CHRIST CHURCH.
This Church was consecrated on the 26th of June, 1839. It stands on a piece of ground for many years previously a market garden, and is situated in Paradise Street, Queen’s Road West. The exterior is particularly plain, and would admit of great improvements were there funds available for such a purpose. The interior will probably seat about 1000 persons. On the opposite side of the street there are neatly-designed schoolrooms, in which the children belonging to the National, Infant, and Sunday Schools assemble for instruction. Each of these schools is very well attended. The residents in a great portion of the immediate locality are poor, and consequently the most strenuous efforts are necessary to raise sufficient funds to meet the expenditure.
The Rev. W. H. Howard, M.A., was the first Incumbent of the Church, and was much esteemed. He was a kind-hearted clergyman, and made every effort in his power to promote the spiritual and temporal welfare of the numerous poor in his district. He resigned in 1845.
The Rev. W. W. Robinson, M.A., was, as is well known, most zealous in his exertions to accomplish the same great object. He was likewise a most strenuous supporter and advocate of Total Abstinence Societies from all intoxicating liquors.
The Rev. G. S. Whitlock, M.A., succeeded Mr. Robinson. He displays an untiring zeal in the discharge of his sacred duties, and there are gratifying testimonies to prove that his ministerial labours have been blessed. Under his energetic administration of affairs a large amount of voluntary subscriptions have been collected, and many important improvements in the interior of the Church have been effected, and should he be spared to the District, no doubt the exterior will soon likewise have a more imposing appearance.
Gough House was erected at the commencement of the last century by John, third Earl of Carberry. He died in his coach, as he was returning from London to this house in 1713, and was interred in Westminster Abbey. After his death the house and premises were in possession of the Gough family, several of whom resided here. Sir Richard Gough was a merchant in London; he died in 1727. Sir Henry Gough took the name of Calthorpe, in compliance with the will of his uncle, Sir Henry Calthorpe, K.B., and was created a peer, in 1796, by the title of Baron Calthorpe.
The house was at length occupied by Mrs. Pemberton, who conducted an establishment for the education of young ladies for many years. The Rev. Richard Wilson, D.D., subsequently resided in it for a considerable period. At the present time the approach to this old mansion presents a melancholy contrast to what it was in former days.
Gough House is now the Victoria Hospital for Sick Children, established in 1866. The frontage is otherwise occupied, and consequently the originally attractive appearance is entirely destroyed. The youthful patients come from all parts of the metropolis, and several from the country. The objects of the institution are as follow:—
1. The treatment, as in-patients, of children between the ages of two and twelve years.
2. The treatment, as out-patients, of children under sixteen years of age.
3. The training of nurses for children.
The Rev. A. G. W. Blunt, M.A., Rector of Chelsea, takes a deep interest in promoting this much-needed and admirable institution. The committee are now earnestly making an appeal for contributions to create a Building Fund, and when it is known that there is not in all the metropolis a single hospital BUILT for the special reception of children, it is to be hoped that such a noble charity will receive the liberal assistance of all benevolent persons.
Edward Montague, first Earl of Sandwich, resided in this neighbourhood in 1663. Mr. Pepys, in his Diary, has recorded a visit he paid to that nobleman. “March 28, 1663. To Chelsea, where we found my lord all alone, with one joint of meat at dinner, and mightily extolling the manner of his retirement, and the goodness of his diet; the mistress of the house hath all things most excellently dressed; amongst other things her cakes admirable, and so good, that my lord’s words were, they were fit to present to Lady Castlemaine . . . ”
Archbishop Sharpe resided here about 1691; he preached the sermon at the coronation of Queen Anne. Mackay says, “He is one of the greatest ornaments of the Church of England, of great piety and learning, a black man, and 55 years old.”
Charles, Duke of St. Albans, natural son of Charles II. by Eleanor Gwynn, had a house here about 1692.
Fitton Gerrard, the last Earl of Macclesfield of that family, died at his house in Chelsea, in 1702. A law-suit was commenced about the right of succession to his property, between Lord Mohun and the Duke of Hamilton, who had married his niece. A duel was fought between the competitors in Hyde Park, which proved fatal to both parties. The Duchess lived in Chelsea till 1714.
