Anne Stanhope's monument, Shelford church.
On the right of this slab, stands an alabaster monument to the wife of Sir Michael Stanhope. A recumbent figure, the face and hands of which are now much mutilated, lies on the top. Her eight elder children are shewn in relief on the side, and at one end we have the figures swathed in grave clothes, of the three youngest who died as infants. At the other end are the coats of arms as follows:—
On a lozenge Stanhope, quarterly ermine and gules ; a shield bearing quarterly; (1) Stanhope (2) Vert, three greyhounds courant, or, Mallovel, (3) Sable, a bend between six crosses crosslet, argent, Longvillers, (4) argent, three saltires engrailed sable, impaling gules, a four-square castle in perspective with as many towers and cupolas, viz., one at each angle, argent, standing in water, Rawson; and a lozenge bearing Rawson. The inscription round the edge of the monument runs thus:— "Here lyeth the bodie of the ladie Anne Stanhope wydowe daughter to [Nicholas] Rawson of Aveley in the Countie of Essex Esquire late wyfe to Sir Michaell Stanhope knight which ladie Ann deceased the xx of Februari 1587 VIVIT POST PUNERA VIRTVS."
Near to this, and on the floor, is a flat incised stone, on which the inscription is now for the most part illegible; but it is given by Dr. Thoroton as follows:—"Here lieth Beatrix Rauston, widowe, daughter of Sir Philip Cooke, Knight, of Essex, who departed 14 January, 1554. She was Mother of the Lady Stanhope."
On the south wall is a black tablet, on which the arms are now so defaced as to be illegible.
"Expecting a glorious Resurrection.
Nere to this place resteth ye body of KATHERINE,
one of ye daughters of FRANCIS Lord HASTINGS eldest
sonne to GEORGE Earle of HVNTINGDON, first wife to
PHILIP Lord STANHOPE of SHELFORD & Earle of
CHESTERFEILD
which KATHERINE
departed this life ye xxviii day of August A° 1636
leaving issue eleven sonns, vLz JOHN (who dyed wthout
issue & lyeth here interred) HENRY, THOMAS EDWARD,
CHARLES; FRANCIS & FERDINANDO, (both also
interred in this place) MICHAEL; PHILIP (here likewise
buried) GEORGE & ARTHVR: & two daughters,
VLZ SARAH & ELIZABETH which HENRY, taking to wife KATHERINE,
daughter & coheire
of THOMAS, Lord WOTTON of BOCTON in KENT, had issue
by her two sonnes; vLz WOTTON who dyed young &
PHILIP now Earle of CHESTERFEILD & two daughters MARY & ELIZABETH."
"This small Monument is dedicated to ye memory of his deare Mother
by ARTHVR STANHOPE her youngest sonn, (who hath done ye like
in ye Church of ST GILES in ye suburbs of LONDON for
his Deare father)
which ARTHVR having wedded ANNE
one of ye daughters of SR HENRY SALISBVRY of LAWENNY
in ye county of DENBIGH KT& baronet, by ELIZABETH his
Wife, daughter to SR IOHN VAVGHAN of GOLDEN GROVE in ye
County of CAERMARTHIN Kt hath had issue three sonnes & one
daughter; vLz PHILIP & HENRY, who both dyed younge;
CHARLES & KATHERINE now living."
On the floor below the last lies a black slate bearing the arms of Stanhope and the motto, "A Rege et Deo." The inscription, in italics, runs thus :—
"Here lies (in Hopes of a Joyful
Resurrection) the Body of the Honble
Charles Stanhope of Mansfield son
of the Honble Arthur Stanhope who was
the son of the Rt Honble Philip Earl of
Chesterfield: He Departed this Life
the sixth of March 1711-12.
No Epitaph need make the Just Man Fam'd
The Good are Praised when they are only Named."
On the east wall of this south aisle there is a tablet to the memory of Mrs. Elizabeth Ellis, surmounted presumably by her bust in white marble. The sculptor was Joseph Nollekens, of London, who died in 1812, at the age of seventy-five. It is a beautiful example of his work. The inscription of the tablet reads as follows:—
"To the Memory of Mrs. ELIZABETH ELLIS, only Daughter of the Hon.
Sir Wm. Stanhope Knight of the Bath (next Brother to PHILIP DORMER Earl
of Chesterfield) by Mrs. Elizabeth Rudge. Married to the Rt Hon. WELBORE
ELLIS Esq, November 1747
Died August 1761; leaving no Children; and lies buried in this Church.
