In memory of her only and beloved daughter,
Sarah Kelsick,
Wife of Mr. John Kelsick, merchant in Antigua,
Who died on 20th day of March, 1785,
In the 19th year of her age.
This monument was erected by her disconsolate mother,
Sarah Eccleston,
Wife of Isaac Eccleston, Esq.,
1792.
From the parent, the husband, the friend,
Her social and amiable virtues
Claim the tribute of affliction,
And though early cut off,
She must ever live in the memory of those
Who had the happiness of her acquaintance.
Vivit post funera virtus.
The next is an elaborate and splendid monument, erected by the country to the memory of Ralph Lord Lavington; and however peculiar the taste which dictated the design, the execution, at least, possesses merit. The top figure represents his lordship in a sitting posture, habited in the old court dress, and his plumed hat lying at his feet. The inscription is traced upon a light grey marble, hollowed out so as to allow of the insertion of a small sarcophagus, bearing his coat of arms, with a beautifully-executed branch of oak-leaves thrown across it.
Two female figures recline on each side; the one on the left hand, representing Astrea with her scales by her side, and the hilt of the sword of justice, very minutely and beautifully sculptured, protruding from behind the sarcophagus; her finely-formed and classic face is up-turned towards the old lord. In the other figure we behold the genius of the island, mourning for the loss of a favourite governor. She holds in her right hand a scroll, upon which is inscribed—“Resolved, that a monument be erected to his memory,” while with her left hand she shades her features as if in deep grief. At the feet of these figures rolls the sea, the waves, surmounted with their foam, very well executed. This costly monument bears the following inscription:—
Sacred
To the memory of
Ralph Payne Lord Lavington,
Of the kingdom of Ireland,
One of His Majesty’s most honourable Privy Council,
Knight of the most honourable Order of the Bath,
and Captain-general, and Commander-in-chief of
The Leeward Islands.
Upon the base of the monument is the following brief biographical inscription:—
“He was born in the Island of St. Christopher’s, of an English family, distinguished for its loyalty and public spirit. His education he received in England, and it prepared him for the distinctions which awaited his return to his native isle, when he was elected a member of the House of Assembly, and on its first meeting unanimously called to the chair of the House, in which high situation he gave an early display of those superior talents and eminent qualifications which afterwards secured him the confidence of his king, and the esteem of his country. On his return to England in 1762, he was elected a member of the House of Commons for the borough of Plympton, Devonshire; and from his perfect knowledge of colonial affairs, he was appointed in 1771—a period of national interest—to be captain-general and commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands, at which time he was also invested with the most honourable Order of the Bath. He remained in the exercise of his government until 1774, when he returned to England, and was appointed a member of the Board of Green Cloth. During the period of his residence in England, he sat in five parliaments, and in 1795, his Majesty was graciously pleased to raise him to the dignity of a peer in Ireland, by the style and title of Baron Lavington of Lavington. In 1799, he was sworn one of his Majesty’s most honourable Privy Council, and again appointed to the chief command of the Leeward Islands, in the wise and able administration of which important trust he passed his latter years
And closed his venerable life.
This nobleman
Was revered for his public qualities,
As he was beloved for his private virtues.
He blended the dignity of his high office with the affability of his disposition and the gracefulness of his manners,
And at once commanded the respect, and conciliated the affections of all ranks of people
Within the circle of his government
As a sincere and lasting testimony of their veneration and regret,
The Legislature of Antigua
Have erected this monument
He died at the Government House of this Island, on the 3rd day of Aug. 1807, aged 68; and was interred at his own estate, called Carlisles.”
The whole of this very handsome monument is enclosed in an arch of plain black marble. I should have mentioned that the ornamental parts of this tomb are all in pure white marble.
The remaining monument is erected to the memory of Mrs. Musgrave, who was unfortunately thrown out of her carriage (the horse becoming restive and breaking the shafts) and killed upon the spot. This unhappy catastrophe occurred in one of the streets of St. John’s, and a representation of the event, absurd as it may seem, is sculptured upon the monument (which is of white marble) in basso-relievo. In the background is the animal, apparently of the cart-horse breed, scampering away with the broken shafts and traces hanging around him; in the foreground, is the figure of a man, kneeling and supporting in his arms a female, whose listless posture portrays the dire event. The face of the female is well executed, the features expressing acute suffering, while they tell the hand of death is upon them; but the figure is execrable in its proportions, the hand and arm being quite as large as the leg and foot of the man, if not larger. The inscription is as follows:—
“No warning given! unceremonious fate!
A sudden rush from life’s meridian joys!
A wrench from all she loved.”[[74]]
Sacred to the memory
of
Eliza Musgrave,
Wife of William Musgrave, Esq.,
Of the Inner Temple, barrister-at-law.
She departed this life
On the morning of the 12th Feb., 1815,
Aged 24 years,
Beloved and lamented by all who knew her.
Her God she reverenced;
Towards her neighbours she never wilfully offended;
To her husband she was everything
His fondest wishes could picture or embrace.
He idolized her while she lived,
And his respect for her exalted worth
Survives beyond the grave.
The remembrance of her many virtues
Remains indelibly inscribed
In his dejected bosom.