86 



§am^ ^q, €ad of gparlbrott^ 



By the Rev. W. P. S. Bingham. 



N looking- over the Church this afternoon, we must all have 

 observed in the south transept the monument erected to 

 the memory of James, first Earl of Marlborough, with effigies of 

 himself and his first wife. It is a stately tomb, and the question 

 invariably asked by strangers is : — " What relation was that Earl 

 to the Dukes of Marlborough ? " The most usual answer is : — 

 <( None at all ; " but this is not strictly true, as this Earl was great 

 uncle by marriage to the Hero of Blenheim ; and the earldom had 

 become extinct by the death of the fourth earl without issue, just 

 ten years before the future duke was created Earl of Marlborough. 

 There can, therefore, be but little doubt that Churchill chose this 

 this title to perpetuate the memory of the " Good Earl " who is 

 buried in Westbury Church. 



This monument, erected by Henry, the second Earl, bears an 

 inscription 1 which tells us more about the occupant of that tomb 



1 Inscription of monument in Westbury Church : — 



" D.O.M.S. 



"Hie in pace requiescunt ossa et cineres D 5 Jacobi Let, Equestris ordinis 

 viri, et Baronetti, Filii Henrici Ley de Teffont Evias Ar : natu sexti, qui juvenis, 

 Jurisprudentise studiis mancipatus, virtute meruit ut per omnes gradus ad 

 summum togatse laudis fastigium ascenderet. Begii in Hibernia Banci 

 Justiciarius sufficitur capitalis, et in Angliam revocatus, fit Pupillorum Procurator 

 Regius. Dein Primarius in Tribunali Regio Justitiarius, quae munia postquam 

 magna cum integritatis laude administrasset, ilium Jacobus Rex Baeonis Let 

 de Ley, (suae familise in agro Devon, antiqua sede,) titulo ornavit, in sanctius 

 adscivit concilium, Summumque Anglise Thesaurarium constituit, et Rex Carolus 

 Maelbeigii Comitis Auctario honoravit Regisque concilii instituit PrEesidem. 



" Uxorem duxit Maeiam filiam Johannis Pettet, de Stock Talmage, Oxon. 

 Com., Ar. (cujus corpus juxta ponitur) ex qua numerosam prolem procrcavit, 

 Henricum nunc Marlbrigii Comitem, Jacobum, Gulielmum, Elizabetham,Annam , 

 Mariam, Dionysiam, Margaretam, Hesteram, Martham, Phaeben ; qua, conjuge 

 fato functa Mariam despondit Gul. Bowier Equitis Aurati viduam, post cujus 

 obitum Jan2E, Domini Botteler filia) enupsit, ex quibus nullam prolem suscej)it. 



" lta Vir isto quern ad gravem prudentiam finxit natura, et doctrina cxcoluit, 