Henry, Duke of Kent, had a house in Queen’s Road West, about 1715. On his Grace’s death, in 1740, the Dukedom of Kent became extinct.
The beautiful Duchess of Mazarin resided in Queen’s Road West, and died there in 1699, aged 52. Her dramatic routs and musical entertainments were celebrated for their magnificence. The singers were from the theatres, and the instrumental performers the most eminent masters of the time. It is said that the design of introducing the Italian Opera into England was first concerted in this assembly. Lysons was told that it was usual for the nobility and others who dined at her house to leave money under their plates to pay for their entertainment. She appears to have been in arrears for the parish rates during the whole time of her residence at Chelsea.
Mrs. Mary Astell resided here the greater part of her life, which was spent in writing for the advancement of learning, religion, and virtue. “The good Christian,” she would say, “only hath reason to be cheerful in this world.” She died at her house in 1731, in her 63rd year, beloved by all who knew her, and greatly esteemed by the inhabitants.
Dr. Richard Mead, it appears by the parish books, resided here about 1714; he was an eminent physician. Matthew Mead, his father, was a celebrated Nonconformist divine. Dr. Mead had a house also in Great Ormond Street, which became a repository for all that was curious in nature and art. He built a gallery for his pictures and antiquities, which, when sold, produced as follows:—
| 57 | days’ sale of books | £5,518 | 10 | 11 |
| 3 | ditto pictures | 3,417 | 11 | 0 |
| 14 | ditto prints and drawings | 1,908 | 14 | 6 |
| 8 | ditto coins and medals | 1,977 | 17 | 0 |
| 5 | ditto antiquities | 3,246 | 15 | 6 |
The world was deprived of this distinguished physician in 1754. To the poor he gave money as well as advice.
Sir Francis Windham had a house in Queen’s Road West, about 1700. He entertained Charles II. at Trent, after the battle of Worcester, where the king remained concealed for several days.
The Rev. James Miller was born in 1703. He wrote the oratorio of “Joseph and his Brethren,” and translated and adapted to the English stage, the “Mahomet” of Voltaire, which met with great applause; but on the third night of its representation, being for his own benefit, he died suddenly at his house at Chelsea, in 1743.
Dr. Alexander Blackwell, a physician, resided in a house near the Botanic Garden; he became involved in his circumstances, and was taken to prison for debt. Mrs. Blackwell possessed by nature a fine genius for drawing and painting, and being told that a Herbal was wanted, she drew from the life several of the physical plants. These were shewn to several eminent men, who being pleased with the undertaking she proceeded with the work, and at length procured her husband’s liberty. She not only made the drawings, but engraved them on copper plates, and coloured them. This celebrated work was completed in 1739. Mr. Rand, who had the care of the Botanic Garden, rendered her every assistance in his power. Unfortunately Dr. Blackwell left Chelsea and went to Sweden, where he was appointed physician to the king. Sometime afterwards, however, he was found guilty of high treason “in plotting to overturn the constitution of the kingdom, and sentenced to be broken alive on the wheel.” [184] It is further said that “he prayed with great devotion; but, having laid his head wrong, he remarked jocosely that, being his first experiment, no wonder he should want a little instruction.” Such jocularity, at such an awful moment, does not accord with earnest prayer.
The Rev. Thomas Stackhouse, a learned and pious divine, resided in Queen’s Road West, about the year 1750; he was the author of “The History of the Bible,” &c.
Mr. John Collett, the painter, resided here for a long period. The favourite subjects of his pencil were pieces of humour, somewhat in imitation of Hogarth. Collett died here in 1780.
Mr. John Giles Eccardt had a house here for some years, and died in 1779; he was a painter of some eminence. The portrait of Gay, the poet, in Lord Orford’s works, now almost extant, is from a painting by Eccardt.
Mr. W. Hamilton, a pleasing artist, resided also here for several years; his most capital work was “The Queen of Sheba entertained at a banquet by Solomon.”
Mr. Samuel Cotes lived in Queen’s Road West, where he died in 1818. He painted miniatures both in enamel and water colours, and was in great practice.
