Family:Whitney, Constance (c1611-1628)

Constance 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] buried 25 May 1628, St. Giles without Cripplegate, London,^[3] unmarried.^[4]

Mr. Baddeley, in his interesting account of this church, thus describes her monument...

This very curious monument on the wall in the north aisle has given rise to much speculation as to its meaning. It represents a woman in her grave clothes rising from her coffin, and with hands outstretched receiving from a cherub on each side a crown and a chaplet. It is no doubt intended to be emblematic of the Resurrection; but a legend has been handed down from one church custodian to another, that "it represents a woman awakening from a trance, into which she had fallen, and in which state she had been buried. The Sexton in his desire to possess himself of a valuable ring she wore, cut her finger to obtain it, and in doing so, awakened and saved her from a horrible death." It is further stated that she returned home to her husband, and became the mother of several children, but the fact that the inscription on the monument states, amongst other thing; that she died at the early age of 17, is surely inconsistent with such a tale.

There is no date given on the monument, but the Register's record is "Mrs. Constance Whitney, Buried May 25th, 1628." The title Mrs. or Mistress was not restricted then, as now, to married ladies.

The inscription, on the representation of a coffin, runs as follows:

TO THE MEMORIE

Of Constance Whitney, eldest daughter to Sr. Robert Whitney, of Whitney, the proper possession of him and his ancestors, in Herefordshire for above 500 years past. Her mother was the fowrth daughter of Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote, in Warwickshire, by Constance Kingsmel, daughter and heyre of Richard Kingsmel, surveiour of the Court of Wardes. This lady Lucy her grandmother soe bred her, since she was 8 years old, that she excelled in all noble qualities becomminge a Virgin:

Of so sweete proportion of beauty and harmonic of parts,

Shee had all sweetnesse of manners answerable,

A delightfull sharpeness of witt,

An offensles modestie of conversation,

A singular respect and pietie to her parents,

But religious even to example.

She departed this life most Christianly at seauenteene, dyeing the griefe of all, but to her grandmother an unrecoverable loss, save in her expectation shee shall not stay long after her, and the comfort of knowing whose shee is, and where in the resurrection to meete her.^[5]

References

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5. ^  Melville, op. cit., pp. 184-186.

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Copyright ©2008 Tim Doyle and the Whitney Research Group