8th January 1848 SA

Funeral of THE LATE EARL OF HARROWBY

This mournful solemnity took place on Saturday last, when the venerated remains of the much-respected and lamented Earl were deposited by the side of his Countess, in the family vault at Sandon, which only on that day fortnight had received the remains of his lordship’s granddaughter, Miss Charlotte Ryder, whose sad and early death we then recorded. It was the wish of his lordship’s family, in conformity with his own well-known feelings on the subject, that the funeral should be as private as possible, and consequently none of his noble neighbours, who would have gladly thus testified their respect for his memory, were invited to be present on the occasion. The mournful ceremony was, however, in every respect, such as became the station of the deceased Earl.

The funeral cortege, which left the hall soon after one o’clock, was met on its way through the park by a procession of the whole parish, consisting of the wives and families of the principal tenants, the labourers and their wives and families, and 120 school children,—amounting to about 400 persons, all in deep mourning, presented to them by the present Earl, who filed on each side as the funeral passed, and then fell in after the procession, and followed in deep and mournful silence.

The spectacle, as the procession slowly wended its way through the park, was mournfully striking,—the snow-clad landscape of the undulating grounds of the domain contrasting powerfully with the long and sable funereal train, and producing in the mind a feeling of solemnity which accorded well with the occasion. A short distance from the church the procession was met by the clergy, and it then advanced in the following order:—

Two Mutes.

The Rev. E. Harland, The Rev. W.E. Coldwell,

Curate of Sandon.                                      Vicar of Sandon.

William Bowker, Esq., Solicitor,                    John Masfen, Esq., Surgeon

of London.                                                of Stafford.

John Cruso, Esq.,                                       The Rev. Thomas Coldwell,

of Leek.                                                    Vicar of Abthorpe.

Mr. H. Webb.                                             Mr. Webb.

Mr. Bentley.                                              Mr. Thomas.

Mr. Lawton.                                               Mr. Till.

Fourteen Tenants

two and two.

PALL-BEARERS—TENANTS.

Mr. Whitehurst.                                          Mr. Smith.

Mr. W. Leese                                             Mr. Pilsbury.

Mr. Tomlinson.                                           Mr. Perkis, sen.

HEARSE,

Containing

         Four                                       The Body                       Four

         Under                                                                         Under

         Bearers.                                                                      Bearers.

MOURNERS,

In Mourning Coaches and Carriages.

Lady Frances Sandon.

Lord Sandon.

Lady Mary Saurin.

Captain Saurin.

Lady Harriet Harvey.

The Rev. Lord Charles Harvey.

The Hon. Frederick Ryder. The Hon. Granville Dudley

The Hon. Miss Ryder. Ryder.

The Right Hon. Sir George Grey. The Hon. Henry Ryder.

The Hon. Dudley Fortescue. Lord Ebrington.

Mr. Dudley Saurin. The Hon. John Fortescue.

Thomas Ryder, Esq. Mr. Granville Saurin.

William Ryder, Esq.

Mr. Gallois, the late Earl’s valet.

UPPER SERVANTS.

Mrs. Tarbox. Mr. Bickley.

Mrs. Archer. Mr. Cargay.

Mrs. Brown. Mr. Webb.

Mrs. Day. Mr. Morrison

Mrs. Charber. Mr. Jowett.

The Late Earl’s Carriage,

Empty, and the blinds down.

Parishioners and their wives,

Labourers, with their wives,

Two and two.

SCHOOL CHILDREN,

Two and two.

From the church gates the coffin was borne by eight of his lordship’s oldest labourers, eight of the oldest tenants acting as pall-bearers. On reaching the church, it was of course some considerable time before so vast a train of mourners could enter the sacred edifice. This, however, was perhaps the most striking part of the whole ceremonial. Notwithstanding the greatness of the number, which ultimately crowded every part of the church, scarcely a footstep or sound was heard, whilst the moving mass was pouring in. All seemed entirely absorbed in one general sentiment of respect and sorrow; and the solemn and almost awful stillness with which so great a multitude entered and took their places, expressed more forcibly the genuine feelings of their hearts than any words could have done, and did more true honour to the dead than the most elaborate pageant could have rendered.

