18450 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND .ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



345 



STATUES IX THE I'ALACE AT WESTJIINSIEK. 



The CommissiDners on tlie Fine Arts in their fourlh report, just puh- 

 lisheii, slate that tlieyhave found in the course of inqniry that many sitna- 

 tions for staiues consist of niches only, which, in arcordance with the 

 style of Gothic architecture adopted, are uniformly narrow, not exceeding 

 two feet in widih; that there are ulso situations where insulated statues 

 might be fitly placed ; and that, with a view both to ronvcnicnt inspection 

 and the expediency of aflfjrdins opportunities for di-p!ayins (he abilities 

 of the arlisia, the last-named situations are ihe most important. Some 

 nituations, though not fit for the display of statues, would be well adapted 

 for the reception of busts ; and we are of opinion tliat busts might he con- 

 sidered among Ihe means before referred to of doini; hi n )ur to eminent 

 men. Willi respect to nionuuK nts in painting of Ihe description indicated, 

 whether such monnments be understood to refer to portraits or to other re- 

 pres^eutatiuns, Ihe report is at present postponed. 



It is recommended that six insulated marble slatues be placed in St. 

 Stephen's porch, and that 10 such statues be placed in St. Stephen's 

 hall. That statues of Marlborough and Nelson be placed in St Stephen's 

 porch; and that slatues of Selden, Hampden. Lord Falkland, Lord Claren- 

 don. Lord Soniers, Sir liob, rt Wal pole. Lord Chatham, Lord Mansfield, 

 Uurke, Fox, Pill, and (irattan be placed in St. Stephen's hall. 



That the following three artists, viz., William t'alder Marshall, John 

 Bell, and John ILnry Foley, whose works in the last exhibition in West- 

 minster Hall were consiilered by us to be entilled to especial commenda- 

 tion, be at once commissioned to prepare niodels for three of Ihe aforesaid 

 slalnes, viz., Ihe slatues of Hampden, Lord Falkland, and Lord ('larendon, 

 and that Ihe execution of sucli statues be allotted lo the said artists re- 

 spectively as we may hereafter decide. 



That 2,o;i0/. of public ui'ney be granted on account towards Ihe pay- 

 ment of such works, and we humbly request the sanction of your Majesty 

 to our present report. 



Distinguished Persons lo whose Mcmnries Slalues m'ght he Erected. 



The committee appointed to " prepare a general list of disiinguished per- 

 sons of tile I'nited Ivinadom lo whose memory statues might with pro- 

 priety be erected in or adjoining tlie new Houses of Harliament," submit 

 two lists; Ihe first (-V), of names to which they agreed unanimously ; Ihe 

 second (H), of names on which they were not unanimous, but decideil by 

 greater or smaller majorities. 



The coMMuiitee express their unanimous opinion, that the attempt to 

 execute any great number of these statues simultaneously would not be 

 ooDducive to ihe interests of art. 



iNLAiioN. Hr.NRY Haliam. 



T. II. iVrACAI'LAV. SAMI'rL RoGERS. 



IfoBERT Harry Inglis. Thomas Wyse. 



B. Hawcs, JiiN. 

 London. March II, 184.5. 



Heporl of Cnmmillee respecting the Selection of Persons whose Effigies 

 might he placed in the S'iches in the House of Lords. 



The selection of Ihe slatues for Ihe 18 nich' s in the Honse of Lords, 

 which has now been referred to your committee, lioes not appear lo them 

 allcigelher so free and with so wide a scope as Ihe selection of Ihe !(0 figures 

 on painted glass upon which they liave lately reported. In this case tho 

 very narrow size of Ihe niches, and their (iolliic form, seem to limit tho 

 choice of the commission lo characters drawn from the feudal age, and, as 

 usiKil, with edigies of that period, presenting lilile or no variety of altitude. 



On a careful con.qideraliuu of the characters which miglit be chosen, sub- 

 ject lo this condition, your comniiltee have become convinced that no 

 scheme is preferable to that which was first suggested to ihe cummissioii 

 by his Uoyal Higliness I'rincc Albert — namely, to till Ihe niches with the 

 elligies of the principal barons who signed Magna Charla. Your commit- 

 tee subjoin a list of Ihe names which they would recommend fur this pur- 

 pose They conceive that the dilTercnce of character as lajmen, or as pre- 

 lates, would afl'ord a picturesque variety of atiire, and that the historical 

 analogy would be most suiiably attained by placing side by side in the saiue 

 huose of the Legi>lature, in windows or in niches, the euccessive holders of 

 Sovereign power, and the first founders of cunslitutional freedom : — Stephen 

 Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury; William, Bishop of Loudon; Al- 

 ineric. Master of Kuights Templars ; William, Earl of Salisbury ; William,. 