With wit well-natured, learned, yet not vain,
Devout yet cheerful, and resigned in Pain;
With polish'd Manners, and a Taste refin'd,
With female Softness, but a manly Mind;
Such my ELIZA was: and shall no verse,
Record these Virtues, or adorn her Hearse?
Forbid it Justice, Gratitude, and Shame,
He who best knew, attests them with his Name.
WELBORE ELLIS
her most affectionate Husband
who caused this Tablet
to be erected."
At the foot of the tablet to Sir Michael Stanhope and lying on the floor are two large flat stones evidently from the same quarry, and cemented together as one. They bear the following inscriptions:—
"Near this Stone
Lie the Remains of Arthur Charles Stanhope Esqr of Mansfield in this County,
who died 27th of February 1770, aged 55 Years. Also the Remains of two of
his Wives, Mary his first Wife the
Daughter
of Sr Andrew Thornhagh Esqr of Osberton in this County. And Margaret
his second Wife Daughter of Charles Headlam
Esqr
of Kexby in the County of York. And likewise the Remains of Sir Thomas Stanhope
Knt a Post
Captain of His Majesty's Royal Navy and a Colonel of His Majesty's
Marine Forces. He died a Batchelor in London March 7th 1770
aged 53 Years. Also the Remains of Lovel Stanhope Esqr who died a
Batchelor in
London October 3d 1783. aged 62 Years.
Ferdinand Stanhope Esqr Brother to the above named died at Beverley in the
County of York February 11th 1790. Aged 71
Years. And is Buried with his Wife in a Vault in the Church Yard of
the Minster at Beverley.
John Stanhope, Esqr Rear Admiral of the Blue; Eldest Son of Ferdinand Stanhope Esqr died at Salisbury the 1st December 1800, aged 56 Years; and was buried in the Parish Church of St. Thomas in that City."
Above the other tablets, on the south wall of the aisle, there is a fine mural monument, executed by Chantrey in 1825, to the memory of the Lady Georgiana West. The figure is in a kneeling posture; the arms are folded over the breast, and the hands cover the face of the drooping head. The inscription is in capitals, and with the name of the deceased in larger capitals. It reads as follows:—
"Near this Place
in the vault of her family are deposited the remains of the LADY GEORGIANA
WEST,
second and youngest daughter of Philip the fifth Earl of Chesterfield, and
Henrietta his wife:
She was born on the fifteenth of February 1802 ; was married to Frederick Richard
West Esqr on the
fourteenth of November 1820, died on the fourteenth of August 1824.
For the happiness of all who knew her
in the affectionate duties of social and domestic life,
and in the unassuming exercise of the most endearing virtues,
she was too soon removed from a world
in which she appeared an ornament and example.
For her own immortal happiness even this short space was sufficient;
through a stedfast course of unaffected piety she walked with her Redeemer;
therefore death was without sting, and the grave without victory.
To record such excellence and to imitate such virtue is at once
the consolation and the hope of her most afflicted husband.
Quite in the corner, on the south wall and above the feet of the large alabaster monument, a large brass has been erected by the fourth Earl of Carnarvon to the memory of his wife, Evelyn, the only daughter of the sixth Earl of Chesterfield by Anne, the eldest daughter of Cecil, first Lord Forester. The brass is also erected to the memory of himself and other members of the Stanhope family. The arms of the fourth Earl are placed at the top of the brass, and read thus :
per pale azure and gules, three lions rampant argent, impaling Stanhope. The following is the inscription, which is in Latin:
In Gloriam Dei
M. S. Evelinae Comitissae de Carnarvon
Cui Cum pro Pietate, officio, Desiderio, Amore
hanc Ædem situ squalentem
Vetustate et Incuria deformatam
perficiendam et exornandam impensius curabat
Mors immatura supervenit.
Inchoatum necdum omnibus suis Numeris
absolutum Opus
Pro conjunctissimis et amantissimis In perpetuum consiliis
Ad Finem perduxit
Henricus Conjux Comes de Carnarvon
Superstes, expectans, memor
MDCCCLXXVII.
