The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-10-13 00:00:00

Funeral of Lord Shaftesbury.

The Daily News give, the following graphic desert!).
tion of the 'memorial aervice in Wietminati•r Abbey:
—Notwithstanding that a steady rain was falling IM
Thuraday morning. aonie Mandreils of people asor-
bled early in ti rosv..nor•aiptarr. opp.osits• the
.mansion
of the Earl of Shaftesbury, gradually increasing until
the c..ffin containing the remains of the late earl was
brought eit, by which time there wi•re tonne th•secouls
perwins present. Since being braight fnan Folke-
stone the o.ffin had rested in the dining-mom, where
the floor WU covered with wreaths and other
beautiful floral emblem., which had been forwarded
from all parts. With many of these there vri•re tonch•
log inscriptions, one .4 them being a token from
"Three Indian t/rphans" to their "beloved sahib,"
and another "A loving tribute from the Flower
liirls of IA mdlon." The coffin was completely hittlen
with flowers. in thin ante' tieing placed Wri'Alliel Atilt
by the Cn.wn l'rincess of I ieniany and the ni..nds-ni
4 Lord Shaftesbury's family. wild.. all around them
were hung similar tolo-ns of affection (nen tli.•
aticiotica with which tho. deceased philan-
throjtist hail leen most directly aviss•iatial.
Punctually at (.1., en o'clock tile procession was
formed in I lrtaivi•nor-square, the large majority 11,.'
great g.ithering otitsi.l.• the limier lIIIINIVering a.. the
flower-laden coffin was carrital out and placal ill 010
plain black hearts• drawn I.y four horses. The
mourners riillOVrell in nil. Cii41,111,4 with pairs, Ti, the
fiat rode Lewd Ashley (now Earl of Shaftealturv),
the lion. Anthony .Isliley, and th.. Hon. Evelyn
Ashley, Ml'. ; the next carrying th.• Hon. Lionel
Ashley, the 1f.,.. C..eil Ashl.•y. mid Mr. Wilfred
Ashl..y ; while in those following were ...au"' fiord
Ifowtsai, Mr. A. lorry, Teal! Temi.lemore, le.nl
Nfount•Temj4e, .l. .1.- Satyr..., Earl Cowper, the 11..11.
Henry Cowper, Ow Kid .4 Arran. atid Cleneral the
!foil. Augustus 1'164.h...ter. Mr. i.d.lsinith anil Mr.
Wita, valet and tilt. butler of the ileceamel Earl,
mins next in his atrriage, the rear living brought up
by two or three private carriages. As the 111.11.01W.1..11
slowly palmed the nigh the clene• entwil there was
perfeet silence. and heads were revenaitly inicovensi.
Within th.. Abbey the aene was very inipreasive for
those wh.. were able to obtain anything like a Cnill•
pn•liensiye view of the vast assembly which tlin.nged
,'very part of the building when•vt.r there was the
sniallest clamw of toeing ••r hearing anything. 1n-
.1..1, many hundreds were cl..rly packed together. at
the far weatern end .4th,' ii....', where little or to ahittg
of the service and,' be wen Ipi hear.l. lasoking over
the great aorrowing crowd on,. could not but la. striti•k
Ity th.. distinctly cliariu•ter of ti,. • gather-
ing. There were Wolin* few people •if not.., of antra..
The fluke of Edinburgh was n•premaited by the If
Colonel Colville. and the Prince I 4 Wake 10. du.
Nfanjuis of Hamilton. Wh.•ther any ono was present
for her Nfajevty the ..1.1..en 1,0,11,1 tois' I„,ija
among the officials. It was initleryt•s•l that
nentati.-r withl atts•nd, lett certainly no • tcot in
the spare all•ated I . There were, is.ilouht, present
a g•yel many persons of Ilortinetion whom tit...Mak .4
the .tbbey rendered it iliffieult to recognise ; IV it is
quite certain that such persona wen. in a strikingly
small minority. The great mass .4 the people wen.
undistinguished middle and lower clam folk. and the
great maj..rity 4 them looked as though they WIT.,
come:Mita of a personal loss. There were over 200
institutions iwf one sort and another represent...l by
deputation; acne of them consisting .4 several
per•ons. Ainong them there were children (nen the
Ilripplea' Home, girl, from intinatrial scha•ls and
flower ;ninon ~,, boys (Ivan the training ship* Chiches-
ter an I Arothinui, from ..110.4.1ack brigades, atid from
coaternomger societies. The I'nited Kingdom Alliance
W:1.4 repres..ntisl by Mr. .1. If. Raper, the Rev. !tr.
