16 The last Duchess of Wharton-Milton. in 1763; and, dying Oct. 24th, 1786, aged 72, was succeeded by his nephew, Samuel Watson's grandson, Your most obedient servant, WHITE WATSON, F.L.S. Statuary and Mineralogist in Bakewell. N the "Memoirs of the Life of his I Grace Philip late Duke of Whar ton," London, 1731, it is stated that his first wife, who was daughter of Major-General Holmes, dying 14th April, 1726, "the Duke soon fell violently in love with a beautiful young lady at the Spanish Court, who was then maid of honour to the Queen of Spain; she was the daughter of an Irish Colonel in the Spanish service, who being dead, her mother lived upon a pension the King allowed her, so that the personal accomplishments of this lady were all her fortune. Arguments were used by friends of both sides to persuade them against the marriage, but as on one hand the Duke was too much hurried away by his passions to have the least consideration of motives of prudence or conveniency, and Mademoiselle Obern, on the other, being perhaps a little dazzled with the lustre of a ducal title, there was no preventing an alliance which both parties seemed so fond of."-" It was said that the Duke made a sacrifice of his religion for the sake of this match," and it adds, "All the late Duke has left behind him is a deserving though a poor disconsolate widow, who as yet hath made no claim, as I hear of, upon his estate, and consequently is wholly destitute and unprovided for; but as her case deserves pity, it is hoped she will find some resource, but where, or from whom, perhaps she may be at a loss to know, being entirely unacquainted with her husband's affairs or family.' It is erroneous to say that the Duke's second wife was named Obern, which, as here spelled, is not an Irish name, and this error is copied by Banks in his "Dormant Peerage." The Duke's second wife was the daughter of John Comerford, who left Ireland sometime about 1688, and entering the Spanish service, he attained the rank of Brigadier or Colonel, and at one period had a very high situation in Madrid. Colonel Comerford's father, who resided on his own estate at Finlough, parish [July, of Loghkeen, and county of Tipperary, married the only daughter and heiress of Walter Butler of Finlough, a distant branch of the Ormond family, and who at that time possessed an estate of about seven hundred acres in Loghkeen parish, which was settled on Colonel Comerford's father on his marriage with Miss Butler. This estate afterwards became the property of the Damer family, and has, on the death of Lady Caroline Damer, devolved on the present Earl of Portarlington. In vol. 36, p. 309, for July 1766, of the Gent. Mag. in an article stating errors in the "Biographia Britannica,' p. 191, it says, "the Duchess of Wharton, who is still living, and has been long resident in England, is so far now from being poor and destitute and unprovided for (as indeed she was in 1732), that for some years past she has been enabled to live in a manner suitable to her rank. This the biographer might and ought to have known, instead of transcribing literally an account written above thirty years ago." Perhaps some of your Correspondents can say when and at what time the Duchess of Wharton died, and in what publication her death appears, or if any account is to be had of her father's family, her brother being in 1746 a Colonel in the Spanish service, and another member of the family holding, in 1812, a military situation at Prague. Yours, &c. J. B. 1830.] Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb;— Or ́substance might be called that shadow seem'd,' [Night, For each seem'd either; black it stood as Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell; And SHOOK A DREADFUL DART; what seem'd Roman Remains on Lancing Down Sussex. his head The likeness of a kingly crown had on." And subjoining, in sequel, a striking portrait of Death, from Sackville's Induction to the Mirror of Magistrates," I cannot help remarking, in reference to the same, that I am of opinion this passage must have escaped the searching eye of Mr. Todd, as the "DART"-" a dreadful sight to see," being "in triumph SHOOK," seems to decide that Sackville's stanzas must have impressed the imagination of Milton, more powerfully than the passage selected from Spenser. Extract from the "Induction to the Mirror of Magistrates." "The SHAPE of Death aright, That daunts all earthly creatures to his law, Against whose force it is in vain to fight.No peers, no princes, nor no mortal wight; No towns, no realms, cities, nor strongest tow'r, But all perforce must yield unto his power. And in his hand, a DREADFUL sight to see, SHOOK; That most of all my fears affrayed me." ROMAN REMAINS ON LANCING MR. URBAN, Goswell-road, May 5. Lancing Down, on which this pavement is situated, is one of the bold terminations of the Downs, which are So frequent on their southern side. The view is of a very extensive and interesting nature, embracing a view from Beachy Head to the Isle of Wight, and the towns of Worthing, Littlehampton, and Portsmouth. sea Mr. Medhurst, the discoverer of the *Vol. XCVIII. ii. p. 631. GENT. MAG. July, 1830. 