Memorial details

Memorial type
Sculptured / Cast group
District
City Of Westminster
Town
Westminster
County
Greater London
Country
England
Commemoration
Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
Maker
Robert Adams (Designer)
Thomas and Benjamin Carter (Makers)
Luc-Francois Breton (Designer)
John Eckstein (Sculptor)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
91728

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Current location

South aisle of the nave
Westminster Abbey
Victoria Street
Westminster
City Of Westminster
Greater London
SW1P 3PA
England

OS Grid Ref: TQ 30079 79487
Denomination: Church of England

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Description
Large marble monument with at the centre an elaborately ornamented sarcophagus supported by two caryatids in the form of armed native american Indians and surmounted by trophies of war. The monument is set against a red marble triangular backdrop and matching plinth for the caryatids. A finely carved sculptured relief of a military skirmish between the British and the French at Ticonderoga is on the front face of the sarcophagus. A square dedicatory tablet is mounted between the caryatids.
Inscription
THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED/BY A DISCONSOLATE PARENT, /THE LADY VISCOUNTESS TOWNSHEND,/TO THE MEMORY OF HER FIFTH SON/THE HONBLE. LIEUT. COLONEL ROGER TOWNSHEND,/WHO WAS KILLED BY A CANNON BALL./ON THE 25TH OF JULY 1759 IN THE 28TH YEAR OF HIS AGE,/ AS HE WAS RECONNOITRING YE FRENCH LINES AT TICONDEROGA/ IN NORTH AMERICA./FROM THE PARENT, THE BROTHER, AND THE FRIEND,/HIS SOCIAL AND AMIABLE MANNERS,/HIS ENTERPRIZING BRAVERY,/AND THE INTEGRITY OF HIS HEART,/MAY CLAIM THE TRIBUTE OF AFFLICTION:/YET STRANGER, WEEP NOT;/FOR, THO' PREMATURE HIS DEATH,/HIS LIFE WAS GLORIOUS;/ENROLLING HIM WITH THE NAMES/OF THOSE IMMORTAL STATESMEN AND COMMANDERS/WHOSE WISDOM AND INTREPIDITY/IN THE COURSE OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE AND SUCCESSFULL WAR,/HAVE EXTENDED THE COMMERCE,/ENLARGED THE DOMINION,/AND UPHELD THE MAJESTY OF THESE KINGDOMS,/BEYOND THE IDEA OF ANY FORMAL AGE.
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Townshend, Roger
See details
Commemorations
  • Seven Years' War (1756-1763)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Rank, title, forename, surname
    Order of information: Title,rank,forename, surname
Components
  • Sculpture
    Measurements: height c2500 mm, width c1550 mm
    Materials: Marble - White
  • Relief
    Measurements: height c400 mm, width c800 mm
    Materials: Marble - White
  • Backboard
    Measurements: height c3560 mm, width c1650 mm
    Materials: Marble - Red
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Responsibility
Westminster Abbey
Reference

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

This information is made available under a Creative Commons BY-NC licence.

This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-91728

For queries, please contact [email protected].