Burns, and Mr. .john Hilton ; and the Church of
F.ngland Temperance Society by the R.'''. G. 'lowan!
Wright, Mr. Robert Sawyer, and Mr. F. Sherlock
The Whams .4 the inorning and the isintbn. raiment
.4 all present iinjarted a very funereal aspect to th,.
int.•rior of the great Abbey. (filly& few gm jets glim-
inere.l al••ft in fnmtiof theorgan, and tln•riclily-stainisi
windows loome.l faintly down throtigh the haze which
filled the building and lent unwonted distance ti, its
vanltell ns4 an.l th.• far extremity of its nave and
tmii.j.t. The commentannent of the service was ap-
pointed f.w twelve o'cl•wir. aittl at about a quarter be.
fore the hour the crash of a land outside and the
~,,, urnful Issiminit th.. Ahlrer bell announced to all
within the arrival of the cort.'-ge at the west cloist..r
'.11t%-"arin 58.14" niC
hi Yitiaafnt''sr,FtihtnnetrauTNhlial.rcinhtscwnetirda yanisdibil'ae pathetic
thronghout the awiembly, awl then canie a solemn ;leo-
cession of whitely rosl choristers singing the opening
wiitences of the Burial Sert ire. Already th.• church
1...0ked full, and a. the ewe ~, il ig prices-
PPM trailed its length into the centre... appeared to 110
*care...ly pomible to find even standing room for thoae
who were pouring in to take part in the Persia..
Tresaels draresl in black cloth hail been place under,
the lantern and immediately in front of the pulpith
and hen, the coffin was borne, profusely covered wits
flowers rent fnim all parte of the kingdom. There wet
eight pallle•arent.
The family and the intimate friends of the late Earl
took seats right 111111 left .4 th.• niAle ininiisliately in
the rear of tht• coffin, and th•• long jiroa,•siiin .4
nimirnees behind found space !Win a. th..y could.
The Abbey staff of yerjrers seetneil scam•ly stn.ng
enough for the ibity they wt•re upai to per-
form, and the f1...w *paces indicated by tlie tickets
wrre not adhi•rcil to is. C 0111111140). Ciilllll hi.,.,, 61441
ri.hea. The proce.hn, irst something of its imp..
ingneo, in catsequence. flowever, the iiervice
proceeded snoyahly ematirh. and was thrmighout v••ry
immature, though in aciairdance with th.. well-known
preference. .4 the ili•parted nobleman, it was an
as a choral service in Westviiittsti•r Abbey
c••• 11,1 he. The Than read the eivater I.so.ott —the
V. i 4 r•-• ll ll thians—very dearly Own
followed two anthems, one by iliandel, " Who ti,.
ear hearl Him," and the other, "Blest are tli••
I Wpartisi," by Spoltr. This latter capeciallv Wan
very eff..ctivelv rendensl. Canon I bickworth read
the two concluding prayers of the burial service, and
then tlic whole antgregati•in united in pinging Charles
NVessley'a stirring hynin "Conte let Its join our Friend
shove." The time was the old familiar 1111 l lee."
and though there was Nome littli• ti•tultaicy tit drat in
wisnt, the whole, with great force and effect. The
Bleating was protiosinc.sl, and then the wind..
gnitittiiiii stood while the organ 0,4.1.4 and wailed
mit the "IN•all Nlerelt in saiii." With .yltike
Iliffinillty tin. procession reformal anti tile coffin was
lywne front the choir, muter the ontan, to the north
aisle door .4 th, worth tr.maept, and theiwe to tit.:
family tomb at St t I
The remains of the late' can reached Witiilsorne last
Thurailay twilling at lialf•iiitat five. The a.veral
carriage nmtaitikag the coffin having been !decal in a
siding, the coffin, which was altered with lorautiful
flond wreaths, wins removed to a plain hear., which
left for St. ailinee, the twat of the dereword earl, a
distance of about nine mile* from.Winalawnr. Several
hundred prsq.le were, at the station, and the line .4
route thneigh the town warn cniwiled in plats.% hats
being taken off as th.• I.roosesion ivaaaeil. The whole
town appeared to is. in mourning, every phi,. of
business la•ing sod the blinds .4 all the
toneres lying drawn .I..wn whil.• the MUNI
C•Wiiii in 1140..1 through the town. Respect was nine
shown by the flyiwr 1 is flag half-mast high on the
enntorn tower of thc Nlinster. and tht• riiigime
'in Ow bells, St. I ;Op.'s wus reach's!
alymt T 1... coffin wa• placed in the
,jiniuphsn ~f St. 11(01111e to await the foaeral.