Family:Whitney, Lucy (c1609-1673)

Lucy Whitney (Robert, Eustace, Robert, Robert, James, Robert, Eustace, Robert, Robert, Robert, Eustace, Eustace, Robert, ...), daughter of Sir Robert and Anne (Lucy) Whitney,^[1] born circa 1610, Whitney, Hereforshire,^[2] died 5 Apr 1673, in the sixty-fourth year of her age.^[3]

m.(1) 29 Sep 1631, St. Giles Cripplegate, London, William Smallman, Esq., of Kinnersley, Herefordshire; m.(2) about 1648, John Booth, captain of a troop of horse in the service of Charles I. during the Civil War. She was buried in Hereford Cathedral in 1673, and also had a monument and epitaph worthy of notice. A peculiarity of these mortuary records is that, according to them, Constance and Lucy were each "eldest" daughter of Sir Robert. They certainly were nearly the same age and possibly were twins. It is more probable that Constance was the first born, but, having been brought up from early childhood by her maternal grandmother, and having died forty-five years before her sister, she was forgotten when the Booth monument was erected.

... Lucy's monument, in Hereford Cathedral, was hardly less interesting. Thomas Dingley, the antiquarian, who compiled "A History from Marble," in the reign of Charles II., made a pen-and-ink drawing of it, within a few years after it was erected, which, a few years ago, was reproduced, through photolithography, by the Camden Society--fortunately, for, during repairs in the cathedral, it was broken and its fragments scattered. He described its location as "over against ye clock house on a side wall in a chappel part of the North of Hereford Cathedral," and showed a tablet bearing the arms of Booth (argent, 3 boars' heads erased and erected sable) quartered with those of Whitney (az. a cross checky or. and gules), and below it a larger stone with the inscription.

Gosling, in his "History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of Hereford," printed in 1717, referred to the same as being "At the West End of the North Isle, on a black marble Tablet, enchased in white, rimmed with Gold and supported by two twisted Corinthian black Marble Pillars, on the Top two Angels trumpeting."

The arms remained on the wall of the chapel, but the other stone was removed to the cloister, and its setting of "Corinthian pillars," "Angels," etc., disappeared. There was no one to object to this act of vandalism till, in the summer of 1894, it was noticed by one of the American family, Hon. William Collins Whitney, of New York, who took steps to have the existing portions reunited in their original position.

From the accompanying illustration a good idea may be gained of its present appearance.

The inscription is in these words:

                     P. M. S.

     Luciae Booth (Filiae natu-maximae
     Roti Whitney de Whitney Eq:Aurti
     Et in primis Nuptus Gulo Smallman
     Armig datae) maestissimus Conjux
     Johannes Booth Armiger erigi curauit

                    Hoc Marmor

     Non magis Prosapia^ claruit quam
     Pietate excelluit cujus indubitatam
     Charitate erga^ Pauperes dedit Tesseram
     Affabilitas erga^ Omnes emicuit et
     Conjugalis Affectus in Ea fuit Specimen
     Patientia indomitam Morbi ferociam
     Superauit, et cum ad nouam Palaestram
     Sole exorto Vestes induisset Corpus
     Exuebat placideq in Domino dormiebat

     Obijt III Non Apr Anno { Salut: 1673
                            { AEtat suae 64.

                      Pseuche
     The Sicke Diseased, Wearied and Opprest
     Fly to the Graue for Refuge and for Rest
     Let then this sacred Earth my Body close
     And noe rude Hands its Quiet interpose
     Whilst I this Tabernacle of Clay forsake
     And to Elysium doe my Journey take
     But when The Trumpet a Retreat shall sound
     And peirce the Cauernes of this holy Ground
     These scatterd Ashes shall to Me repaire
     And re vnited equall Glory share.

TRANSLATION.

To the pious memory of Lucy Booth (eldest daughter of Sir Robert Whitney, of Whitney, knight, and first married to William Smallman, Esq.) her most sorrowful husband, John Booth, Esq., has erected this monument.

Her charity to the poor gave undoubted proof that she was no more remarkable for her illustrious lineage than she was for her fervent piety.

She was courteous toward all and a model of conjugal affection.

Her patience conquered the fierce fury of disease: and as, at dawn, she was girding herself for another day's struggle in the battle of life, she put off mortality and peacefully slept in the Lord.

References

• Melville, op. cit., pp. 186-188.

• Melville, op. cit., p. 183.

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Copyright ©2008 Tim Doyle and the Whitney Research Group