The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-07-30 00:00:00

FUNERAL OF DEAN STANLEY.

On Monday the remains of Dean Stanley were laid to rest
in Westminster Abbey with an absence of pomp befitting the
well-known earnestness and simplicity of his character.—
The Times gives an account of the Funeral Ceremony, from
which we make the following extract :

No lugubrious street pageant, no sombre cavalcade,
none of the conventional trappings of woe, entered
into the simple but solemn and impressive ceremonial.
The Dean died as he had lived, in the shadow of
the Abbey, and the contiguity of the chamber of
death to the grave in which his body was to lie
rendered it possible to dispense altogether with
the sable paraphernalia of a public procession. All
that had to be done was to bear the body from the
Deanery into the Abbey, thence to its final resting-
place in Henry VII. 's Chapel, to no other accompani-
ment than that of the beautiful Burial Service of the
Church of England. Outside the Abbey, therefore,
there were no preliminary indications of the character
of the ceremonial to be performed within beyond the
eager crowds awaiting admission at the public doors,
and the long lines of mourners and invited friends
making their way into the building by way of Dean's-
yard. A large number of mourners assembled in the
library of the Deanery shortly after three o'clock.—
[The Times gives a list of the mourners.]

At the same time, a largs oompany of those who
wished to testify to their respect for the late Dean by
attending his funeral met in the Westminster Boys'
Refectory. We append a list of the names of those
who had accepted invitations, which, it will be seen,
inelaides Cardinal Manning, Cardinal Newman, the
Rev. Newman Hall, and other representatives of
Nonconformist bodies, the Prime Minister, the Lord
Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice bishops, judges,
politicians, and men of all creeds eminent in litera-
ture, science, and art.
_

- .
The Time: gives a list of those present :—Neither
Cardinal Manning nor Cardinal Newman, it may be
added, was able to attend. The Duke of Buccleuch,
Lord Cardwell, the Archbishop of York, and a few
others were also absent, but sent representatives.
Lord Thurlow, attended by General the Right Hon.
Sir H. Ponsonby, K.C.8., represented the Queen. The
Prince of Wales was present, attended by the Marquis
of Hamilton, Sir D. Probyn, V.C., Colonel Teesdale,
Mr. Francis Knollys, C. 8., Mr. Holzmann, and the
Rev. F. Hervey; also the Duke of Connaught and
Prince Christian. Lord Colville of Culross repre-
sented the Princess of Wales; Captain the Hon. D.
J. Monson, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh;
and Mr. R. H. Collins, Prince Leopold, Duke of
Albany. The Royal party were received on their
arrival by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