Mary, Duchess of Ormond, resided in a large house, near Chelsea Hospital, in 1730. She was a daughter of the Duke of Beaufort, and the second wife of James, Duke of Ormond. This house was for many years afterwards occupied as a school. It enjoyed a distinguished reputation for maritime education. The novelty of having a ship built on the play-ground, completely rigged, with sails bent, and of capacity sufficient to admit of twenty-four of the young gentlemen going aloft at one time, attracted general notice. This ship moved round on swivels, which enabled her to represent the evolutions of wearing or tacking. She was under the care of an old naval lieutenant, and was named “The Cumberland.”
Sir Robert Walpole had a house and garden “next the College.” He built here an octagon summer-house and a large greenhouse, the latter filled with fine exotics by Lady Walpole; he had also a curious grotto. Nell Gwynn is said to have lived in this house when it was Crown property. It was taken down about 1808. On the site of this house is now a spacious infirmary for the sick and aged pensioners of Chelsea Hospital.
School of Discipline.—This is the oldest Reformatory for young girls in London. It was opened by Mrs. Elizabeth Fry, who, with some Christian friends, brought six other children from Newgate to a small house at Chelsea, in 1825. Since that time a larger house has been taken in Queen’s Road West, near to Chelsea Hospital, and the number of children increased. They are daily instructed in the love and fear of God, carefully trained in all useful branches of household work, needlework, and the usual subjects of elementary secular education. The number of children now boarded, clothed, and educated in the school is 42. It is a “Certified Industrial School,” for the purpose of receiving, by magistrates warrants, girls who are either found begging, homeless, or frequent the company of thieves, &c. Twenty-one of such, in 1869, were under detention. They are paid for by the Home Office, the parents, where possible, contributing to their maintenance. The others are such as need restraint and discipline, and the parents are required to pay sums varying from 6d. to 5s., according to their means. It is conducted by a Ladies’ Committee, Mrs. Cromwell, the lady of the Principal of St. Mark’s College, kindly discharging the duties of honorary secretary.
Mr. Thomas Faulkner, to whom this work is so greatly indebted, lived at the corner house, opposite the grounds of Chelsea Hospital. He was one of the principal booksellers in the parish, and possessed great literary attainments. As a local historian none have excelled him, and in private life no parishioner was more respected. He was interred in the Brompton Cemetery, where there is the following inscription to his memory:—“Thomas Faulkner, the historian of Chelsea, and an inhabitant of that parish 60 years. Born 1777, died 1855. Lector si monumentum requiris libros ejus diligenter evolve.”
Mr. Richard Suett, who acquired considerable repute as a low comedian, died at his lodgings here in 1805, aged 47. He made his first appearance at Drury Lane in the character of Ralph, in the Maid of the Mill. He was buried on the north side of St. Paul’s Cathedral, where he had been educated as one of the choir; his disposition was amiable, and the needy always shared his mite.
Durham House.—It appears that a large house was standing on this spot in 1694, it was then called the Ship House, and is said traditionally to have been a tavern, and frequented by the workmen whilst the Royal Hospital was building. The present structure, which was built in the beginning of the last century, has been distinguished for a great number of years as an eminent school. It is at present in the occupation of the Rev. John Wilson, D.D., of Holy Trinity Church, Knightsbridge.
Durham Place was built in 1790, by Mr. Richardson, who was for many years steward to the Lord of the Manor; he resided in the detached house adjoining, on the north, which had extensive grounds, and was called by him Manor House.
Green’s Row, a little eastward, was built in 1765. It was for many years the property of a Mr. Green, an extensive brewer. In one of these houses Henry Blunt, Esq., father of the late Rev. H. Blunt, resided for a considerable period. Mr. Blunt, sen., was universally respected in the parish. He held a commission in Queen Charlotte’s Chelsea Royal Volunteers.
In Rayner Place resided Philip Burrard, Esq., for many years. He served the office of churchwarden of the parish, &c., and was a captain in the old Chelsea Volunteers.
Mr. Robert Farrier, a celebrated artist and portrait painter, has resided in Hemus Terrace for some years. He is a very old inhabitant, and much respected.
Chelsea Royal Hospital.
