File:All alive or the political churchyard. (BM 1868,0808.5033).jpg

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All alive or the political churchyard.   (Wikidata search (Cirrus search) Wikidata query (SPARQL)  Create new Wikidata item based on this file)
Title
All alive or the political churchyard.
Description
English: A church and churchyard, with the graves of politicians and others, whose heads look from behind their respective tombstones. The church is on the left with a square tower (right); on the right are conventional trees. The three central tombstones in the foreground are those of Burke (left), North (a), and Fox (right). On Burke's is inscribed, "Here Lieth Edd Burke Oeconomist Extraordinary to his Majesty. To Save his breath He welcom'd death." On North's is "Here Lieth L------d N-----H. I'm gone to realms below, To find more Cause for woe". On that of Fox is "Here Lieth C------s F---x, The game I have play'd, I have lost by a Spade, My partner was wrong For he shuffl'd to long". In the foreground on the extreme left is a flat stone inscribed, "Here Lieth G------l C-----y [Conway] So fickle in his pliant mind He for a Change his life resignd". In a corresponding position on the right is a rectangular brick tomb, inscribed, "Here Lieth his Grace the D------e of R-----D" [Richmond]. "Since he on Earth no good coul'd find, He is at last to death resign'd". Slightly behind and to the left of Burke's tomb is that of


the king: "Here Lieth G. K-----g. I govern'd all with------decree But now alas; Death governs me". Behind and to the right of Fox's tomb is that of a peer: "Here Lieth L------d T-----e. Behold him now laid the Grave in Who noughty man -----L-----y C------N" [Lady Craven]. He is perhaps intended for Lord Temple, the king's agent in the rejection of Fox's India Bill in Dec. 1783, cf. BMSat 6255.
The remaining tombs are described as they are placed, left to right, some being in front and others behind. A rectangular upright tombstone is inscribed, "Here Lieth C------s J-----N [Charles Jenkinson] To your advice Me ruin owe; Go then, and council fiends below". (See BMSat 6228.) More prominent is a rectangular brick tomb: "Here Lieth L------d K-----" [Keppel]. "This Gallant Admiral is no more, Behold him Stranded on Death's Lee Shore" (cf. BMSat 5992, &c). Behind Keppel's tomb is that of General Eliott, cr. Lord Heathfield for his defence of Gibraltar: "Here Lieth G------l E------T. Who could bear Fire so well Cannot feel Pain in hell. To heav'n let him rise, Since he the Devil defies” (see BMSat 6035, &c). Next, and in the background is that of Lord John Cavendish, Chancellor of the Exchequer: “Here Lieth L------d J. C------H. He woul'd have tax'd our breath Had it not been for death.” An allusion to the tax on the registration of births, deaths, marriages, see BMSat 6253. Portland is next: “Here Lieth His G------e the D------e of P------d, An easy man of keen command, He ruled a State At Second hand” (cf. BMSat 6233, &c). The tombstone of Shelburne is immediately behind that of the king: “Here Lieth The E------l of S------N. I made my peace on Earth, And why in heav'n Should not I hope to be forgiv'n.” Pitt's tomb is more elaborate, a rectangular stone tomb surmounted by a pyramid and surrounded by a railing: “Here Lieth The Honble Wm Pitt. Thou cov'rest Earth Unequall'd Worth”. The grave of Governor Johnstone is next: “Here Lieth G------r
J------N. So fond of Snarling it is own'd, At Death he grinn'd But never Groan'd”. (He was a notorious duellist, cf. BMSat 5474.) Next and more prominent is the rectangular brick tomb of Sheridan: “Here Lieth R. B. S------N. He had great merit But woul'd you know it Look not for Politicks in a Poet”. Behind this, and inconspicuous, is Lord Nugent's tombstone: “Here Lieth L------d N------T An old Rat” (see BMSat 6255, &c). Mansfield's tomb is more prominent: “Here Lieth L------d M------D. Stop says the Judge, while I my Ballance fix, Death kick'd his Breech and Sent him o'er the Styx.”
Behind are two stones commemorating Lord George Germain (Sackville) and Lord George Gordon. “L------d G. G------N. Alas how came I here, For Death was all my fear (an allusion to his supposed cowardice at Minden). Here Lieth L------d G. G------N. For religion, Od rot him. The Devil has got him” (see BMSat 5694, &c). More prominent, and next to Mansfield, lies Dundas, the Lord Advocate of Scotland: “Here lieth the L------d A------E. The cause of damnation he gaind with such ease, He is gone to the Devil to ask for his fees” (see BMSat 6169). Behind is a minute stone: “Sir T------R-----d [Thomas Rumbold] His peculation has left no more”. (Rumbold was, perhaps unjustly, regarded as a typical nabob of the worst kind, see BMSat 6169, &c.) Sir Cecil Wray's tomb is in the form of an obelisk: “Here Lieth Sir Cecil W-----y Honesty in him innate is, Then Let him pass; old Charon gratis”. (He was enjoying a short-lived popularity for his opposition to the tax on receipts, see BMSat 6244, &c. Also, though M.P. for Westminster as Fox's nominee, he had not supported the Coalition.) The last tombstone on the extreme right is that of Lord Loughborough, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas: “Here Lieth L------d L------H. Tir'd of hanging he was grown, Till Death in Pity cut him Down”. Inscriptions on the wall of the church commemorate three more notables, the first (left) being David Hartley (son of the more famous David Hartley), M.P. for Hull, and at this time the emissary of Fox for peace negotiations with America): “Underneath Lieth D------d H-----y Esqr A man that all coul'd calculate Except the Sands which told his fate”. Next is Sir Charles Turner: “Below Lieth S---r C------S T------R An honest Man”. (Turner, M.P. for the City of York, see BMSat 6073, was classed with Sir George Savile, as pre-eminent for “independence of character and zeal for public liberty”. Oldfield, 'Representative History of Great Britain', 1816, v. 279.) Savile's inscription is beside
that of Turner: “Nigh this place Lieth S---r G------S------E. Such humourous Satire mark'd his Fame, He made the Culprit smile in Shame”. (Both were supporters of the Yorkshire movement for Parliamentary Reform, se BMSat 5657, &c.) 9 August 1783


Etching
Depicted people Representation of: Edmund Burke
Date 1783
date QS:P571,+1783-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
Medium paper
Dimensions
Height: 248 millimetres
Width: 350 millimetres
institution QS:P195,Q6373
Current location
Prints and Drawings
Accession number
1868,0808.5033
Notes

(Description and comment from M.Dorothy George, 'Catalogue of Political and Personal Satires in the British Museum', V, 1935)

BMSat 6263 is a companion print; both perhaps imitate Sir Herbert Croft's very popular 'Abbey of Kilkhampton', 1780, &c, a collection of satirical epitaphs.
Source/Photographer https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-5033
Permission
(Reusing this file)
© The Trustees of the British Museum, released as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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