Memorials - part 2

The North Aisle

Against the west wall is a set of bookshelves on which is a small plaque which reads

IN MEMORY OF
PETER BRANSON
JORDAN
Born 24^th March 1927
Died 22^nd August 1955
The shelves were made in the Gilberd Technical School, which at the time was almost opposite the Church in North Hill, where the Sixth Form College now stands. The shelves are in front of a large tombstone that has been set into the wall, and on which only 1699 Here Lye the Bodys can now be read.

Also on the west wall of the North Aisle, a tombstone has been set into the wall at the bottom of the stairs to the gallery. It reads:-

Here lyeth the body of
JOHN FREEMAN Gent
Who departed this life
the 20^th October 1714
In y^e 56^th year of his age
Likewife five of his children
Are buried Here
here also Lieth y^e body of
DOROTHY Wife of JOHN
FREEMAN who died Oct 8 1735
Aged
Her age is obscured by the stairs to the 1758 gallery.

Beneath the stairs another tombstone has been set against the wall, but it has become much worn in places and is now only partly legible. The letter "N" has been carved backwards.

Here Lyeth the Body of
Io____ S_IE_EMAN Gent. Sometime
M___r of this Town He married ALICIA
Daughter of Cap^t HENRY LAMB by
whom he had one Sonne & 5 Daughters
which Sonn died and was buried at
_____________________ behind him 4 Daugh
of the __________________ Anno Domi 1699
Ac___ Sue 53

Nearby is memorial to several generations of the Wright family.

IN A VAULT BENEATH LIE THE REMAINS OF
ELIZABETH WRIGHT, WIFE OF
ROBERT WRIGHT
WHO DIED FEB^Y 14^TH, 1803, AGED 69 YEARS
ALSO OF
ROBERT WRIGHT THEIR SON
WHO DIED DEC^R 24^TH, 1803, AGED 29 YEARS
ALSO OF
GEORGE WRIGHT THEIR SON
WHO DIED OCT^R 8^TH, 1812, AGED 41 YEARS
ALSO OF
JANE WRIGHT SECOND WIFE OF
ROBERT WRIGHT
WHO DIED JULY 12^TH, 1813, AGED 51 YEARS
ALSO OF
GEORGE MASON WRIGHT
SON OF THE ABOVE GEORGE WRIGHT
WHO DIED SEP^R 26^TH, 1814 AGED 8 YEARS
ALSO OF
SUSANNA WRIGHT WIFE OF THE
ABOVE GEORGE WRIGHT
WHO DIED APL 25^TH, 1817, AGED 45 YEARS
ALSO OF
ROBERT WRIGHT
WHO DIED NOV^R 12^TH, 1819 AGED 77 YEARS

Between the next two windows is a plaque listing some of benefactions made to the church, which demonstrates the way the value of money has changed over the centuries.

St Peters Colchester
Benefactions

Jeremiah Daniell, by will dated 26^th Oct^r 1696
	Left £3 a year to be given in Coals to the poor of this Parish.
John Moore, by will dated Nov^r 10^th 1809 left £200
	the yearly interest to be given to the poor of this Parish in
	coals, bread &c (N.B. This legacy produced only £82.15.2 Consols)
John Mills, by will dated Feb^y 6^th 1822 left £5 a
	year, half to be given in money & bread to 12 poor
	widows, the rest to the Sunday School, &c,
M^r Francis Henry Wyncoll who deceased
	January 21^st 1931 left £500. to the Vicar and
	Churchwardens, for the purposes of the Church.

Three memorials are to be found between the next two windows, and the first reads

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
ROBERT MANN
BORN 3^RD FEBRUARY 1865
DIED 13^TH AUGUST 1949
WHO WAS ORGANIST AND
CHOIRMASTER OF THIS
CHURCH FOR 42 YEARS
FROM 1888 TO 1930.
Let everything that hath
breath praise the Lord

The second is strangely phrased, and reads

Near this Place

are deposited the Remains of

ANN ANDREWS

who died 25^th of August 1788

Aged 73 Years.

Also of ESTHER ANDREWS

who died 25^th of January 1793

Aged 49 Years

Also of THOMAS ANDREWS Esq^r

Son of the above ANN ANDREWS

and Husband of ESTHER ANDREWS

who died 17^th of January 1815

Aged 74 Years

Also of REBECCA HEWITT ANDREWS

Widow of the above

THOMAS ANDREWS Esq^r

who died 13^th of November 1843

Aged 79 Years

They were Beloved and Respected

by all that knew them

The Affection and Gratitude of their

furviving Relations caused this Tablet to

be erected in their Memory

The third and final memorial between these two windows has the text carved onto a stone representation of a sail from a square rigged ship, the sail hanging loose as if becalmed.