On the site of this noble establishment—the home of our military veterans—was originally a college or place of education for controversial divines. It was projected by Dr. Sutcliffe, Dean of Exeter, in the reign of James I. The king was one of its best patrons, and supported it by various grants and benefactions; he himself laid the first stone of the edifice, in 1609; gave timber requisite for the building, and ordered that when erected it should be called “King James’s College at Chelsey.” Thus fortified, Dean Sutcliffe experienced no difficulty in obtaining from Charles, Earl of Nottingham, an advantageous lease of a plot of land which the latter held under the Crown, and which was called “Thame Shot,” for which he paid the yearly rent of seven pounds ten shillings. A charter of incorporation was granted, which limited the number of its members to a provost and nineteen fellows, of whom seventeen were to be in holy orders, the other two might be laymen. Their employment was to consist in noticing and recording the principal historical and religious events which might occur during the time they remained in office; but none of the members, on being elected bishops, could be permitted to retain their fellowships; by this charter, also, the college was enabled to use a corporate seal. The building, however, progressed but slowly. The Dean’s funds became exhausted; the proceeds of the king’s letter proved small. Out of two quadrangles which it was contemplated to erect, and of which the lesser was to be internally surrounded by a piazza, only a portion of one side was completed. Still the number of those who took an interest in the matter daily increased, and were far from despairing. “The work we confess,” says Darley, “hitherto proceeded slowly; and no marvel, seeing great works are not easily achieved. Noah’s Ark, God’s Tabernacle and Temple, &c., were long in building; and do we wonder that this college is not finished?”
Several causes contributed to render the king’s appeal through the medium of the bishops of slight avail. In the first place, the expenses attending the collection of briefs were then inordinate. The money, after it had been gathered, passed through many hands, each of which took care to attach a portion to itself; while the efforts made about the same time to push forward the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral stood very much in the way of the completion of King James’s College. [188] With James I. died the only conscientious supporter, excepting the founder, and a few churchmen; the death of Sutcliffe was a deadly blight upon the prospects of his infant college. It was afterwards converted into a place for prisoners of war; and, with the manor, of which the Parliament took forcible possession, was ultimately put up to sale. Darley says, “It became a cage of unclean beasts, a stable for horses; and not only a place to make leaden guns in, but desired also for a palcestra to manage great horses and to practise horsemanship.” A print of the original design of this college was prefixed to a small book, called “The Glory of Chelsey College,” by John Darley, B.D., Rector of Northill, Cornwall. 1662. Archbishop Laud called it sneeringly “Controversy College.”
In 1667, Charles II. resolved on granting this college to the Royal Society, which was about that time incorporated. And as a grant of the manor of Chelsea had been made to the Duke of Hamilton by Charles I., the heirs of that nobleman now conveyed it to Andrew Cole, in trust, for that learned body. The Society, however, did not hold their sittings in it, probably from its dilapidated state; they ultimately conveyed it, in 1681, to Sir Stephen Fox, for the king’s use, in order to build Chelsea Hospital, for the sum of £1,300.
I will now give a description of the establishment of Chelsea Hospital. The building, as it now stands, was begun by Charles II., continued during the short reign of his successor, and completed by William and Mary.
It has been just stated that the site of King James’s College was purchased of the Royal Society for the purpose of erecting this Hospital; but not being found sufficient, the lands lying between the College and the river Thames, and that in front of the present Hospital, now called Burton’s Court, were also purchased of Lord Cheyne and Sir Thomas Grosvenor, for about the sum of £1100. About twenty-two acres of this land, lying on the eastern side, were, in 1690, granted by the Crown to the Earl of Ranelagh.
There are several pleasing legends told as to the origin of Chelsea Hospital. The following is one of them:—The King was sitting in his chariot, with poor Nell Gwynne, when observing her unusually pensive, he asked:
“What ails thee, Nell?”
She replied: “A dream I had last night, troubleth me sore.”
“What was thy dream, Nell?”
