The Washington herald., 1910-09-11

Garsdon England. Sept. IO.-Four years
ago the late Bishop Henry c. Potter. OF
New York. stood in the little oak pulpi,
/ Of the plain and unadorned church M
Garsdon and preached TO the inhabitants
OF a parish which can boast OF historic
! associations with an ancestor OF Geerge
I Washington. The purpose OF his visit
/ had reference 70 the restoration OF a
mural monument. which. after a check
/ cred existence. was closeted. in many
! fragments. at the time. In the vestry of
the ancient edince
! Originally the monument was erected
/ in the chancel OF Garsdon Church IN
1916. and remained until 1855. when the
\ building was restored over twenty wears
afterward the remains were secretly con-
veyed out OF the parish and transported
\ 10 America. and It was only with great
/ difficulty that they were recovered and
I brought back 70 their home
/ This was as far as the matter got when
! the rector OF the parish wrote 70 Bishop
/ Potter and extracted an assurance from
! him that he would make himself entirely
responsible for the monuments restora-
/ ton and re-erection.
The Old and the New.
/ In neither position nor appearance does
/ the new monument reflect the old. FOR the
( original was undoubtedly a work OF artis-
I tic beauty, consisting, as Il did. OF richly
/ gilded and painted freestone. with marble
columns OK the Corinthian order. while
centrally fixed was black marble slab
/ bearing an inscription and inclosed n a
massive wreath. II will be noticed that
this feature has been, with difficulty, pre-
served in its entirely. In spite - its
partial mutilation the inscribed words
are still decipherable and are in the fol-
/ lowing terms:
/ To the memory Of ST Laurence Washington Kt
| lately Chiefc Register o. the Chaunccry u known
! Pyety Of Charity exemplarye loyipge Husband
A tender Father A bU1ntiful Master A cynstart
Relieuer Of tic Pcore and % those o. this Parish
perIctuall Benefactour whom Il pleased God 20
take unto hts Peace from the fury Of the irsuing
Wars Oxon. Mai l+fO Here inferred 2ltO AnO
Dui l6B Aetat suae g. where also lyeth Dame
Anne bis wife who deceased Junii 1870 and vas
buried leto Ano Du-. les.
4 Another portion Of the original struc-
ture which remains intact is the Wash
ington coat OF arms, which Is reproduced
! in an enlarged form AMI which furnished
the American the stars and stripes.
A second coat OF aims was removed
! from Garsdon Manor. me residence OF
Sir Lawrence Washington. about 1855
and is now in The possession OF a Mr..
| WOOdey. who resides in an adjoining
county. This variation. which also once
/ found its way across the Atlantic. shows
up more prominently than the other the
symbolical emblems OF the New World
nation. but has no connection with the
monument under discussion.
Bars I'm the Way.
Negotiations did not run smoothly when
the idea OF the monuments restoration
was first proposed. IN spite Of the late
/ Bishop POtter's generosity in undertake
ing TO bear the entire expense. difficulties
were placed IN the way and curious
! opposition to the re-erection was set up
by a descendant Of Sir Lawrence Wash
ington in England. who objected to the
restoration at the hands OF an American
on the ground that Sir Lawzsnce Wash
| ington was not "A lineal ancestor of George
/ Washington. This attitude occasioned
months OF correspondence and forensic
wrangling. but only delayed the con-
cession of a faculty which permitted the
monument to be placed where it now
| stands
! On the right hand side OF the monu-
ment a little brass tablet Will be found
explanatory of the bishops munifcence.
This monument" it reads. was taken
down from the north wall OF the chancel
/ in A D. 1855 without a faculty and not
] then replaced; and many OF its constitu-
! ent stones were lost or broken. In A. D.
/ 1906 it was restored and placed here at
the expense OF the Right Rev. II. c. Pot
I ter. d. d. DL D.. Bishop of New York,
aided by few OF his w-countrymen.
| in remembrance OF George Washington,
first President OF the United States"
A further link in the chain which cir
cumstances have forged between Cars
don and America is to be found in the
/ communion plate, an exact replica OF
which is at present In use in the New
York Protestant Episcopal Cathedral II
WIS in the year 1854 that Lady Pargiter.
wife OF Sir Lawrence Washington. pre-
scented to Garsdon Church a solid silver
communion service. and II remains in an
| admirable state II preservation All four
pieces are engraved with the sacred mon
ogram within halo, and they are thus
/ inscribed: This was given by the Lady
| ParEiter 10 Garsdon Church. She was
formerly wife OF Sir Lawrence Washing
ton. Esquire. who both lie buried here"
New York RenIfca
The replica in New York is much larg-
er. but has been faithfully copied in
every detail.
The old manor house at Garsdon. in
! which this ancient plate was stored for