Intra Ædem
M. Stanhope, Miles
In Bello Civili pro Rege interemptus
Philippus Comes de Chesterfield Orator, Scriptor Elegantiarum,1 doctus,
Hiberniae Proconsul
Aliique de nobilissima Stanopiorum
gente oriundi
Sepulti jacent
Colonel Michael Stanhope, who is referred to as miles, in bello civili pro rege interemptus, was slain in 1648 at the fight of Willoughby Field. His body was buried in the north aisle of Willoughby Church, as is recorded on a small brass plate fixed there in a large floor-stone. Tradition says, that the armour now hung in the north-east corner of this south aisle in Shelford Church, belonged to the young soldier, and was brought hither from the field of battle. The helmet bears the crest of Stanhope, and there is also a pair of gauntlets. The battered banner, also in this aisle, bears the arms of Stanhope impaling Thistlewaite and Thynne, and is said to have been placed in the chancel in 1815, when the fifth Earl of Chesterfield was buried here. The two hatchment shields, now in the east window of this south aisle, are mentioned in Mr. Stretton's notes, as being in his time, on the ceiling of the chancel.
The two hatchment shields, now in the east window of this south aisle, are mentioned in Mr. Stretton's notes, as being in his time, on the ceiling of the chancel.
Over the south-west door is the following inscription, all in capitals, on a small lozenge-shaped tablet of marble:—
SACRED
TO THE MEMORY OF WILLIAM HOOTON DEVERILL
LATE OF NEWTON
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
DEC. XXVIITH MDCCCXXIII
AGED XLVII YEARS.
ALSO IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM HASSALL DEVERILL
SON OF THE ABOVE
WHO DIED OCT VIII MDCCCXX AGED II AND X MONTHS.
On the west wall of the south aisle there is a slate tablet inscribed thus:—
This Stone is erected to the memory of the
REV GABRIEL WAYNE,
many years minister of this Parish, and of Mary, his wife ; He departed
this Life on the 1st of Septr 1771, aged 73 years ; She on
the 18th December, 1785; aged 78 years.
| Also | ||||||
| of GILBERT, SARAH, & ELIZABETH their Son and Daughters ; | ||||||
| GILBERT | May 2d 1805. | 63 | ||||
| SARAH | DIED | Jan 22d 1818 | AGED | 68 | YEARS. | |
| ELIZABETH | Dec 22d 1820 | 75 | ||||
| They are all interred near this Stone. | ||||||
"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord."
[Wood.]
Returning to the chancel, we will now give some details respecting the stained-glass windows. The east window consists of three lights, the central one representing the Crucifixion; the one to the left of the spectator, representing S. Peter, and the one to the right, S. Paul. The labels, in black letter, are respectively "S'tus Petrus princeps aposto-lorum," and "Sanctus Paulus vas electionis." Each apostle holds an open book in his hand, and the readings are respectively as follows:—
| Qui peccata nostra | in corpore suo |
| ipse pertulit | super lignum |
| Charitas | urget |
| Christi | nos |
Both labels and readings are in black letter type; and at the foot of the south light, leaded in the glass itself, is the following inscription in a somewhat different and freer type:—
To the glory of God and in loving
memory of Blanche Morse, who fell asleep
October 19th 1893, this window
is erected by her husband Edward
St. John Morse 1897.
Beginning from the east end, we have on the south side of the chancel—
(1) A window representing S. John. The label is Sanctus Johannes evangelista; the reading "In principle erat verbum;" and the memorial inscription reads thus:—
"To the glory of God, in / loving memory of John and / Catherine Beet, this window / is erected by their sister, / Eliza Ellen Ellis 1897 /
------ Jesu Mercy." ------
A dove stands on the label, which hangs over the left wrist of S. John.
(2) A window representing S. Luke and placed over the north door in the chancel. The label is Sanctus Lucas evangelista; the reading—
| Missus | |
| est | Gabr- |
| Ange--lus | iel a Deo. |
and the inscription, below a second label, "S. Lucas," reads thus:—
To the glory of God, and in pious
memory of Henry Ellis and Jane
his wife,
their eldest son, Henry Ellis dedicated this window A.D. 1899.
Make to be numbered with Thy Saints in glory everlasting.
(3) A window representing S. Mark, the label of which is S. Marcu Evan: and the reading—
| Vox | tis |
| cla- | I de- |
| man- | serto |
Below another label, S. Marcu, and the representation of a winged lion, the following appears on brass:—
To the Glory of God in memory of Queen Victoria 1901.
(4) A fourth window, at present, contains white glass only. The altar-cross is of brass, and bears the following inscription:—
To the glory of God
in memory of
Blanche Morse
Feast Sunday 1895.
The present pulpit and chapel screen were made of oak taken from the old roof, and were the work of Mr. Harry Hems in 1878. The west screen in the tower arch has been put in since by the present vicar, Mr. Morse.