“Methought I was in the fields at Chelsea, and slowly and majestically there rose before mine eyes, a beautiful palace of a thousand chambers; and in and out thereat walked divers many old and worn-out soldier-men. Some had lost a leg, some an arm, others were blind of an eye, many bore piteous scars of old wounds in the wars, upon their wrinkled faces, and all of them were aged, and past service. But none of them looked ill-at-ease, and as they went out, and as they came in, the old men cried, ‘God bless King Charles!’ and I awoke, and was sore discomfitted, that it was only a dream!”
“Cheer up, Nelly,” said the King. “Thy dream shall be fulfilled, mayhap, thou shalt yet see old soldiers come in, and go out, crying, ‘God bless King Charles!’ The monarch did violence to his infirmity, and kept his word.”
No appeal seems to have been made to the public at large, as was the case with King James’s College; but while the voluntary contributions of the charitable were received with gratitude, the troops were, to a certain extent, burdened with the expenses of the asylum from which they were themselves to derive the sole benefit. From the pay given to these, a deduction was made of one shilling in the pound; which, being divided into three equal parts, was one to defray the expenses of the Paymaster’s office, one to the general use of the soldiers, and one to the accumulation of a fund, first, for the building, and ultimately for the maintenance of the hospital. By giving to this a retrospective effect, so as to include the whole of the year 1680, and strengthened by donations of £1,300 from Sir Stephen Fox, of £1,000 from Tobias Rustas, Esq., of £1,000 from Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury, and of nearly £7,000 from the Secret Service Fund, the projectors of the establishment had at their disposal a sum of £17,012 14s. 7d. with which they determined to make a beginning.
The edifice was consequently begun in the year 1682, but was not completed till 1690. King Charles II., attended by a great number of the principal nobility and gentry, laid the first stone of this magnificent structure on the 16th of February, 1682. The whole expense of the building is computed to have amounted to £150,000.
Sir Christopher Wren, to whose genius and abilities we owe the grandest edifices of which our metropolis can boast, gave the original design, and conducted the building to its completion.
Chelsea Hospital is generally considered to be a fine specimen of Sir Christopher Wren’s professional abilities. It possesses a superior air of grandeur, more spacious arrangement of the principal parts, greater attention to the central points, for grace and effect, and a higher degree of chastity maintained in the whole structure than any public design entered into by Sir Christopher Wren, or his immediate successors.
At the grand entrance, from the King’s Road, are four detached stone piers, with breaks, with an entablature, on which are military trophies. These piers, by their disposure, give three passes; the iron gates much modernised; dwarf walls, having cornices in succession, containing small door-ways. Two lodges, right and left, carry on the line, containing four compartments, or blank windows each.
The central approach, from the King’s Road to the north general front of the Hospital, including the Royal Avenue, has a very imposing effect, with trees on either side.
It would be impossible to give in this work an architectural description of Chelsea Hospital, or of its arrangements. It is within the reach of every inhabitant of London, and now as our country friends have the benefit of frequent railway excursions, almost every person in the country, may at any time give this home of England’s worn out and gallant defenders a personal inspection. Still it is necessary that a general sketch of the building and grounds should be given. I have therefore extracted most of the following particulars from Mr. Gleig’s admirable work.
Chelsea Hospital occupies, with the buildings, courts, gardens, and offices attached, an area of something more than 54 square acres. Its principal courts, or quadrangles, are three in number; of which the central alone existed in 1690, though the good taste of a modern architect has provided that no discordance in style should be anywhere perceptible between the nucleus and the additions which have, from to time, gathered round it. Over the whole, there hangs an air of sobered and collegiate repose, as far removed from gloom on the one hand, as from garishness on the other; a character every way suitable to the purposes to which the edifice has been set apart, and in strict accordance with the habits and condition of its inmates.
The central court, which is open towards the south, and separated from what are called the water-gardens only by an iron railing, is closed in on the east and west by two ranges of buildings 365ft. in length by 40 in width; on the north and south by the hall and chapel, divided one from the other by a handsome cupola and gateway. In these long buildings, or wings, to the extent at least of 200ft. the old soldiers are chiefly housed—that is to say, such of them as are rated in the hospital books as privates, corporals, and sergeants. Sixteen wards or barracks arranged each into 26 bed places, furnish the men with adequate accommodation; while the sergeants occupy cabins, closed in, one at each extremity of the ward, in which it is their duty to preserve order. For the captains and light-horse distinct lodgings are provided. At the southern extremity of each wing, so as to project into the water-gardens, are the apartments of the Governor and the Lieutenant-Governor, both comfortable dwellings, altogether free from ostentation, yet well fitted for the uses of the distinguished officers to whom the honour of presiding over the first of England’s military establishments may be assigned.