After being enc osed in its plain oak coffin the body
was placed in the back drawing-room of the Deanery,
which in the course of the day became overwhelmed with
floral wreaths and emblems sent in from all quar-
ters, the last tribute of many friends to the late Dean.
Here were tokens of love and esteem, not only from
Dean Stanley's own family and household and other
mourners, but also from . the Queen and various
members of the Royal family, her Majesty accom-
panying her gift with the following note in her own
handwriting :—" A mark of sincere affection and high
esteem from Victoria .R." There were offerings,
too, from the late Dean's numerous American and
foreign friends, including one from the French Pro-
testants inscribed, "Au vaillant apart" de l'amiti6."
At ten minutes to four o'clock the coffin, borne on the
shoulders of six men, left the Deanery, the fact being
announced to the outside public by the tolling of the
bell, and to those inside the Abbey by the organ
giving forth the notes of Handel's soft and solemn
chant, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." A pro-
cession was then formed of the mourners and various
representative bodies, which exactly on the stroke of
four, entered the Abbey.
The pall bearers were Mr. Matthew Arnold, Rev.
Dr. Stoughton, Rev. Canon Westcott, Right Hon.
W. H. Smith, M.P., the Bishop of Exeter, Mr.
Spottiswoode, P.R.., Rev. Dr. Story, Master of
Balliol, Right Hon. W. E. Forster, M.P., the Duke
of Westminster. The chief mourner was Dr.
Vaughan.
The Abbey was full of ticket-holders and the
general public, and thousands were compelled to
remain outside who would gladly have obtained admis-
sion. It was noticeable that nearly all the people in
the Abbey were in mourning. As the procession
slowly moved up the nave, to the beautiful choral
music of Croft and Purcell, intoned with winning sweet-
ness, the vast assembly was hushed into an impressive
stillness. The coffin was covered with a pall of black
velvet edged with white silk, and upon it lay a few of
the choicest floral offerings which hsd been made to
the memory of the Dean. In front was borne upon a
black satin cushion the Dean's insignia of the Order of
the Bath, It was a long and solemn procession, the
numerous company following two by two, while the
choir chanted the processional portion of the Burial
Service—"], am the Resurrection and the Life ; "
"I know that my Redeemer liv.eth ; " "We brought
nothing into the world, and it is certain we can
carry nothing out;" and the 19th Psalm. Arrived
at the steps of the altar, the coffin was placed
upon trestles and the company grouped themselves
around while the other portion of the service was pro-
ceede 1 with—the reading of the magnificent Lesson
of Corinthians 1, xv. This portion of the service was
conducted by Canon Protheroe. There was something
peculiarly solemn in the thought that the words,
"For this corruptible shall put on incorruption
and this mortal shall put on immortality," were
spoken in regard to one whose earnest, persuasive voice
had so often resounded through those aisles. Then
the procession, reforming, passed on to Henry VII. 's
Chapel, which lies at the extreme eastern end of the
Abbey, to the notes of the "Dead March" in Saul,
which were accompanied with a very effec-
tive imitation of muffled drums. Henry VII 's
Chapel is hallowed with the memory of a long line of
English Sovereigns who had found a resting-place
within its precincts. Most of the Kings and Queens
from Henry VII., whose name it bears, to George 11.
have been interred here. In the north aisle lie Queen
Mary and Queen Elizabeth; and a white marble
sarcophagus is supposed to contain the remains of the
Princes murdered in the Tower. Other than Royal
celebrities are also associated with it. The dust of
Addison lies here; also that of Addison's friend and
patron, the Earl of Halifax, and the Duke of Cumber-
land, the hero of Culloden.

The grave of Vean Stanley lies in what is known as
the Montnensier Chapel—a niche or recess on the
north-eastern side of the chapel, the spot where Lady
Augusta Stanley was buried five years ago. It is an
ordinary earth grave, there being no vault at this
place, and while it was being dug the coffin contain.
lug the remains of Lady Augusta Stanley was un-
c,vered. Dean Stanley's coffin rests upon hers. The
restricted space in Henry VII. 's Chapel rendered it
,impossibleTfor all_tha company. to, approach tha grave
while the last offices were being performed. Only
the mourners were grouped near it, but all were
able to join in the spirit of the moving words
which Dr. Croft has clothed with music—" Man
that is born of woman bath but a short time to
live," and to feel the force of the solemn declare-

!e•grAv.(l-,-•

tion of "dust to dust as the body was lowered
into its narrow bed. Archdeacon Jennings read
the prayers at the grave. The Valedictory blessing
was pronounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Then the procession regained the nave, and the
company slowly dispersed, while the organ poured
forth the notes of Handel's singularly beautiful
anthem, now wailing, now joyouP, "His body is
buried in peace, but his name liveth evermore."
The service occupied altogether an hour and a half.
After the mourners. had dispersed the public were
admitted to view the grave, where thd remains of
Dean Stanley were left to mingle with the sacred
dust of the Abbey.

The grave, in which the remains of the late Dean
Stanley are interred, was kept open until seven o'clock
on Tuesday evening, and thousands of persons visited
Westminster Abbey for the purpose of taking a last
look at it, several floral tributes being also placed
beside it.

Mr. G. Shaw-Lefevre, M.P., Her Majesty's First
Commissioner of Works, in distributing the prizes at
the Reading school on Monday afternoon, said he
regretted his presence there that day only because it
prevented his being able to pay a last tribute of
respect to one of his oldest friends, who was being laid
to his rest in Westminster Abbey. Three Weeks
ago—the day, he believed, Lefore the Dean was taken
ill—he had met him by appointment in Westminster
Abbey for the purpose of determining the site for
the monument to Lord Beaconsfield. The Dean
was then full of life, and took great interest in the
subject they had in hand. He need hardly tell them
that the late Dean was one of the best loved men in
this country—large hearted and of intrepid courage.
His mind was always open to fresh ideas, and he was
entirely free from prejudice. A better model could
not be held out for them to follow. The late Dean
had done much to raise the tone of public school life
in England, and therefore school boys owed him a deep
debt of gratitude.