The lectern is an eagle-lectern, of oak, and it bears near the floor the inscription:—" This lectern was placed in the Church of S. Peter and S. Paul, Shelford, by Christopher and Frances Rodwell. Christmas Day 1880."
Christopher Rodwell was formerly vicar of Shelford.
An old printed table of Degrees of Marriage, now hanging on the south wall under the tower, may perhaps be worth notice. At its foot is the following in one long line:—
LONDON, Printed for J. DOWNING, in Bartholomew Close; and R. GOSLING at the Middle-Temple Gate, in Fleet Street MDCCXXVII.
The following notes on the Stanhope family may be of use.
Sir Edward Stanhope, the father of Sir Michael Stanhope, was one of the leaders of the army that beat Simnel's adherents, at Stoke, in 1487. Ten years later, he fought also against the Cornish rebels, at Blackheath. By his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Fulco Bourchier, Lord Fitz-Waren, he was father of Anne, Duchess of Somerset, the wife of Protector Somerset. He died in 1511, leaving two sons by his first wife, Adelina, daughter of Sir Gervase Clifton, of Clifton, Notts., viz.:—
(1) Richard Stanhope, of Rampton, who died without male issue, the 21st January, 1528-9.
(2) Michael Stanhope, who succeeded to the family estates on the decease of his brother, and was placed on the Commission of Peace for Notts, in 1537. On the dissolution of the monasteries, he was granted Shelford priory, rectory, and manor; and also the priory of Lenton. Soon after the accession of Edward VI. he was knighted, appointed chief gentleman of the privy chamber, and deputy to his brother-in-law, the Protector Somerset, in the guardianship of the king. Other public appointments followed, but all these were lost on the Protector's fall. On the 16th of October, 1551, Somerset was arrested, and on the following day, Sir Michael Stanhope and other adherents were sent to the Tower, on a charge of conspiring against the life of Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland. Finally, Sir Michael was tried on a charge of felony, condemned and sentenced to be hanged, and on the commutation of this sentence, he was beheaded on Tower Hill, stoutly maintaining his innocence. There is an anonymous three-quarter length portrait of him in the possession of Mr. Sewallis Evelyn Shirley.
Stanhope's widow, Anne, the daughter of Nicholas Rawson, of Aveley-Bellhouse, Essex, was allowed to retain the priory of Shelford, during her life. She died on the 20th of February, 1587-8, and was buried in Shelford Church. She left among other issue:—
(1) Sir Thomas Stanhope, who died at Stoke on the 3rd August, 1596, and from whom the later peers of the Stanhope family are descended. He was the father of Sir John Stanhope (1560-1611), who was the father of Philip Stanhope, first Earl of Chesterfield. Sir Thomas was interred in Shelford Church on the 26th September, 1596, his funeral being marshalled by Clarencieux King at Arms.
(2) John Stanhope, first Baron Stanhope, of Harrington, born about 1545, was the third son of Sir Michael. His father's attainder in 1552 did not affect his estates. He was brought up at Shelford, and on entering public life, was thrice returned to Parliament, for Marlborough, Truro, and Rochester respectively. He died on the 9th March, 1620-1. It may be well to note, that in Foster's Alumni Oxonienses, he is confused with John, the father of Philip, first Earl of Chesterfield. He married (1) Joan, daughter of Wm. Knollys, by whom he had no issue; (2) Margaret, daughter of Henry MacWilliams, by whom he had one son, who succeeded as second baron, but died without issue in 1675, when the title became extinct. He had also two daughters:—(1) Elizabeth, who married Sir Lionel Talmash, ancestor of the Earls of Dysart; and (2) Catherine, who married Robert, Viscount Cholmondeley, afterwards Earl of Leinster.
(3) Edward Stanhope (the elder), who in Parliament represented successively Notts, and Yorkshire. He was also a surveyor of the Duchy of Lancaster, treasurer of Gray's Inn, recorder of Doncaster, and a member of the Council of the North. He died in 1603 and was buried at Kirkby Warffe. Strype confuses him with his younger brother, also named Edward.
(4) Sir Edward Stanhope (the younger) was successively, from 1560 to 1569, scholar, minor fellow, and major fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. In the year 1600 he received, together with his younger brother, Michael, a grant from the Crown of the Manor of Hucknall Torkard. In 1603 he was knighted at Whitehall. He died on the 16th March, 1607-8, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, near the great north door. His epitaph was drawn up by William Camden, the antiquary.
(5) From a daughter, Jane, who married Roger Townshend, were descended the Viscounts Townshend.