The service was most impressively read by the Rev. W. E. Coldwell, who was assisted by the Rev. E. Harland; and seldom has that sublime chapter in the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, which forms the most striking and appropriate feature in the Office for the Burial of the Dead, been heard to greater advantage, or produced an effect more powerful and solemn, than when read on this occasion by the vicar.

At the close of that part of the service which is read in the church, the body was removed to the vault, which is under the chancel, but approached from the exterior, and the remainder of the service was concluded; after which the mournful relatives returned to the hall, and the tenants and others passed slowly by, and took one lingering look at the last peaceful resting-place of him, whom in life all so much loved and honoured, and in death so deeply lamented.

It is due to Mr. James Webb, mercer, of Stafford, by whom the funeral was furnished, to state that his arrangements were most complete and satisfactory, and from beginning to end were conducted in a style which no metropolitan house could have excelled. The coffin, covered with black velvet, was most beautifully executed, and appropriately emblazoned. It was manufactured by Mr. Lawton, of Stafford.

In the course of the evening the following address, having been previously signed by every householder on the estate, was presented to the noble Earl, who has now succeeded to the honours of the family:—

“TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL OF HARROWBY.

My LORD,

We, your Lordship’s tenants and others, resident on the Sandon estate, beg leave to approach your Lordship with feelings of the deepest respect, and to assure you of our unfeigned sympathy and condolence on this mournful occasion.

We leave it to others to express those sentiments of grateful honour which are due from the country at large to the memory of your noble and lamented father, the late Earl of Harrowby, and to record his wisdom and disinterestedness as a statesman, his zeal and affection towards our beloved Church, and his ready and liberal support of every public charity and good work:—ours, my Lord, is a nearer loss, and a deeper grief.

In paying this just be inadequate tribute of affectionate respect to his memory, every other thought is absorbed in this painful reflection, that we shall see no more the face of one, who as a resident landlord in the midst of us, had taught us to look up to him with reverence and love, by the uniform example of every good and noble quality exhibited in his daily life—by his considerate attention to the wants and comforts of his tenants—by the munificence of his bounty on every proper occasion—by the constant flow of his charity to all the poor around him,—and above all, by the kindness of his heart, and the paternal tenderness of his manner, which gave to all the rest, a weight and a value, which our words cannot worthily express, but the grateful recollection of which will ever live in our memories.

It was our wish, my Lord, on this sad occasion, to put on mourning, as an outward expression of an inward sorrow, but we did not expect our unexpressed desire to be anticipated, as it has been, by your Lordship’s liberality. We beg to offer to you our grateful thanks, for those costly habits of mourning which you have so generously presented to us, and still more, for the more valuable expressions of your kind feeling with which you have been pleased to accompany them.

We trust it will not be considered unseasonable, if we take this opportunity of expressing our most sincere and respectful attachment towards your Lordship, and your excellent lady, and your amiable and promising family, with our earnest prayers, that God may grant you a long and happy life to enjoy the honours to which you have so worthily succeeded, and that when old age arrives at last, your declining years may be comforted by as dutiful a son, and as affectionate a family, as your venerated parent has been blessed with.

January 1, 1848.

To this address, his Lordship has replied in the following note to the Rev. E. Harland, by whom the address was forwarded to his Lordship.

Sandon, Jan. 4, 1848.

MY DEAR SIR,

It was impossible to read without emotion, the very kind and touching address, from the tenants and householders of Sandon, which you forwarded to me on the sad evening of my father’s funeral. It was too well in harmony with the scene which I had witnessed that morning, that numerous attendance of every class, and age, and sex, which, with no doubtful marks of sorrow, crowded the old familiar church and churchyard, to pay their last tribute of affectionate respect to a much loved and venerated friend.

Such expressions of feeling are peculiarly gratifying from those who had enjoyed such long and frequent opportunities of knowing and experiencing the high honour and considerate kindness which marked and governed his dealings with his fellow men. They add a sweetness even to the more solemn consolations which we are permitted to enjoy.

May I be enabled, imperfectly as it must be, in his steps.

May I, and my children around me and after me, be encouraged by such testimonies of affection to deserve those feelings of good will and kindness towards ourselves which the address expresses.

We thank you ALL most heartily for them.

They could not reach us more appropriately, or in a manner more grateful to us, than by the hands of one whose zealous and efficient services to the parish we, in common with my lamented father, have long so highly valued.

