The Children's Story of Westminster AbbeyTroutbeck, G. E. (Georgina E.)
History
The Children's Story of Westminster Abbey
Troutbeck, G. E. (Georgina E.)
Westminster Abbey
There are memorial tablets in the Abbey to three other officers who fell
in the Peninsular War. One is to Captain Bryan, who fell in the Battle
of Talavera in 1809, when Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated King Joseph
Buonaparte and Marshals Victor and Jourdan; the second is to a
Lieutenant Beresford, who was killed at Ciudad Rodrigo in 1812; and the
third is to Lieutenant-Colonel Macleod, who fell at the siege of
Badajos, also in 1812.
In the Nave is buried a famous Admiral, Thomas Cochrane, Earl of
Dundonald, who served in many of our wars, first against Spain and then
on the Spanish side in the Peninsular War. Lord Dundonald died in 1860,
but he left the navy in 1814 because of a false accusation which was
made against him. He then went out to Chili, where he served the cause
of Chilian Independence. Lord Dundonald was afterwards proved to have
been innocent of the charges made against him, and his banner as Knight
of the Bath was restored to its place in Henry VII’s Chapel. At the time
of his disgrace it had been taken away and kicked down the steps of the
Chapel.
In the Nave is another monument connected with this time in our history.
It is that of Spencer Perceval, who was Prime Minister during the
Peninsular War. He was shot in the Lobby of the House of Commons in 1812
by a man whose business had been ruined by the war, and who was supposed
to be mad.
The bust of Lord John Russell in the North-West Tower, a part which is
often called “Whigs’ Corner,” reminds us of the great Parliamentary
Reform Bill, which was one of the most important events in the last
century. The change was much needed, as the people of the country were
not properly represented. Some large and important towns had no member
at all, while some very small and insignificant places were allowed to
return one or more members to Parliament. The reform was made more
difficult on account of the disturbances and revolutions in France and
elsewhere, which made people think it was better to have no changes at
all. However, in 1831, Lord John Russell brought in his Reform Bill,
which passed, after great discussion and struggle, in 1832. Lord John
Russell, afterwards Earl Russell, was educated at Westminster School. He
is not buried in the Abbey, although it was proposed to give him a
public funeral there. It was his own wish to be buried with his family
at Chenies, in Buckinghamshire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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