St. James' Obelisk
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | Westhampnett Road |
| Town: | Chichester |
| Parish: | Chichester |
| Council: | Chichester District Council |
| County: | West Sussex |
| Postcode: | PO19 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Road or Wayside |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | On the roundabout at the junction with St. Pancras |
| In the AZ book: | West Sussex |
| Page: | 140 |
| Grid reference: | F5 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
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Makers
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General Information
| Construction period: | 1735 |
| Installation date: | 1735 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Chichester City Council |
| Object listing: | Grade II: of special interest warranting every effort to preserve them |
| Description: | A stone obelisk made in 1735 to mark the then North-East boundary of the City. It also bears the date 1839. Faces north west. |
| Inscription: | ERECTED IN THE MAYORALTY OF CHARLES DUKE OF RICHMOND LENNOX & AUBIGNY MDCCXLV Inscription on SE face of base illegible |
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Classification
| Categories: | Roadside / Wayside, Commemorative |
| Object type1: | Shaft |
| Object subtype1: | Obelisk |
| Subject type1: | Non-figurative |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Obelisk |
| Material: | Stone |
| Height (cm): | 185 |
| Width (cm): | 34 |
| Depth (cm): | 34 |
| Part 2: | Base |
| Material: | Stone |
| Height (cm): | 100 |
| Width (cm): | 57 |
| Depth (cm): | 57 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Fair |
| Risk assessment: | At risk |
| Condition 1 of type: | Surface |
| Condition 1: | Corrosion, deterioration |
| Condition 2: | Biological growth |
| Condition 3: | Previous treatments |
| More details: | Biological growth. Severe weather wearing on all sides. Evidence of previous repairs to cracks. Inscription on SE face of base illegible. |
| Condition 2 of type: | Structural |
| Condition 1: | Broken or missing parts |
| Condition 2: | Cracks, splits, breaks, holes |
| More details: | Evidence of two previous complete breaks of the obelisk. Chunk of the stone missing at N.W. base of obelisk – appears to be quite old damage. |
| Condition 3 of type: | Vandalism |
| Condition 1: | Graffiti |
| More details: | Green and red paint splashed on the north west face of the obelisk. |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 11/12/2007 |
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History
| History: | The Dukedom was first created (as Duke of Richmond and Somerset) for Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of Henry VIII Tudor by Elizabeth Blount. Upon his death without children in 1536 it became extinct.
Ludovic Stuart, second Duke of Lennox (see Lennox (district)) (1574-1624), who also held other titles in the peerage of Scotland, was created Earl of Richmond in 1613 and Duke of Richmond in 1623 as a member of the Lennox line (not unlike King James himself) in the House of Stuart. These became extinct at his death in 1624, but his Scottish honors devolved on his brother Esmé, Earl of March. Esmé's son James, the fourth Duke of Lennox (1612-1655), was created Duke of Richmond in 1641, the two dukedoms again becoming united. In 1672, on the death of James' nephew Charles, 3rd Duke of Richmond and 6th Duke of Lennox, both titles again became extinct. The third creation was in August 1675, when Charles II granted the title to Charles Lennox, his illegitimate son by Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth. Charles Lennox was further created Duke of Lennox a month later. Charles' son, also Charles, succeeded to the French title Duke of Aubigny (of Aubigny-sur-Nère) on the death of his grandmother in 1734. The 6th Duke of Richmond and Lennox was created Duke of Gordon (See Clan Gordon) in 1876. Thus, the Duke holds three (four, if the Aubigny claim is accepted) dukedoms, more than any other person in the realm. The Dukes of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon are normally styled Duke of Richmond and Gordon. Before the creation of the Dukedom of Gordon they were styled Duke of Richmond and Lennox. The subsidiary titles are: Earl of March (created 1675), Earl of Darnley (1675), Earl of Kinrara (1876), Baron Settrington, of Settrington in the County of York (1675), and Baron Torbolton (1675). The titles Earl of March and Baron Settrington were created in the peerage of England along with the Dukedom of Richmond. The titles Earl of Darnley and Baron Torbolton were created in the Peerage of Scotland along with the Dukedom of Lennox. Finally, the title Earl of Kinrara was created in the peerage of the United Kingdom with the Dukedom of Gordon. The eldest son of the Duke uses the courtesy title Earl of March and Kinrara. Before the creation of the Dukedom of Gordon, the courtesy title used was Earl of March. The family seat is Goodwood House near Chichester, West Sussex. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Richmond 14/12/2007) ‘The obelisk was presented to the city by the 2nd. Duke of Richmond to mark his serving as Mayor in 1735. It was overturned by vandals soon after following a rumour that a gold sovereign had been placed under it.’ (Chichester; An Illustrated History’, p67) |
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References
| Source 1 : | |
| Title: | ‘Chichester; An Illustrated History’ |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Green, Ken. |
| Publisher: | Bredon Books Ltd. Derby. |
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Photographs
Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons | |
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