“Go with old Thames, view Chelsea’s glorious pile,
And ask the shatter’d hero whence his smiles;
Go view the splendid domes of Greenwich—go,
And own what raptures from reflection flow.”—Rogers.
The Chapel and Hall present, when examined from without, a perfect uniformity of appearance. Each has its plain brick front, indented with tall arched windows; and each appears to lean upon the noble stone pillars that flank the central gateway; while along that face that looks in upon the square, is a piazza, or covered gallery. Beneath are benches, on which the old men may occasionally be seen smoking their pipes in the heat of a summer’s day; while from either end branches off a passage, opening out a communication with the lesser or flanking quadrangles. Moreover, the cornice of this piazza bears a neat inscription, indicative of the purpose which the hospital is meant to serve, and partly commemorative of the names of the sovereigns to whom the country stands indebted for so noble an institution.
The Hall is 110 ft. in length, and 30 in width; an oblong of the best proportions, in length, width, and height, befitting the purposes of the Royal Institution. Wainscotting with compartments rise to the sills of the windows, and is continued to the high pace. At the entrance end, compartments also, with a gallery supported by ornamented cantalivers; on the centre of the gallery a large ornamental shield with the Royal Arms of Charles II. most exquisitely carved.
Over the gallery is a large allegorical picture, painted by Ward, representing Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington, in a triumphal car, trampling upon the emblems of War, Anarchy, and Rebellion, whilst Victory is crowning him, and Peace and her attendant deities are following in her train. It was purposely painted for the Hospital, and a present from the British Institution. Concerts, in honour of Queen Anne’s coronation, were performed in the great Hall of the Hospital, in the year 1702, under the direction of Mr. Abel, singing master.
There is a statue of Charles II. in the centre of the square, cast in bronze, in the garb of a Roman warrior, and facing the north. It is said to be the production of Gibbons; but as a mere work of art, it cannot be very highly commended.
With respect to the lesser or flanking squares, they are given up entirely to the lodgings of the officers of the establishment, to public offices, including clerks’ chambers, board-room, &c., and, as has just been stated, to the accommodation of a certain number of captains and light-horsemen. In both, the buildings are lower and less solid than those which surround the principal square. But the general character is the same throughout. Brick walls, inlaid with a profusion of square windows, all of them deep seated, and carefully touched in the mouldings; free-stone finishings to each angle, gateways flanked by free-stone pillars, and a roof universally high, and covered with grey shining slate, point to a period when, in the arrangement of such edifices, every approach to a classic model was in this country carefully eschewed.
Let us return to a further description of the Hall, and also notice some events which have taken place in it.
Over the high table, and occupying the whole length of the western face, is another painting, which was designed and begun by Verrio, though finished by Henry Cook, representing Charles II. on horseback, surrounded by groups of heathen gods, with a distant view of Chelsea Hospital in the background. This painting was the gift of one of the Earls of Ranelagh. Flags and trophies, taken in battle, are suspended round the hall. These occupy, in a double row, the spaces that intervene between the windows, while in front of the music gallery, elevated above a bundle of spear handles, waves the Union jack. In the hall are double rows of tables, generally covered, as if all the inhabitants of the pile took here their meals; but the practice of dining together has long since died out. Among the officers it ceased in 1796; among the men some years previously.
Trial of General Whitelocke.—On Thursday, Jan. 30, 1808, this hall was prepared for the trial of this officer. The charges against him were in substance four, viz.:—
1. Having, contrary to the tenor of instructions, in the summons to Buenos Ayres, required that the civil officers and magistrates should be prisoners.
