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 John Dryden - Westminster Abbey, London, UK
N 51° 29.985 W 000° 07.636
30U E 699386 N 5709314
This marble bust, of the poet and dramatist, sits in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. The bust was created by sculptor Peter Scheemakers on a floor-standing base. Dryden, who was Poet Laureate, lived from 1631 to 1700.
Waymark Code: WM13B1G
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/29/2020
Views: 0
The
lifesize white marble bust depicts Dryden's head and shoulders. He
appears to be wearing academic robes, has longish hair and is clean
shaven. The plinth is made of the same white marble and is inscribed:
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J
Dryden
Natus 1632 Mortuus Maij 1 1700
Johannes
Sheffield dux Buc-
kinghamiensis Posuit 1720
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The Westminster Abbey website has an article about
John Dryden that advises:
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John
Dryden, Poet Laureate and dramatist, is buried in Poets'
Corner in Westminster Abbey. His monument, just outside St
Benedict's chapel, now consists of a white marble bust by
sculptor Peter Scheemakers on a floor-standing base. The Latin
inscription can be translated:
J DRYDEN Born 1632 Died May 1 1700
and on the base:
John Sheffield Duke of Buckingham erected
this 1720
The original monument by James Gibbs was unveiled on 23rd
January 1721 and consisted of a marble arch and surround. The
first bust was replaced by the present one in 1731, given by
the Duchess of Buckingham. Buckingham is alleged to have
erected the monument after a hint from Alexander Pope in his
intended epitaph to Nicholas Rowe. The epitaph intended for
Dryden's bust was:
This Sheffield raised, the sacred dust
below was Dryden once: the rest who does not know?
The surround of the monument was taken down in 1848.
Dryden was born on 9th August 1631, one of fourteen children
of Erasmus Dryden and his wife Mary (Pickering). He was
educated at Westminster School where he published his first
verses. He went on to Trinity College, Cambridge. In early
life he was an admirer of Oliver Cromwell but after the
Restoration in 1660 he became a Royalist and held several
offices under the Crown. In 1668 he was made Poet Laureate. On
1st December 1663 he married Lady Elizabeth Howard. Two of
their sons Charles (1666-1704) who drowned in the Thames, and
John (1668-1701) were educated at Westminster School. The
other, Erasmus Henry (1669-1710), became a priest and
inherited a barony. His finest works, the tragedy All for Love
and the political satire Absalom and Achitophel were published
before he became a Roman Catholic and the poem The Hind and
the Panther (1687) after his conversion. As a result of his
conversion he lost his laureateship and died in poverty in
Soho. On 13th May 1700 he was buried in the Abbey with much
ceremony near Chaucer. His body had lay in state in the
College of Physicians for some time and he was brought from
there to the Abbey accompanied by singers and the hearse was
followed by forty four coaches.
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Note:
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With
the re-opening of Westminster Abbey after Covid-19 lockdown
photography, for private use, has been allowed in most areas
of the Abbey when services are not taking place (see here).
There is an entry fee payable to enter the Abbey that is
currently £18 for an adult (October, 2020).
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Visit Instructions:
Give the date of your visit and describe your experience. Additional photos and information about the site or poet/author are appreciated.
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