Believe me, my dear Sir,

Yours very truly,

HARROWBY.

To the Rev. Edw. Harland.

On Sunday morning, Divine service at Sandon Church was attended by the present Earl of Harrowby, the Countess of Harrowby, and indeed all the members of the family who had been present at the funeral on the preceding day: the mourner absent being the Right Hon. Sir George Grey, whose important duties, as Secretary of State, compelled him to leave Sandon as soon as the funeral was over. The scene at the church was again one of great solemnity. The pulpit was covered with black drapery, as also was the family pew, on which also the escutcheons of the deceased Earl were emblazoned. In the large congregation which had assembled, there was scarcely an individual who was not in deep mourning. After the usual morning service had been gone through, the Rev. W.E. Coldwell, vicar, preached a discourse suitable to the occasion from the 15th Chapter of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Corinthians, and the 19th verse: “And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” Of that sermon it is not too much to say that it was in every respect worthy of the distinguished individual in whose memory it was preached, and that it did credit to the intellect, the heart, and the well-known powerful pulpit talents of the rev. preacher. Those portions of that striking discourse in which reference was made to the deceased nobleman, were marked by great discrimination, judgment and force. A just and accurate portraiture was drawn of the character of the departed Earl, as an eminent statesman, an accomplished scholar, a good landlord, an active and zealous supporter of benevolent and religious objects and institutions, an affectionate father and friend, and a humble and enlightened Christian. Although in describing such a man there must have been a strong temptation to indulge in language extravagantly laudatory—because indeed such a character would almost justify any degree of eulogium,—yet the portraiture was not overdrawn; and it is not too much to say that, whilst a faithful, it was an admirable, production. The allusions to the last illness of the noble Earl were exceedingly delicate and touching, tho’ most consolatory and animating. It is not surprising that the family have obtained permission of the Vicar to print the sermon, for private circulation amongst the friends of the departed Earl. By the permissions of the family, the Rev. W.E. Coldwell preached the same discourse at St. Mary’s Church, Stafford, in the evening. The congregation was numerous, though not so large as it would have been but for the prevalence of influenza, which confined many of the regular attendants to their houses. Prayers were read by the Rev. Thomas Coldwell, and the sermon was delivered with an impressiveness and effect which gave weight to the important truths it contained, and added force to the delineations of character by which those truths were illustrated. At the conclusion of the service, the “Dead March in Saul” was most appropriately given by Mr. E. Shargool. That admired performance received full justice at the hands of the talented organist, and added much to the solemnity of the service.

We may not inappropriately add to the foregoing interesting record a resolution of the Visitors of the Staffordshire General Lunatic Asylum, passed at a general meeting, held on Wednesday last. There were present on the occasion, Earl Talbot, the Earl of Dartmouth, the Earl of Harrowby, Lord Hatherton, Lord Wrottesley, Viscount Ingestre, the Hon. E.R. Littleton, the Rev. W.E. Coldwell, the Rev. W. Webb, Edward Monckton, Esq., C.S. Forster, Esq., R.B. Levett, Esq., and Thomas Salt Esq. The resolution was proposed by Lord Hatherton, and it is scarcely necessary to add, was adopted unanimously, with a profound feeling of respect and veneration for the memory of the late lamented Earl of Harrowby. The follow [sic] is a copy of the resolution:—

“That the Visitors of this Asylum desire to record, in the most emphatic manner, their deep sense of the loss sustained by the institution, in the death of the late Right Honourable Dudley, Earl of Harrowby, who, ever since its foundation (a period of thirty years,) has held the office of President—who has given to its affairs his constant attention, and whose experience, judgment, and zeal, aided by the universal respect borne to him, have been mainly instrumental in securing its success and efficiency, and the high character it has maintained among the same class of institutions in this country.”

We noticed, in our last, the intimate friendship that subsisted between the late Earl of Harrowby and Mr. Pitt, and referred to the obelisk erected by his lordship in Sandon Park to the memory of that great statesman. The inscription on the pedestal of the obelisk being given from memory was incomplete. The following is a correct copy:—

GULIEMO PITT

Amico Amicus

Patri Patriae Civis

Dudleius de Harrowby merens posuit.

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