The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-06-02
CROMWELL'S ONLY STATUE.
1t Stands In Manchester and is an
Eyesorc to Queen Victoria.

1t Stands In Manchester and is an
Eyesore to Queen Victoria.
There seems to be Cromwell revival
planned to set up n statue to the PRO
tector in his native town of Huntington.
to which end, it is stated, subscriptions
are being sought from American admir-
ers of the dead Englishman. In this con-
nection it should he noted that there is
an entirely erroneous impression in this
country that so far no monument has
ever been raised in England to Oliver
Cromwell.
Twenty years ago the city of Man
chester accepted and dedicated Il site for
heroic statue, the gift of Mrs. Oliver
Haywood, widow of Il member of an old
Lancashire family of that name, and
much acrimonious discussion and hard
feeling was created in consequence. This
statue still stands in one of the principal
squares of Manchester. right opposite the
cathedral at point where the boroughs
Of Manchester and Stafford join and
hardly the oldest portion of the city, to-
wit. Humphrey Cheetham's Fourteenth
Century library, and the ancient Nlltre
United Kingdom. 1t represents Crom-
Wen III il powerful pose, aggressive, vet
held i'll control, one hand OH basket hilt-
ed sword, the unwieldy weapon of the
period. the other touching Bible-how
dearly John Bull seems to love to pose
Bible in one hand and sword in the other.
Inc statue has rough granite base. and
there are heavily-wrought iron street
lamps at each of the four corners of the
stone space on which it stands Cron,-
wells face is turned toward the Victoria
station, one of the principal railway
depOts of the city.
lt-both the statue and it's acceptance
hy hn r,f
parently taken as an insult by Queen
Victoria, as it was current gossip in
Manchester for years after that the pres
ence of the Cromwell statue was the
main reason why the Queen persistently
refused to visit the city. Furthermore
the name Haywood became anything but
yratlssima to those connected with the
'ourt. Many members of it had been re-
>pectively mayors or aldermen of the
.oyal steam yacht Victoria and Albert,
at the time commanded by German
princeling cousin to her majesty, ran into
and cut in half Sir Percival Heywood's
sailing yacht. the Mistletoe, two ladies of
the party being drowned as a result of
the acciient-which, however, was
proved to be negligence on the part of
he royal navigator, as Sir Percivars
boat, being Il sailing vessel, had the right
If way at the time. Yet the Haywood
baronet only received cold letter of re-
sret for the unfortunate occurrence. Her
majesty did not love the Heywoods or
Fhcir tribute to her martyred ancestor,
Perhaps the spirit of the Manchester
Branch of the Heywoods is shown in the
name of one of its present leading repre-
'cntativeS, Il barrister and county court
Judge, George Washington, son of AID.
Haywood.
So it happens that. overlooking the
ground where Prince Charles troops af-
terward fought the Wings, stands grim
Did Oliver-a central point to busy pop
,lation of 100000 people hard headed
md independent Lancashire folk, accus-
omed to go their own way without syco-
ohancy to court or monarch-for, taking
l fftcen-mile radius from the cathedral
.hurch, one is in the heart of the most
thickly-populated district in England
,bout 100000 people in Manchester and
Stafford proper and about 5,5UO,OUD with
n the fortyfvemilc circumference.
It's a curious fact, too, that there are
more good Roman Catholics to the
square inch in Lancashire than Ia almost
the rest Of England put together, and the
principal county families remalA still in
the old faith.