372 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 11, 18H5. 
THE WALTON MEMORIAL IN LONDON. 
From- the London Fishing Gazette, April 15. 
Thk first suggestion of a memorial of Izaak Walton 
was made, I believe, by the late Mr, John Major over 
seventy years ago, as will be seen from the following 
extract: 
EXTRACT FROM JOHN MAJOR'S INTRODUCTION TO HIS EDITIONS 
OF WALTON. 
"Soon after the appearance of my first edition in 1823, 1 received the 
following from Michael Bland, Esq., F. R. S.: 
'Tie Walton and Cotton Club, to which I am the secretary, adopting 
the idea suggested in your introductory essay, have resolved to insti- 
tute an immediate inquiry into the condition of the insufficient monu- 
ment to the memory of Honest lsaak in Winchester Cathedral, with 
the view of taking some steps toward the erection of a memorial more 
worthy of the man, and more honourable to those who delight in that 
recreation which he has so beautifully portrayed.' Whatever may 
have hitherto obstructed the above expressed intention, I still feel 
perfectly satisfied that it will be yet carried into effect. One gentle- 
man, I was credibly informed, offered to put down 200 guineas to 
commence the work. But let a one guinea subscription be set on foot, 
andtbe lovers of literature and angling will carry it in a summer's 
day! The Dean of Winchester, I understood, to have expressed 
himself delighted that an honour, so justly due, should be paid to him 
as the 'Historian of the Church.' " 
This is from Major's edition, published in 1S44— one of 
the most charming of the whole series of editions — but it 
was not until 1878 that a marble bust of Walton was 
erected by public subscription in his native town of 
Stafford, in St. Mary's Church — the church in which he 
was baptized. 
In September, 1886, I saw a letter in the Times, dated 
September 23, from Mr. H. T. Jenkins, a member of the 
Portsmouth Waltonian Club, Southsea, calling attention 
to the fact that the Very Rev. Dr. Kitchin, then Dean of 
Winchester, had intimated that he would like to have a 
statue of Walton in the Great Screen, and expressing a 
hope that anglers would provide the funds. On October 
2, 1886, I opened a subscription, and, thanks chiefly to 
the liberality of the readers of the Fishing Gazette, I 
have been enabled to carry out what has been for so 
many years the desire of anglers, viz., that worthy me- 
morials of Walton should be erected in Winchester and 
London. R. B. Marston. 
The Unveiling of the Window. 
St. Dunstan's Church, Fleet street, was well filled on 
Friday, April 5, on the occasion of the Walton Me- 
morial Window by Mr. Walker Baily, Master of the Iron- 
mongers' Company. 
Punctually at 12 the Rector commenced a brief service 
with appropriate prayer, and then called upon Mr. Baily, 
Mr. W. Baily, Master of the Ironmongers' Company, 
said: Mr. Rector, Mr. Marston, Ladies and Gentlemen, — 
The Ironmongers' Company are very sensible to the 
honor paid them by inviting their Master to take part in 
to-day's ceremony. The Company has had many men 
of note and worth among its members. To name but a 
few: naval heroes, as Hood and Extnouth; noble-hearted 
and munificent benefactors, as Betton and Geffery; civic 
magnates, as Denham, Avenon, Draper, Cletherow, the 
Cambells, the Thorolds, Beckford. But noted as these 
worthies are in their respective ways, we are proud to 
have numbered amongst our fellowship the still more 
widely-known name of Izaak Walton, whose charming 
pastoral, the "Com pleat Angler," has been an English 
classic for upward of two centuries, and will probably re- 
main one, wherever the English tongue prevails, cor 
centuries to come. Briefly as the records of the Company 
were kept in former days, they nevertheless give a few 
particulars concerning Walton's earlier life which, so little 
being known about him during that period, possess an 
interest. I may perhaps on this occasion fittingly refer 
to them in a few words. On Nov. 12, 1618, Walton, "late 
apprentice to Thomas Grinsell, was admitted and sworn 
a free brother of the Company." He was then twenty-five 
years old, and, upon the high authority of Mr. Marston, 
there is no record of his life between the date of his bap- 
tism and this entry in our Court Book. In 1629 he was 
one of thirty members of our Yeomanry, who served as 
"gentlemen in foins," that is to say, in gowns faced with 
foins, or the fur of the marten, in the pageant provided 
for the mayoralty of our member, Sir James Cambell; and 
he performed a like service in the pageant of Sir Christo- 
pher Cletherow, Lord Mayor in 1635, also our member. 
