Page:Notes and Queries - Series 11 - Volume 10.djvu/310

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NOTES AND QUERIES. [ii s. x. OCT. 17, iou.

JOHN WESLEY.

In The Illustrated London News of 24 May, 1856, reference was made to a move- ment, originated by Dr. George Dunn of Doncaster, for the erection of a statue of .John Wesley at Epworth. An engraving of the proposed memorial was also given. I shall be glad to know if this scheme was ever carried out. At present I possess no further information on the subject.

I hope shortly to give particulars of many Wesley memorials, including those erected over the graves of the various members of the Wesley family.

MARTYRS. BISHOP HOOPER.

Gloucester. In 1826 Mr. James Clealand of Bangor erected at his own expense a pedestal -memorial of Bishop Hooper at the east end of the churchyard of St. Mary de Lode (facing St. Mary's Gateway). On the south side are represented the arms of the See of Gloucester and the City of Gloucester, and on the north side the arms of Bishop Hooper on a fesse dancettee between three flames of fire a lamb couchant between two estoiles. It is inscribed as follows :

"[East side] John Hooper, D.D.

Bishop of

Gloucester and Worcester

was burnt to death at the

East end of this Churchyard

on Saturday

February 9th, 1555.

For his steady adherance [sic]

to the Protestant Religion. "[West side] This Monument was erected by

James Clealand, Esq.

Rath Gael House, Bangor, Ireland,

September, 1826.

The original wording on .the east side must have been somewhat different, accord- ing to Counsel's Life of Hooper (1840), where it reads :

John Hooper, | Bishop of | Gloucester and Worcester | was burnt on this spot, | on Saturday, February ix. MDLV. | For His Steady Adherence | to the | Protestant Religion.

In 1861 Clealand's memorial was removed to the west end of the churchyard to make way for the present memorial. The founda- tion stone was laid on 18 Sept., 1861, and the structure was unveiled on 9 Feb., 1863. It was restored in 1904, and unveiled 9 Feb., 1905, the 350th anniversary of the martyr- dom. The memorial is designed in the Decorated Gothic style, and comprises a pedestal, the statue, and an ornate canopy -nvith crocketed spire, surmounted by a

finial and gilded vane. The statue is placed on the centre of the pedestal beneath the canopy. It is 8 ft. high, and represents Hooper in Geneva gown and cap, preaching, with the right hand raised, and the left hand holding a Bible. The statue was the work of Mr. Thornhill of Dublin. The total height of the structure is 45 ft. On the pedestal are the following inscriptions :

[East side] Gloria soli Deo.

For the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, | not accepting deliverance, John Hooper, D.D., Bishop of Gloucester | and Worcester was burnt to ashes on this spot February ix. | Anno Domini MDLV.

[West side] This Monument was erected by Public Subscription | Anno Domini MDCCCLXII on the site of a smaller one | the gift of James Clea- land Esq. of Bangor, Ireland.

[South side] This Monument was restored I by public subscription in the year MDCCCCIV [ BHnkham, Mayor. C. E. Dighton, M.A. J.P. Hon. Sec- v. and Trr r. | and was unveiled Feb- ruary ix MDCCCCV the cccL th anniversary | of the martyrdom by W. Lawley-Smith Mayor.

On 30 April, 1913, the Mayor of Gloucester announced at a meeting of the City Council that the ex-Mayor and Mrs. johnston- Vaughan had presented Bishop Hooper's house to the city. Here he was lodged imme- diately before his martyrdom. At the same time, through the public-spirited action of the Rev. S. R. Robertson, the mace handed to Hooper's custodians to give them autho- rity for the execution was also presented to the City of Gloucester. The Mayor stated that he believed it to be the only example of a London sergeant's mace in existence, and the only one of the time of Philip and Mary, whose initials appear upon it. JOHN T. PAGE.

Long Itchington, Warwickshire. (To be continued.)

POEM ATTRIBUTED TO DR. JOHNSOX.

I COPY the undernoted from The Bee ; or, Literary Weekly Intelligence, by James Anderson, LL.D., &c., vol. ii., 9 March, 1791, pp. 29-30. This volume has an addi- tional interest for another class of readers of ' N. & Q.,' namely, students of Burns. The same correspondent, A. B. that is, the Earl of Buchan sent for publication in the" same volume, 27 April, 1791, pp. 318-19, the letter which Burns addressed to the Earl, dated 7 February, 1787 the first letter of Burns, I think, to be made public. There are poems in honour of Burns at pp. 110 and 317-18. The verses at pp. 317-18 are by Buchan ; those at p. 110 are by K.