1 68 DAGENHAM BREACH. 



Evelyn, Dr. Ducarel, and Dr. Stukely ; and was in close com- 

 munication with the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries. 

 Whilst Dr. Stukely was secretary of the latter, a regular communica- 

 tion of minutes took place, extending over forty years. 



Captain Perry died at Spalding, and was there buried. In the 

 Church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas, on the wall of the south 

 aisle, is a memorial, with this inscription : 



To the memory of 



John Perry esq: in 1693 



Commander of his Majesty King William's 



ship the Cignet, 2nd son of Samuel, 



of Rodborough in Gloucestershire gent, and of 



Sarah his wife, daughter of Sir Thomas Nott, K' 



He was several years comptroller of the 



marine works to Czar Peter, in Russia, and 



on his return home was employed by 



Parliament to stop Dagenham Breach, which 



he effected, and thereby preserved the 



navigation of the river Thames, and 



rescued many private families from ruin 



He after departed this life in this town, and 



was here interred Feb. 13"' 1732 ; aged 63 years. 



This stone was put over him by the 



order of William Perry, of Penthurst in 



Kent, his kinsman and heir male. 



In conclusion, let me say that we are to-day visiting some of the 



very lowest land in our county ; but whether here in the marshes 



and levels on the margin of the great river, where mind has signally 



triumphed over matter, or on such heights as Havering, Laindon, 



or Danbury overlooking it, we may still quote the couplet of Michael 



Drayton in his "Poly-Olbion " (1580), and rejoice that 



" Essex is our dower, which greatl}' doth abound 

 With every simple good that in the isle is found." 



[I am greatly indebted to Dr. Smiles for kindly allowing me the 

 use of Perry's Plan, and the two illustrations from his own sketches, 

 which so well pourtray the features of the high river wall at Dagen- 

 ham. The woodcuts were made by James Cooper, and appeared in 

 Smiles' "Lives of the Engineers," vol. i., 1861. I have also to 

 thank Mr. John Murray for procuring the cliches ; and the Rev. 

 M. H. Marsden, vicar of Spalding, for comparing the Epitaph on 

 Perry as here given with the original tablet.] 