In 1637 he was chosen and sworn Warden of the Yeo- 
manry; and two years later he paid over to his successor 
the " 'rest' of his account of Wardenship, £2 7s. lOd." On 
that occasion he presented to the Company an apprentice 
of his, one Edward Blurton, and paid the usual fee there- 
for. This slight circumstance, 1 may mention, is now 
made known for the first time: it has escaped the notice 
of previous inquiries. In 1641 he paid his quota, amount- 
ing to £3, of one of the forced loans levied on the City 
Companies by Charles I. He was described in our Court 
Book of that day as "of the parish of St. Dunstan's in-the- 
West." Thereaf :er he seems to have taken no further par 
in the affairs of the Company, and apparently to have left 
no trace of his address. I wish that our records threw 
some light upon the debated question as to the trade or 
calling that Walton followed; but they do not. After 
careful search, I have not discovered the faintest hint as 
to the occupation of Grinsell, his old master; or as to that 
of Cavell, who in turn was GrinselPs master; or as to that 
of Dane, who was Cavell's — thus going back to at least a 
generation before Walton was born. It has been surmised 
that, because in the license for his marriage with Rachel 
Floud, in 1626, Walton was described as of the "Cittie of 
London, Ironmonger," he would not have so styled him- 
self had he been, according to the usually received tra- 
dition, a sempster or haberdasher. The opinion is plaus- 
ible so far as bare words form a guide; it is not so.however, 
when regard is had to the Custom of London. By that 
Custom one who is free of the City of London, when 
styling himself as a Citizen, appends the name of some 
trade or craft. That name, however, does not necessarily 
indicate the trade or craft he actually follows. It simply 
means that he is a Freeman of the Livery Company of 
the City of London which bears such name; and that it is 
in virtue of presenting the copy of his Freedom in that 
Company to the Chamberlain of London that he has been 
enabled to take up his Freedom of the City of London 
also. The Custom still prevails in the present day. A 
citizen of London, in any address to his fellow-citizens, 
signs himself, regardless of what his actual calling may 
be, as "Citizen and Mercer," "Citizen and Goldsmith," 
and so on, according to the Livery Company of which he 
was first made free. Hence Walton's description of him- 
self in his marriage license was technically correct. The 
word "Ironmonger" simply meant that he wasjfree of the 
Ironmongers' Company. There is nothing whatever there- 
fore, either in the records of the Ironmongers' Company 
or in the wording of Walton's marriage license, to disturb 
the received tradition that his calling was that of a semp- 
ster or haberdasher. There are few names which excite 
more pleasing associations than Walton's; none in which 
the virtues of the loyal citizen, the pious churchman, the 
devoted admirer of the works of nature, shine with more 
attractive grace and luster. The singular charm that his 
character must have 
possessed is strikingly 
evidenced by his close 
intimacy with many 
of the most learned 
and illustrious of his 
contemporaries. Even 
in these leveling days, 
it would scarcely be 
within probability 
that a tradesman of 
moderate standing, as 
Walton was, should 
be the bosom friend 
of highly-placed dig- 
nitaries and men of 
family. Yet, in an 
age when ranks in 
the social scale were 
far more sharply de- 
fined than they are 
now, Walton was 
the close, the esteem- 
ed and life-long friend 
of Donne, the poet- 
preacher, Dean of Old 
St. Paul's, and some- 
time .Rector of this 
parish; of Sheldon, 
Archbishop of Canter- 
bury ; of Sanderson 
and Barlow, Bishops 
of Lincoln; of at least 
three other Bishops, 
one being Ken, his 
brother-in-law; of the 
saintly George Her- 
bert; of Sir Henry 
Wotton, courtier,dip- 
lomatist, and Provost 
of Eton. And the 
simplicity, piety and 
honesty of the man 
Bhine out in his books. 
The "Lives," perhaps, 
display more literary 
style; but "The An- 
gler" ever has been, 
and is likely to re- 
main, the popular 
favorite; though we 
may say of it, as 
Goldsmith said of his 
own "Vicar of Wake- 
field," "There are a 
hundred faults in this 
thing, and a hundred 
things might be said 
to prove them beau- 
ties. But it is need- 
less." Allow me, Mr. 
