THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY < NATURALIST. 



57 



KING WILLIAM THE THIRD'S STATUE AT 

 PETERSFIELD. 



In the Market-square, Petersfield, is an equestrian 

 statue of William III. Artistically it is not great. It 

 is of lead, and was erected about 1734 by the then 

 lord of the manor, Sir William Jolliffe, Knt. The 

 figure represents his Majesty habited as Caesar, with 

 a commander's baton in his hand. A similar statue 

 stands in Queen's-square, Bristol. This is described 

 in Arrowsmith's Dictionary of that city as having 

 been designed by a Dutch flower painter, whose name 

 has slipped my memory. The Bristol statue is much 

 superior to ours, and though very similar, was evi- 

 dently not cast in the same mould. At Hull 

 William III again figures in the same guise, and the 

 statue there is also constructed ot lead, and was 

 gilded, which was once the case with ours. Tradition 

 also says that a sum of money was left by Mr. Jollifle 

 to have the statue regilt when required. This, how- 

 ever, has not been done, and all we have to remind 

 us of our statue's pretention to a resemblance of the 

 precious metal is a public known as the Golden 

 Horse, which stands opposite it. Strange to say, the 

 present Lord Hylton knows nothing about the statue, 

 neither is it known who designed or constructed it. 

 There is, I believe, a similar erection at Dublin, but 

 I have not seen it. Could any of your 

 readers give me some information on the subject ? 

 Re the Roman dress of the statue, in The Medallic 

 Hist, of W. Ill I read " after the victory of Namur 

 a medal was struck commemorating the event, on 

 which William III is represented on horseback in a 

 Roman dress, a commander's baton in his right hand, 

 inscribed with ' Gallos ejecit, Hispanos restituit, 

 hostes tcrruit, socios firmavit, assertor orbis.' " 



(He has driven away the French, restored the 

 Spaniards, terrified the enemies, confirmed the allies, 

 this deliverer of the universe.) On the reverse, tame 

 flying, and underneath this legend 



Guilelmo III. Maximo alterius orbis regi. Totius 

 patrias vindici Restitutori Herculi Redivivo 

 imperatori pio, felici inclyto in aeternam memoriam 

 lubens lilat, dedicat consecratque. 



(An eternal monument freely consecrated to the 

 new Hercules. The most great William III, King 

 of the new world, the deliverer and defender of his 

 country, a general no less illustrious by his pietv than 

 by his glorious deeds.) This bears a great similarity 

 to the inscription on our statue, viz. : 



" Illustrissimo Celsissimo Principi GULIELMO 

 TERTIO. 



Qui ob plurima quam maxuma Officja 

 De his Gentibus optime meritus est 

 Qui Rempublicam pene labefactum. 



Fortiter sustentavit. 

 Qui purum et sincerum Dei cultum 



Tempestive conservavit. 



Qui legibus vim suam senatuiq auctoritatem : 

 Restituit et stabilivit 



Qulielmus JollifFe Eques 



Ne aliquid qualecunque deeset Testimonium 



Quanto eum amore Studioq : tam ipsam Libertatem. 



Quam egregium hunc Libertatis Vindicem 



Prosecutus est 



Hanc Statuam TESTAMENTO suo dicavit et in hoc 

 Municipio poni curavit. 



Ex ts - Samuele Tufnel, Edvardo Northey, Johanne 

 Jolliffe. 



" To the most noble and illustrious Prince William 

 III, who so highly deserved the gratitude of these 

 kingdoms for the many and signal offices which he 

 rendered to the people who seasonably preserved our 

 pure and sincere worship of God, who bravely sus- 

 tained the drooping State, restored the free force ot 

 the laws and strengthened the authority of the Senate. 

 That no testimony might be wanting with how much 

 love and emulation he admired liberty itself, as well 

 as this its celebrated avenger, William Jolliffe, Esq., 

 erected this statue to his memory and placed it in this 

 town." The story that the sculptor committed suicide 

 owing to some omission (generally said to be the 

 tongue) in the statue, is known in connection with 

 each of the statues I have mentioned. At one of the 

 Parliamentary elections our statue was covered with 

 tar, which was the cause of its being painted. Any 

 information your readers can give me on the 

 equestrian statues of William III will be of great 

 interest to FRED. E. YOUNG (Petersfield). 



WEATHER REPORT FOR THE WEEK. 

 From the meteorological register, made at the Ordnance 

 Survey Office, Southampton, under the direction of Col. Sir 

 Chas. Wilson, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., F.R.S., R.E. Lat. 50" 

 54' 50" N. ; long. i 24' o" W. ; height above sea, 84 feet. 

 Observers Sergt. T. Chambers, R.E., and Mr. J. T. Cook. 



Black bulb in vacuo. 

 I Rain and snow. t Melted snow. 