IN MEMORY OF
HERBERT CONRADE WIRE
LATE THIRD OFFICER
OF THE PENINSULAR AND
ORIENTAL COMPANY'S
STEAM SHIP “CADIZ”,
WHO WAS DROWNED DURING
A GALE OF WIND IN THE CHINA SEA
ON THE 27^TH JULY 1860
IN THE GALLANT DISCHARGE
OF HIS DUTY
AGED 22 YEARS.
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED
BY THE PASSENGERS AND OFFICERS
OF THE SHIP AT THAT TIME
TO COMMEMORATE HIS MANY NOBLE
QUALITIES AND RECORD THEIR
GRIEF FOR HIS LOSS
“TRUST AND FEAR NOT”

Continuing to move eastwards, there are four memorials between the next two windows. At the centre of the space is one that reads

IN MEMORY OF
ANNA AMELIA THE BELOVED WIFE
OF JOSEPH HOARE ESQ^RE
OF WEST HEATH HAMPSTEAD
IN THE COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX
AND ONLY DAUGHTER OF THE LATE
CHARLES BUXTON ESQ^RE
WHO DIED ON THE 19^TH OF JULY 1843
IN THE 29^TH YEAR OF HER AGE
“WE ARE COMFORTED FOR THOU ART BLEST”

Above and to the right is a stone which reads

IN MEMORY OF
The Rev WILLIAM SMYTHIES
LATE VICAR OF THIS PARISH
BURIED NOV 5^TH 1780
AGED 58
ALSO ANNA DOROTHEA HIS WIFE
BURIED SEPT 5^TH 1777

Below and to the left of centre is a brass of 1572 in three parts. At the top is a coat of arms, and below are shown William Brown kneeling at prayer, with six sons behind him, and facing him his wife Margaret and two daughters, also at prayer. The inscription below is very difficult to read, and is headed by a verse in latin. Below that are the words:

here undre lyeth buryed the bodies of William Brown gente, and Margaret his
wyfe, which William deceaffed on the xx daye of january an^o domum 1572 and the
faid margaret xxiiii daye of september next following

In the lower right is another memorial in brass which depicts two men and a woman kneeling in prayer. Behind them are four sons and five daughters. The inscription beneath is in gothic script and reads:

Agnes the Daughter of John Woodthorpe borne in Laven=
ham the wief firft of Aleyn Difter and after of Robert Leache
departed this world in the yere of our lord God. 1553. her ver=
tuouis lief and converfation was commendable amongest her
neighbours, and thankfull to almighty God, of whome we truft
fhe is nowe accepted/ She did appointe certen money to be given
yerely to the poore of this parifhe at the feaft of Penthecoft, that
they fhulde render thank^e unto Chrift, and kepe his gratious
benefitt in memory for ever.

Between the last window and the east wall of the north aisle is one memorial

Sacred
to the Memory of
ROBERT SELBY CUNNINGHAM
late a Lieu. in the 4^th Reg^t of Foot
who died 28^th Sept^r 1809
Aged 24 Years

On the east wall of the north aisle there are three memorials. Two of these have been referred to on the page about the Sayer family. The third, near the door to the Vestry, reads:

In memory of
Henry · Griffin · Deane
Died Feb 3^rd 1887
and of Harriet, his wife
Died Jan 15^th 1898
who bequeathed £13350 to the Governors
of Queen Anne's Bounty for the augmentation
of the maintenance of the Vicar of S^t Peter's
Colchester, and for no other purpose whatsoever.
--------o---------
In grateful acknowledgement of their munificence
this tablet is erected by the first beneficiary
C. Triffit Ward M.A. Vicar

The South Aisle

There are very few memorials in the south aisle, and there are none at all on the western wall. However, the bookstall bears a dedication which reads: In Memory of
Mrs F Miriam Clark
(1892 - 1974) Commencing from that end of the building, the first memorial is located between the second and third windows.
IN MEMORY OF
JOHN COOPER
LIEU. OF THE ROYAL ARTILLERY
WHO DIED MARCH 16.1798
AGED 18 YEARS

Between the third and fourth windows is the Sayer memorial from 1530, and between the fourth and fifth windows a more recent memorial to the same family, put there in 1851, but on which the latest date is 1830. Both have already been mentioned on another page. At the eastern end of this aisle is located the internal porch for the south door, and in this corner is located the memorial to men of the Essex Yeomanry and Royal Horse Artillery who died in the 1914 and 1939 wars.
At the end of 2001 the Essex Yeomanry Association disbanded and St Peters PCC accepted responsibility for maintaining this memorial.

The memorial itself consists of a simple wooden cross in which is carved ESSEX YEOMANRY AND Y.H.A. with, at the centre, the motto DECUS ET TUTAMEN around the three seaxes (curved swords) of Essex. It is contained within a glass case on which is mounted a metal flower holder bearing the letters E Y.
On the wall nearby is a case containing a flag. This bears a label reading:
"Flag of the Essex RHA battery carried in the Palestine campaign 1916/18" Presented 1956 by the widow of Colonel W.A.B Daniell CBE DSO TD one of the battery commanders at that time.

Next to it used to be another case which had painted on the outside ROMANI GAZA DAMASCUS JERUSALEM and a label that reads:
Regimental flag of the 191st (Herts & Essex Yeomanry) field regiment R.A. which was damaged by shrapnel at Herouvillette in July, 1944, during the Normandy campaign. The flag was donated by Brigadier M. Hope, DSO who commanded the regiment in Normandy
In February 2004 this was stolen. We would like to recover this flag and its case, and if you are offered it or come across it, please contact either us at St Peters or the relevant authorities.

On the east wall of the south aisle is the memorial to John Sayers, already referred to.

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