Marston, to give ex- 
pression to congratu- 
lations, which will be 
general, upon the 
successful completion of you and your colleagues' labors 
to provide London with a memorial of one of the mo6t 
virtuous and pure-minded of its worthies in past days. 
No site could you have selected so appropriate to receive 
it as this— the Church of the parish in which Walton re- 
sided some twenty years, and intimately associated with 
so many of his joys and sorrows. Here, under our feet, 
lie in dust Rachel, his first wife, and seven of their 
children; here, in the churchyard, was first published 
"Compleat Angler." It is now my privilege to unveil 
this window; and, when I have done so, I dare say, Mr. 
Marston, you will be so kind as to tell us something about 
it. May it serve for generations to come to adorn this 
sacred fane, and to assist in keeping alive "meek 
Walton's Heavenly memory." 
Mr. R. B. Marston said the memorial of Wal- 
ton in Winchester Cathedral had led up to the 
one they had seen unveiled that afternoon. The 
speaker told how Dr. Kitchin, Dean of the 
Cathedral, as a result of a communication on the 
matter, had expressed the pleasure it would give 
him to reserve a niche in the Great Screen lor a 
statue of Izaak Walton; and he (Mr. Marston) 
knew that anglers were very glad to hear that 
such a kind offer had been made. Thanks to the 
readers of the lishing Gazette, he was afterward 
enabled to obtain the necessary amount for the 
statue, which was executed by Miss Mary Grant. 
That lady, hearing of that day's ceremony, had 
expressed a desire to be present, and he hoped she 
was, as the central figure on the window was a 
copy of Miss Grant's work in the Cathedral Screen. 
Continuing, Mr. Marston explained that the par- 
ticular memorial which had called them together 
that afternoon was first suggested at the Walton Tercen- 
tenary Celebration which took place on thebanks of the Lea 
at Broxbourne. Reference was made to that at Winchester , 
and as London was without a memorial, it was decided to 
take steps to provide one here, and he had to thank the 
Rector of St. Dunstans (Rev. Mr. Martin) for the kind 
manner in which he had assisted him to get up the me- 
morial. Many firms, some of which were on the continent, 
had applied to have the honor of making the window, but 
he (Mr. Marston) thought it would be best to employ an 
English firm and as a result the work had been executed by 
Messrs. Percy Bacon and Bros., of Newman street, Oxford 
street, London, who had done similar work in all parts of 
England. Referring to the quality of the window, Mr. 
Marston said the colors would last as long as glass could 
last, and he believed there was someglass in England over 
1,000 years old. He then described the window iu detail. 
The center light of this window contains a full-length 
figure of Walton, being a copy of the charming statue by 
Miss Mary Grant in Winchester Cathedral, and a smaller 
panel shows him seated at his library table surrounded by 
books and trophies of his art. The side lights enshrine 
!>ortraits of men whose lives he wrote. At the top of the 
eft hand light is Sir Henry Wotton, with his coat of arms, 
and a view of Eton College, of which he was for some 
time Provost. Lower down is Bishop Ken and an elevation 
of Wells Cathedral. In the lowest panel is George Her- 
bert, the poet, and his church at Bemerton is depicted 
on a shield. At the top of the right hand light is Dr. 
Donne, Dean of Old St. Paul's, of which the west front is 
shown; beneath him is the "judicious" Hooker and his 
delightful little church at Barham, near Canterbury. 
The third panel depicts Bishop Sanderson and his ca- 
thedral at Lincoln. 
Angels in the tracery hold scrolls of the virtues. In 
the two side quarterfoils are blazoned the arms of St. 
Dunstan and of the Ironmongers' Company. The center 
quarterfoil contains the intertwined monograms of Izaak 
Walton and Charles Cotton. 
Mb. Marston then proceeded to refer to the men whose 
portraits surround Walton, and said that he could not do 
better than quote what Walton himself had written about 
them,especially as they would recognize in the descriptions 
many characteristics of the writer himself. 
Walton's "Life of Dr. Donne" was, said Mr. Marston, 
published in 1640. In it Donne is thus referred to: "He 
was of a stature moderately tall; of a straight and equally 
proportioned body, to which all his words and actions 
gave an unexpressible addition of comeliness. 
"He was of too brave a soul to offer injuries, and too 
much a Christian not to pardon them in others. 