2. Exposing the army, in marching against Buenos Ayres, to a destructive discharge of musketry from the town.
3. Not being present personally on the advance against Buenos Ayres.
4. Surrendering the Fortress of Monte Video without necessity.
The Court, after having proceeded with the trial for several days, allowed the General a week for his defence; and on the 24th of March, the Secretary to H.R.H. the Commander-in-Chief communicated officially to General Whitelocke the sentence of the Court Martial, as approved by his Majesty, as follows:—“That the said Lieutenant-General Whitelocke be cashiered, and declared totally unfit and unworthy to serve his Majesty in any military capacity whatever.”
There have been two or three Courts of Inquiry, &c., convened at subsequent periods, but they created nothing like the interest that was shewn at the time of the above trial.
The remains of the late Duke of Wellington were laid in great state in this hall for several days in September, 1852. Thousands of persons from all parts of the country, as well as many distinguished foreigners, came to witness the splendid but mournful spectacle. Such exhibitions, however, seem rather to belong to past ages than to the present period.
From the Hall to the Chapel the visitor passes across a noble vestibule lighted from above by a cupola, and which, besides serving as a communication to both apartments, constitutes the principal entrance into the Hospital itself. Over the altar is a fresco painting, which represents the Resurrection of our Saviour, sublimely described in the 28th chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel. It is the production of Sebastian Ricci. The chapel bears the same proportions as the dining hall. It was consecrated by Dr. Compton, Bishop of London, on the 13th of October, 1691. The service of plate, for the use of the altar, was given by King James II.
The first organ was the gift of Major Ingram; but, in 1817, a new one was placed in the original case, built by Gray, at the expense of four hundred guineas. It contained at that time 704 pipes with 12 pedal pipes.
In the chapel are deposited the standards of Tippoo Saib, the whole of the eagles, thirteen in number, that were taken during the war with France, &c. Both the chapel and hall must be visited to be fully appreciated, and this remark equally applies to the different wards, the water-garden, and indeed every part of this noble establishment.
Chelsea Hospital is, of course, designed to furnish an asylum for those members of the regular army alone, whom wounds, sickness, or old age, may have totally disabled. Its inmates are therefore, in some way or other, invalids, that is to say, men affected by some infirmity, which, though not visible to the eye of the common spectator, is by the patient himself abundantly felt. For the reception of those who require admission into it, a spacious Infirmary has been erected, where the aged patients receive the best medical treatment and every requisite comfort.
Amongst the chaplains during this century may be mentioned the Rev. W. Haggitt, M.A., the Rev. Richard Yates, D.D., the Rev. G. R. Gleig, M.A., and the Rev. G. Matthias, M.A., who at the present time holds the appointment.
THE HOSPITAL BURIAL GROUND, &c.
On the east side of the Hospital, adjoining Queen’s Road East, originally called Jews’ Row, is the cemetery, formerly used for the interment of the officers and pensioners belonging to the establishment. Near the entrance, on the right, is the tomb of Simon Box, the first pensioner there buried in 1692.
There is a very droll epitaph in this burial ground, to the memory of William Hiseland, which states that “when an hundred years old he took unto him a wife.” It appears he had served in the army 80 years. He was born in 1620, and died in 1732, so that at his decease he was 112 years old. A literary gentleman, referring to the above marriage, exclaimed, “Oh, the centenarian wooer and antidiluvian bridegroom—of what chronology was his bride? Let us hope she was as silly at one end of the mortal story, as he was in his second childhood, at the other!”
In this ground was buried General Sir William Fawcett, K.B., Governor of the Hospital, who died in 1804, aged 76. His remains were attended to the grave by the Prince of Wales, the Dukes of York, Clarence, Kent, and Cambridge, and by several noblemen and general officers.
Although Dr. Monsey was not buried here, yet, as he died in the Hospital, we must not omit to notice so remarkable a character. Sir Robert Walpole assiduously cultivated his acquaintance, and the celebrated Earl of Chesterfield acknowledged with gratitude the benefits he had derived from his medical assistance.
