Following last Monday’s post about Lucan House, here is a monument found within the surrounding garden and dedicated to Patrick Sarsfield, first Earl of Lucan and hero of the 1691 Siege of Limerick. While he never lived here (the property was owned by his older brother William), toward the end of the 18th century either Agmondisham Vesey or his nephew and heir Colonel George Vesey is thought to have commissioned this work from James Wyatt. Originally located elsewhere on another site to the west, the monument was moved to its present location on an elevated mound in the mid-1980s when the greater part of the old demesne became a public park. On a stepped base, three tortoises support an elaborately carved Portland stone triangular pedestal, with medallions on two sides featuring classical figures (the third for some reason has been left blank). And to finish it off, on top of this rests a substantial limestone urn.
Lovely monument to Sara field. But, oh dear! The siege of Limerick was in 1691, rather than in 1791. Ooops!
Apologies for the error; I’m travelling at the moment and can’t correct…
Sarsfield
Hi Robert
I have seen a similar base but octagonal, with the tortoises at a Garden sale at Sotheby’s Billingshurst back in the 90’s or early this century which I believe ended up with The National Gallery of Scotland.
By William Chambers
I wonder what the tortoises represent.
Tom
Thanks for sharing this story, in his book Horse Guards ,Barney White Spunner ,relates the earlier adventures of Patrick Sarsfield, , a beautifully illustrated and well written book.
Nothing to do with Sarsfield at all. This was a James Wyatt designed Georgian garden ornament and it is the original. It was adopted as a stock design by the Coade Stone factory and is found in quite a few English country houses in this form. The Lucan monument is in carved stone, however.