"He was earnest and unwearied in the search of know- 
ledge, with which his vigorous soul is now satisfied, and 
employed in a continual praise of that God that first 
breathed it into his active body, which once was a temple 
of the Holy Ghost, and is now become a small quantity of 
Christian dust; 
"But Ishall see it reanimated." 
Mr. Marston said the last words he had just quoted 
said as much as any sermon could for Walton's calm be- 
lief in and assurance of a future life; it was characteristic 
of the man that his religion was a part of himself, and 
even an atheist could not read Walton's writings without 
being convinced of their honesty. 
Dr. Donne, continued Mr. Marston, was Rector of St. 
Dunstan's, and afterward Dean of St. Paul's. Walton 
was a constant hearer and great admirer of his sermons. 
In 1651 Walton published the life of his great friend and 
angling companion Sir Henry Wotton, who is thus de- 
scribed: "He returned out of Italy into England about 
the thirtieth year of his age, being then noted by many 
both for his person and comportment; for indeed he was 
of a choice shape, tall of stature, and of a most persuasive 
behavior; which was so mixed with sweet discourse and 
civilities as gained him much love from all persons with 
whom he entered acquaintance. 
"And whereas he was noted in his youth to have a 
sharp wit, and apt to jest; that, by time, travel and con- 
versation, was so polished, and made so useful, that his 
company seemed to be one of the delights of mankind." 
In describing Sir Henry Wotton's life when he was 
Provost of Eton, Walton says: 
"Nor did he forget his innate pleasure of angling, which 
he would usually call Ms idle time, not idly spent; saying 
often, he would rather live five May months than forty 
Decembers." 
In concluding his account of the statesman, scholar and 
poet, Walton tt lis us that his friend died "worthy of his 
name and family, worthy of the love and favor of so many 
princes and persons of eminent wisdom and learning, 
worthy of the truBt committed unto him for the service of 
his prince and country." 
Sir Benry Wotton was one of the most successful am- 
bassadors ever sent by this country to represent us abroad. 
Everyone knows bis humorous definition of an ambassador 
as "an honest man sent to lie abroad for the g< od of his 
country," but another of his definitions of the duties of an 
ambassador, not 60 well known, is thus related by 
Walton: 
"And here it offers itself (I think not unfitly) to tell the 
reader that a friend of Sir Henry Wotton's, being designed 
for the employment of an ambassador, came to Eton, 
and requested from him some experimental rules for his 
prudent and safe carriage in his negotations; to whom he 
To the Memory of 
Izaak Walton, 
Born atStafford Aug:!X ,h mdxciii, Died Dec:xvi h [nddxxxiii. 
Buried fn Winchester Cathedral 
Author of The Compleat Angler.'also of the Lives of 
DTDonne. Richard Hooher, George Herbert, Dr Sanderson. &c. 
WALTON resided for manyjears in Fleet Street at the corner of 
Chancery Lane (West side), and between i6j2and 16^4 
was an Overseer of the Poor, a Sidesman, and a Vestryman of this Parish 
he was also a Member of the !ronmontfers"Company. 
THIS TABLET.andthe STAINED GLASS WINDOW 
on the North West side of this Church.were erected by some Anglers 
and other admirers of Walton in the month of April I8<J5. 
James Booty. 
Joseph Crowther. 
Churchwardens. 
S<DunG(aiVs in UtpWesr, 
W™ Martin Rector 
fmilingly gave this for an infallible aphorism — that, to be 
in safety himself and serviceable to his country, he should 
always and upon all occasions speak the truth, (it, adds 
Walton, seems a State paradox); for, said Sir Henry 
Wotton, you shall never be believed, and by this means 
your truth will secure yourself if you shall ever be called 
to any account; and 'twill also put your adversaries (who 
"will still hunt counter) to a loss in all their disquisitions 
and undertakings." 
I was fortunate enough, Baid Mr. Marston, to secure 
only last week a copy of the first edition of Walton's 
"Life of Mr. Richard Hooker," the author of the "Laws 
of Ecclesiastical Polity," published in 1665. I say fortu- 
nate because this particular copy had been presented by 
Walton himself to Doctor Warmstrey, Dean of WorBter; 
and what makes it more interesting is that the printed 
list of errata has been run through by Walton in ink, and 
the whole of the errors have been most carefully corrected 
in ink by Walton himself. 