 Karl of Pembroke; Uaryn, Earl of Warren; William, Earl of Arundel ; 

 Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kenl; Bichard, Earl of Clare; William. Earl 

 of Aunierle; ticolliey, Earl of Gloucester ; Saber, Earl of of Winchester ; 

 Henry, Earl of Hereford; Boger, Earl of Norfolk; Bobert, Earl of Ux- 

 ford ; Bobert Fiizvvalter, Eustace de Vesci, William de Mowbray, 



)\ hilchall, Maij 15, 1815, 



Letter from Mr. Ihdiam. 



21, Wilton Crescent, Mmj 17, 18-15. 



My ilear Sir, — In compliance with the request of his Uoyal Highness and 

 the oilier members of the coniinission, at our meeting yesterday, I will 

 state ihe gronnrls on which the committee appoinied to select persons whose 

 efhgies might be placed in the 18 niches of ihe new House of Lords, having 

 fir-i de'ermined that men prominent in obtaining the Cireat Charter of 

 Jolin shall be chosen, have come to a resoliitiim of recommending thtf 

 particular names which have been submitted lo the commission. 



In the text of Magna Charla, inserted in Matlliew Paris, the King re- 

 cites himself lo have granted it by the advice of Stephen Langton, Arch- 

 bishop of Canterbury ; the Aichbishop of Dublin ; seven English bishops ; 

 Ihe Master of the Knighls Templars in England ; wilh Iti Barons, five of 

 whom had Ihe rank of earls, though only four are mentioned by this author, 

 \vhu liHS also comniitied one or two oilier slight inaccuracies. Boger de 

 \1 euduver, whose chronicle, lately published by the English Historical 

 Society, is almost wholly copied by Malthew Paris, omits altogether this 

 recital of names in his text of the charier. But in this instance he is cer- 

 tainly wrong, as appears by ihe incontestable evidence of the charter ilself, 

 of wliicli, as is well knoivn, several copies exist. There can, therefore, be 

 no doubt ihat the personages above mentioned were concerned, in a pro- 

 minent manner, in tlie enactment of that great and celebrated law. 



But, while it would have been easy to recommend for the IS niches in 

 the House of Lords the elligies of Ihe arclibishop, and some other eccle- 

 siastics, wilh those l(i barons whom we find recited in the charter, we were 

 checked by Ihe consideraiiou that these, as appears by a preceding pas- 

 sage of Matthew Paris, were all on the King's side in the previous con- 

 test, and that it would be a very inadequale commemoration of that event 

 to omit those nobles of England who had in reality the chief share in 

 bringing it about. It is indeed true, tliat those who had adiicred most 

 steadily to King John united with the rest at last to press upon him tho 

 necessity of compliance with the demand of a charter of liberties ; so lhat 

 it may be said lo have been granted on Ihe uoanimous requisition of the 

 baronage ; but this alfords only a reason for selecting names indiscrimi- 

 nately from both parlies, considering them as in fact combined fur the pur- 

 pose of obtaining a legal guarantee for their liberiics. 



Ii became, consequently, the duly of tlie committee to look over Ihe his- 

 tory of Ihe time, in order to fix upon 18 persons who, out of a more con- 

 siderable number, appeared most worthy of being commemoraled on this 

 occasion. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, indepeu- 

 denlly of his high rank, was, as is well known, one of the most distin- 

 guislied statesmen of that age, and a slrenuous siipporler of Ihe charter, 

 tliou^h nilhout the Boyal banner. The next iu slaljon among tlie prelates ■ 

 is Ihe Archbishop of Dublin; but, as he did nol hold an English see, it 

 .seemed more desirable Iu select Vl'illiam, Bi-liop of Loudon, whose see is 

 next in dignity among lliose n ho were present, and whose name may be 

 found in history. Almerio, .Master of Ihe Kniglils Templars in England, 

 was Ihe representative of a renowned and powerful order; and his elligy 

 wouhl furnish some variety of coslunie. Five earls are recited on the 

 King's side, those of Pembroke, a very eminent man. of Salisbury, of War- 

 ren, of Arundel, and lastly. Hubert de Burgh of Kent, aflerwards justi- 

 ciary of England. On the side of the barons we find seven earls, those of 

 ('lare, Aumerle, (Jlocestcr, Winchester, Hereford, Norfolk, and Oxford. 

 Three names remained to complete the number of IS. No doubt coold be 

 felt as to that of Bobert Filzwaller, whom Ihe barons had placed at Iheir 

 lieail in roniliicling this enterprise. Eustace de Vesci bore a consirlerabi e 

 [lari on the same side, and lia? some name iu history. Oueouly remained; 