The character of Dr. Monsey, in point of natural humour, is thought to have borne a near resemblance to that of Dean Swift. His classical abilities were indeed enviable, and his memory wonderfully retentive; insomuch that he was allowed to be a storehouse of anecdote. The exuberance of his wit, which, like the web of life, was of a mingled yarn, often rendered his conversation exceedingly entertaining, sometimes rather offensive, and at other times pointedly pathetic and instructive. Sir Robert Walpole knew and valued the worth of his “Norfolk Doctor,” as he called him; but though he knew it, he neglected it. The Prime Minister was very fond of billiards, at which his friend very much excelled him. “How happens it,” said Sir Robert, in a social hour, “that nobody will beat me at billiards, or contradict me, but Dr. Monsey?” “They get places,” said the Doctor, “I get a dinner and praise.”
The following anecdote is very characteristic of the Doctor’s turn of temper, and is said to be well attested. He lived so long in his office as physician to Chelsea Hospital, that, during many changes of Administration, the reversion of his place had been successively promised to several medical friends of the Paymaster-General of the Forces. Looking out of his window one day, and observing a gentleman below, examining the hospital and gardens, who he knew had secured the reversion of his place, the Doctor came down stairs, and going out to him, accosted him thus:—“Well, sir, I see you are examining your house and garden, that ARE TO BE, and I will assure you they are both very pleasant and very convenient. But I must tell you one circumstance—you are the fifth man that has had the reversion of the place, and I have buried them all. And what is more,” continued he, looking very scientifically at him, “there is something in your face that tells me I shall bury you too!” The event justified the prediction, for the gentleman died some years after; and, what is still more extraordinary, at the time of the Doctor’s death there was not a person who seems to have even solicited the promise of a reversion. He died in 1788, aged 94.
On a table monument is an inscription to the memory of John Wilson, Esq., Deputy Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital, and Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Volunteers. He died of apoplexy in 1812, aged 56. The monument was erected by the officers of his regiment, as a token of their esteem.
Benjamin Moseley, M.D., thirty years physician to the hospital, was buried here in 1819, aged 73.
General Sir David Dundas, Governor of Chelsea Hospital, was buried here in 1820. His funeral was attended by the Duke of York, accompanied by his Staff.
Burial of a Female Dragoon.—Christiana Davis died at Chelsea in 1739. For several years she served as a dragoon, undiscovered, in the Royal Irish Enniskillen Regiment; but receiving a wound in her body she was then discovered, though her comrades had not the least suspicion of her being a woman. She behaved with great valour afterwards in Flanders, and was very useful in a battle to supply the soldiers with water and other necessaries, even to the mouth of a cannon. She had an allowance of one shilling per day, which she received till her death. She was interred, according to her desire, amongst the old pensioners, and three vollies were fired over her grave.
Hannah Snell was also buried in this ground by her own desire. She enlisted, in 1745, in Guise’s Regiment of Foot, in which she served for some time, but deserted and enlisted in the Marines. She was severely wounded, and, on her recovery, sent to England. Her heroic conduct procured for her an annual pension of £30 for life. She also procured a pension from Chelsea Hospital, and after her discharge continued to wear her uniform. At length this poor creature became insane, and was placed in Bethlehem Hospital, where she died.
Charles Burney, Mus.D., author of the History of Music, &c., was buried here in 1814, aged 88; he was organist at Chelsea Hospital, and father of Madame D’Arblay, the authoress of Evelina, Cecilia, and Camilla. She was also for many years the organist.
Many a distinguished officer and old veteran have been interred in this ground. Amongst the pensioners some have lived to a great age. Thomas Asbey, buried in 1737, aged 112.—John Rogers, 1764, aged 103.—Robert Cumming, 1767, aged 116.—Peter Dowling, 1768, aged 102.—Peter Burnet, 1773, aged 107.—Joshua Cueman, 1794, it is stated, aged 123.—Richard Swifield, 1805, aged 105.—Abraham Moss, 1805, aged 106.—John Wolf, 1821, aged 107.—John Salter, 1827, aged 104. I have frequently conversed with the latter centenarian. In his youth he must have been a fine-built man, standing upwards of six feet high. He might often be seen, even within a short time of his death, sweeping away the autumn leaves in the walks of the hospital grounds, as a matter of choice. Such a circumstance suggests many serious reflections, which I leave to the reader to supply. There is also said to be an inmate at the present time, aged 106.