Monument to George John Frederick, 4th Duke of Dorset
| 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: | B2110 Withyham Road |
| Town: | Withyham |
| Parish: | Withyham |
| Council: | Wealden District Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | TN7 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Inside building |
| and in: | Religious |
| Access is: | Private |
| Location note: | The Sackville Chapel, north east corner of the Parish Church of St. Michael and All Angels |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 13 |
| Grid reference: | M8 |
| 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
| Name : | John Flaxman |
| Role: | Sculptor |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | Arabella, Duchess of Dorset |
| Construction period: | 1815 |
| Installation date: | 1815 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Earl De La Warr |
| Description: | Affixed to the north wall of the Chapel. A portrait medallion of the Duke is mounted above the seated, mourning figure of his mother depicted below. Her right arm supports her head as she leans against an urn. The relief sits on a base that is inscribed to the front. |
| Signatures: | Signature to the east side of the monument, carved letters:
FLAXMAN. R.A. SCULPTOR. |
| Inscription: | UNDER THIS MARBLE ARE DEPOSITED THE REMAINS OF GEORGE JOHN FREDERICK DUKE OF DORSET, WHO WAS KILLED BY A FALL FROM HIS HORSE IN THE VICINITY OF DUBLIN, ON THE 14TH DAY OF FEBRUARY A.D. 1815, HAVING JUST ATTAINED THE AGE OF 21 YEARS. IN THE HIGHEST RANK HE WAS HUMBLE. AMIDST THE TEMPTATIONS OF YOUTH HIS MORALS WERE EXEMPLARY: HIS REASON STRENGTHENED BY EARLY CULTURE, HIS MIND ENLIGHTENED BY KNOWLEDGE, HIS MANNERS FORMED BY BENEVOLENCE, HIS VIRTUES FOUNDED ON RELIGION, RENDERED HIM THE DELIGHT OF HIS FRIENDS, THE HOPE OF HIS COUNTRY. HIS PREMATURE DEATH WAS BY TWO NATIONS DEPLORED AS A PUBLICK CALAMITY. BUT TO THOSE WHO LOVED HIM, HIS VIRTUES SUPPLY A CONSOLATION: THEY SORROW. BUT NOT AS WITHOUT HOPE: FOR THROUGH THE MERCY OF THEIR REDEEMER. THE SPIRITS OF JUST MEN MADE PERFECT SHALL MEET TO PART NO MORE. |
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Classification
| Categories: | Sculptural, Funerary, Commemorative |
| Object type1: | Sculpture |
| Object type2: | Relief |
| Subject type1: | Figurative |
| Subject subtype1: | Seated |
| Subject type2: | Portrait |
| Subject subtype1: | Seated |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Whole monument |
| Material: | White and dark grey marble |
| Height (cm): | 270 |
| Width (cm): | 168 |
| Depth (cm): | 25 |
| Part 2: | Sculptural relief and plinth |
| Material: | White marble |
| Height (cm): | 250 |
| Width (cm): | 138 |
| Depth (cm): | 25 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 22/02/2008 |
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History
| History: | George John Frederick Sackville, 4th Duke of Dorset ( 15 November 1793 - 14 February 1815) was the only son of John Frederick Cranfield Sackville (25 March 1745 -19 July 1799), the 3rd Duke of Dorset and Arabella, Duchess of Dorset (1768 -1 August 1825). He died in Ireland following a fall from a horse. As he died unmarried, the titles passed to Charles Sackville Germain, 2nd. Viscount Sackville (1767-1843), the son and heir of George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville. Charles Sackville Germain thus became the 5th duke of Dorset. When he subsequently died on the 29th of July 1843 the Dukedom of Dorset became extinct.
The 4th Duke had two sisters one of whom, Elizabeth, married George West, 5th Earl De La Warr. She inherited all of the great Sackville estates and was created Baroness Buckhurst in her own right while her children took the surname Sackville-West. The Sackville Chapel was added to the church by Richard Sackville 5th Earl of Dorset (16 September 1622 – 27 August 1677). On 16 June 1663, the whole church was largely destroyed after a lightning strike. The heat generated was so great that even the bells melted. The original Sackville monuments were completely destroyed. The church was rebuilt but did not reopen until 1672 and the rebuilding of the Sackville Chapel was not completed for another eight years. The chapel is unusual in that it does not come under the jurisdiction of the Bishop but is privately owned by the 11th Earl De La Warr, who is patron of the church. The church was given a Grade I listing because of the monuments. (Source: ‘The Sackville Chapel’) This entry is included in the database with kind permission and support from Countess De La Warr. |
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References
| Source 1 : | |
| Title: | 'The Sackville Chapel' |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Countess De La Warr, & Innes-Smith, Robert. |
| Publisher: | English Life Publications Ltd. Derby. |
| Source 2 : | |
| Title: | 'Historical Notices of the Parish of Withyham in the County of Sussex, With a Description of the Church and Sackville Chapel' |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Sackville-West, Reginald Windsor. |
| Page: | 58-100 |
| Publisher: | John Russell Smith. London. |
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Photographs
Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
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