17 pavement, was formerly a turner in Brighton, and still carries on the trade at Lancing. Before it was explored,* he states this place appeared like a conthe centre about four feet, he came to siderable tumulus, but on penetrating the pavement. It is forty feet square, square, paved with coarse tessera, and with a room in the centre, sixteen feet the room he found ashes, and twentymuch damaged. In the centre, of In different parts near the building sefive pieces of British and Roman coin. veral graves were opened, containing ashes, combs rudely carved, fibulæ, styles, and some pottery. The walls of the building are from six to ten inches above the pavement, and are of chalk and flint. The exterior of the three feet in thickness; they are built inner one has been stuccoed. In the annexed plan, the graves are represented at the proportionate distance from the principal building. The following is an exact account of the discoveries made in the neighbourhood of this edifice. The total number of graves opened amounted to thirty-five. 1. A ring of iron, part of a metal dagger, and some burnt bones. 2. A bath lined with hewn chalk, two feet deep, and four feet and a half in diameter; an extremely curious broach represented in fig. D, was found on the edge. 3, and 4, contained some burnt bones, and a fibula. 5. Some burnt bones, and an eleed plate, fig. C. The semi-diamond gant fibula, represented in the annexportions are similar to steel, and it is in very good preservation. vase, burnt bones, and two lachryma6 and 7, contained a small earthen tories. 8 and 9, produced burnt bones and a comb. 10. This was by far the largest interment opened, and amply repaid the trouble. Under the head of a skeleton were the bones of a fowl, and on the breast a curious fibula, ing a cock, fig. B. It is of gold, enarepresent It is much to be regretted that no intended the discoveries made by this inspirited gentleman in the county has superdustrious but unlearned man. An historian and scholar, like Sir R. C. Hoare, would bring to light much valuable and interesting information from discoveries which could be made in these Downs. 18 British Urn found at Storrington, Sussex. melled with red and green, and has a singular appearance. 11 and 12, contained rings of wire, bone combs, brooches, and burnt bones. 13. Four small earthen vases, two brooches, burnt bones, and some broken pottery. Fig. E, is of bronze, and was found on the floor of the building. Fig. A, is a vase of baked earth, 144 inches in height, 10 over the brim and 12 at the widest part. This curious discovery was made on The three coins, or sceattæ, represented in the plate, have been communicated by another Correspondent, but are said to have been found at the same spot. It measures 21 inches high, 13 broad at the top, and 6 at the base, is of a dirty reddish brown colour, and in a very good state of preservation. This is the largest and best formed of any of the British specimens I have seen.† Its thickness is three-quarters of an inch, and its shape, considering it was *All of the above ornaments are represented in the annexed plate, of their real size, the vase. except + Of those engraved in Hoare's "Ancient Wilts," it most resembles that in Tumuli, plate viii. vol. 1. p. 81. There is much of the same sprig pattern on one in Tumuli, plate xvi. [July, made by the hand, very perfect. It was found, which is not uncommon, with its base or small end upwards. The coarse cloth in which the bones were usually deposited, was entirely decayed, but the pin or brass fastening (also represented above) was in good preservation. The bones were white and well burned. The difficulty of procuring perfect specimens of these rude funeral vessels of our ancestors is very great, being half baked, or, as some antiquaries imagine, baked only in the sun; they are so very soft, that the utmost care must be exerted to prevent their falling to pieces. Chalk seems to preserve them best, for I have never been able to remove those in a perfect state, which I have discovered in clay or sand. It may not be out of place, if I here remark that these urns are often miscalled Roman, Danish, &c. when our present knowledge of pottery and sepulchral remains may more properly term them British. All the Roman urns I have seen have been made of much better materials, and appear to have been turned with a lathe. I would wish to ask any of your learned correspondents, if they imagine the British ever burned their dead before the Romans invaded this country. From my own observations, I should say it was a form borrowed from the Romans; and I conceive those tumuli in which we find the skeletons, with stags' horns, the bones of dogs, birds, &c. to be the most ancient form of burial that was adopted in this island. We generally find these remains at the lowest part of the tumulus, and the urns either in the centre or at the side; and in some it would appear that the urns were placed little more than just under the turf; and indeed in many places I have seen well burned bones covered only with a stone, not more than a foot under ground, and where there has not been the least shadow of an uru. There has never, I believe, been any regular number of urns found in a tumulus; in some as many as 15 or 20, in others only one or two. May we not suppose that, during the frequent battles which the Romans must have had with the British, the British burned their slain after the Roman custom, and put their bones in these rude urns, placing them in the tumuli which had already been formed? Yours, &c. F.D. |