Dr. Joseph Willcocks.—Two angels holding a scroll, mitre, collegiate cap, &c., bas-relief, exterior view of Westminster Abbey. On each side are two beautiful figures of Faith and Hope. This Rev. Prelate was Chaplain to the British Factory at Lisbon, afterwards Preceptor to the Princess, and Prebendary of this Church; in 1721, consecrated Lord Bishop of Gloucester; in 1721, translated to Rochester, also made Dean of this Church, and of the most Honourable Order of the Bath. He died March 9, 1756, aged eighty-three, and is buried in a vault in the Ecclesiastical Court, with his wife Jane, daughter of John Milner, Esq., Consul at Lisbon. She died March 27, 1725, aged twenty-eight; with Ann, their daughter, who died in her infancy.—Cheere, sculptor.
Above is a curious monument, sacred to the memory of Richard Tyrrell, Esq., who was descended from an ancient family of Ireland, and died Rear-Admiral of the White, 26th June, 1766. Devoted from his youth to the naval service of his country, and being formed under the discipline, and animated by the example of his renowned uncle, Sir Peter Warren, he distinguished himself as an able and experienced officer in many gallant actions, particularly on the 20th of November, 1758, when commanding the Buckingham, of sixty-six guns, and one hundred and seventy-five men, he attacked and defeated three French ships of war; one of them was the Florin, of seventy-four guns, and seven hundred men; but the Buckingham being too much disabled to take possession of her, after she had struck, the enemy, under cover of the night, escaped; during the action he received several wounds, and lost three fingers of his right hand. Dying on his return to England from the Leeward Islands, where he had for three years commanded a squadron of his Majesty’s ships, his body was, by his own desire, committed to the sea, with the proper honours and ceremonies. On a piece of rock—“The sea shall give up her dead, and every one shall be rewarded according to his works.” The figures History, Navigation, and Hibernia, are well cut; they are represented among the rocks, with the sea above their heads, the Admiral himself ascending amidst heavy clouds.—Nathaniel Read, sculptor.
On a pedestal stands the bust of Dr. Zachary Pearce. The features bear a striking resemblance to those of the original. On each side are the ensigns of his prelatical dignities; and underneath is a Latin inscription, of which the following is a translation:—“Sacred to the memory of the most Reverend Zachary Pearce, S.T.P., Bishop of Rochester, Dean of this Church, and of the most Honourable Order of the Bath. The seeds of learning, which were early sown at Westminster School, he cultivated to maturity at Cambridge: how rich the produce, both as a critic and divine, his works, already printed and published, will abundantly show. At length, growing fond of retirement, and earnestly desirous of leisure for elucidating the Scriptures, he resigned the Deanery of Westminster, as he wished to have done that of his Bishoprick, could it have been permitted. Having lived to finish what was the wish of his heart,—his Commentary on the Holy Evangelists and the Acts of the Apostles,—he rested from his labours, June 29, 1774, aged eighty-four.”—Tyler, sculptor.
“In memory of the Very Rev. William Buckland, D.D., F.R.S., Dean of Westminster, and of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, formerly Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, Trustee of the British Museum, First Professor of Geology and Mineralogy in the University of Oxford; founder of the Museum of Geology, which he bequeathed to that University. Endued with superior intellect, he applied the powers of his mind to the honour and glory of God, the advancement of science, and the welfare of mankind. Born March 12, 1784; died August 14, 1856, aged seventy-two. ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom, out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.’—Prov. xi. ver. 6. Erected by his children.”—H. Weekes, A.R.A., sculptor, 1859.
The next is a bust, highly finished, and emblems of sacred offices. The Latin inscription is to the following purport:—“Sacred to the memory of the Reverend John Thomas, LL.D., Bishop of Rochester, Dean of this Collegiate Church, and of the most Honourable Order of the Bath. Having passed through the school at Carlisle with reputation, he proceeded to Oxford, to gather a more abundant harvest of knowledge, where he became both the ornament and patron of genius, good morals, and of polite, as well as of profound learning. With increasing fame everywhere spreading itself, he did honour to dignities by his merit, improved riches by bestowing them, presided over the Church with wisdom, defended it by his authority, regulated it by his example; ever active in duties, and unwearied in attentions, added to the strictest economy; till, after a well-spent life, himself exhausted, but not his patience, by a long and painful illness, he resigned his soul to God, August 20, 1793, aged eighty-one years. His nephew, G.A.T., A.M., to whose lot it fell to perform it, offers this unavailing tribute, as a testimony, though small, of Duty and Affection.”—Bust by Nollekens.
Katharine Bovey.—The principal figures here are Faith, with her book closed, and Wisdom, lamenting the death of her patroness; between which is a lady’s head in an amulet of black marble, curiously veined. Over it is an English inscription, giving a character of the deceased, who died January 21, 1727, in the fifty-seventh year of her age. Mrs. Mary Pope, who lived with her near forty years in perfect friendship, erected this monument to her memory.—Gibbs, sculptor.
Lord Viscount Howe.—The emblematic representation on this monument is a figure of the Genius of the Province of Massachuset’s Bay, in a mournful posture, lamenting the fall of this hero, and the family arms, ornamented with military trophies. Beneath is the following inscription, in large characters:—“The Province of Massachuset’s Bay, in New England, by an order of the Great and General Court, bearing date February 1, 1759, caused this monument to be erected to the memory of George, Lord Viscount Howe, Brigadier-General of his Majesty’s Forces in North America, who was slain, July 6, 1758, on the march of Ticonderoga, in the thirty-fourth year of his age; in testimony of the sense they had of his services and military virtues, and of the affection their officers and soldiers bore to his command.” He lived respected and beloved: the public regretted his loss: to his family it is irreparable.
Beneath is a bust to the memory of John Ireland, D.D.—The Latin inscription sets forth, that he was a native of Ashburton, Devon. Having pursued his studies at Oriel College, in the University of Oxford, he was, in 1802, enrolled amongst the Prebendaries of this Church; and afterwards, in 1816, raised to the Deanery of the same. Deeply sensible of the benefits that were divinely showered upon him in early life, he sought in after years to prove that he was not unmindful of them. Whilst still among the living, he annually gave liberal prizes for the encouragement of youthful studies, both at Oxford and in the Royal School at Westminster. He also, by his last will, bequeathed a munificent pecuniary legacy, partly to endow a Professorship of Theology at Oxford, partly towards the support of needy students of Oriel College, and partly that some assistance might be furnished for rightly educating his townsmen of Ashburton. He died September 2, 1842, aged eighty.—Turnouth, sculptor.
A neat tablet erected to the memory of Dr. Robert Cannon, Dean of Lincoln, and Prebendary of this Church, who died March 28, 1722, aged fifty-nine.
Over the West Cloisters door is a most stately monument to the memory of General George Wade. In the centre is a beautiful marble pillar, enriched with military trophies highly finished. The principal figures represent Fame preventing Time from defacing his military honours. The whole is finely executed, and cannot be too much admired. The General’s head is in a medallion; and the inscription runs thus:—“To the memory of George Wade, Field Marshal of his Majesty’s Forces, Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance, Colonel of his Majesty’s Third Regiment of Dragoon Guards, Governor of Fort William, Fort Augustus, and Fort George, and one of his Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council. He died March 14, 1748, aged seventy-five.”—Roubiliac, sculptor.