer until his death. The sword used by the King when he was knighted may be seen at the home of the Throckmortons, Coughton Court in Warwickshire. There is a detailed and touching account of his death recorded by one of his officers in Adair’s book on the fight at Bramdean (i.e. Cheriton) (4). This inscription, the original in upper case, reads as follows: - “Here lieth the body of the valiant and most worthy gent: Sr: John Smith Kt: 3rd son of Sr Franc: Smith of Wootton-Wawen in ye County of Warwick Bt: (descend-d of ye ancient family of Carington, from Sr.Michael Carington standard bearer to K: Richard ye 1st. in ye Holy Land) who, wth: his own hands, redeemed in ye Battell of Edge-Hil ye Banner Royall of His Most Sacred Majesty Charles. 1st. for which signall valour he yen received in ye field ye honour of knighthood fro His Majestie. Since wch. Time, he, in severall battells, gave singular testimonie of his loyaltie & courage, especially in ye memorable fight at Bramdean in Hamps. Ye 29 of March, where having rec: several wounds in psuit of victory died at Andover ye 30th Mar: 1644. & was ye 1st of April here interd with great solemnity, aged 28. Sr Francis Throckmorton of Great-Coughton in ye County of Warwick Bt: (his sisters son) at his charg this marble hath laid.” (3) William Villiers, Viscount GrandisonHe died at Jesus College where he was lodging with his wife after being wounded at the storming of Bristol. His large (and to some, huge and rather hideous) monument was commissioned and built (c1670) by his daughter, Barbara Villiers, who was only two years old when her father died, and who went on to become one of Charles II’s most famous mistresses, acquiring – for services rendered to His Majesty – the titles of Countess Castlemaine and Duchess of Cleveland. “Here lies buried William Villiers, Viscount Grandison of Limerick, in whom warlike virtues and the graces contended, who adorned the beauty of the most handsome looks yet further with deeds as glorious. After exceptional achievements in Belgium, Ireland and finally England, leading the troops on the King’s side to the besieged city of Bristol against the rebels, he was first to bring up the scaling ladders and cross the wall, performing more than mere duty of a leader, and in this way kindling either valour or sense of shame in the rank and file so as to win the outer defences. (But) during this action he received a wound in the thigh from a bullet and so interwove the Cypress (Death) with the Laurel (Glory) – too great a price to pay for the recovery of the city – and was borne to Oxford where he died at the end of August 1643, his own age being 30. This monument to the best of parents, Barbara of Cleveland, set up as a mark of family devotion." (4) William Viscount BrounckerA courtier soldier who did very little in the way of fighting, but was ever anxious to obtain a title. This curious monument (in English) depicts Brouncker and his wife seated in meditative attitudes, each with an elbow on a table, with a skull propped between them to signify mortality. “In memory of Sr William Brouncker Knt. Lord Viscount Brouncker of Castle-Lyons in ye kingdom of Ireland, Gentleman of ye Privy Chamber to King Charles ye first, & Vic-chamberlin to King Charles ye second When Prince of Wales. He departed this life in this Citty, & was buryed ye 20th day of November, in the yeare of our Lord. 1645 And of Dame Winefred Leigh his wife who with her said Husband lyeth buried under a Large stone neare this place in Expectation of A Glorious Resurrection. She dyed at London the 20th of July & was buryed ye 10 of August In ye yeare of our Lord 1649.” The transcript notes admit that little indeed is known about Brouncker, other than that in September 1645 he paid the King £1200 for his Irish viscountcy and then declared that he had not twelve pence left to pay for his dinner! Difficult to believe, as on his death three months later he left enough money to enable his wife to become an habitué of the gambling tables. The ‘large stone’ referred to above is not particularly large, and can be found in the North Transept - reminding us that although Gilbert Scott moved most of the marble monuments to the Lucy chapel, the bones of these ill-assorted Royalists lie elsewhere. The second part of this article will describe the remaining four Royalist memorials is available here. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance and support of Jim Godfrey, Canon’s Verger of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, in the preparation of this work. Notes
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