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| HER Number | MWB15945 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | The Falkland Memorial, Wash Common, Newbury |
|---|
Summary
Locally listed stone monument of 1878 dedicated to Viscount Falkland and the Royalist officers from the 1st Battle of Newbury
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- National Monuments Record No.: SU 46 SE 22
SU 4598 6499 - National Trust Site No.: 156601
Reference 10375 in National Trust Land GIS table provided in 2009
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
The Falkland Memorial is a 19th century monument within a small triangle of land at the junction of Essex Street with the Andover Road (A343). This is the northern end of a part of Newbury called Wash Common. The memorial was erected to commemorate the Royalist dead of the First Battle of Newbury, in particular Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland, who died aged 33 on 20th September 1643. It is a monolith on top of a series of steps, constructed of 40 tons of Cornish granite and is 33 foot high, with inscriptions on its four sides. Local historian Walter Money had proposed the erection of this monument and gave the land for it. A large procession accompanied its unveiling on 9th September 1878, followed by a meal at the Corn Exchange for 700 people <1><2>.
The Revised Pevsner noted that the obelisk was designed by J H Money <9> <15>; James Money was Walter Money's brother. A photograph by Henry Taunt shows the monument in its original open setting on Wash Common, surrounded by a flock of sheep <12>. West Berkshire Museum has photographs showing the memorial in the early 20th century <14>.
Stokes points out that by the time of the memorial's dedication, it had become controversial, and that some people considered that the dead of both sides in the battle should have been commemorated <11>.
The Falkland Memorial is in the care of the National Trust. It was locally listed in 2016 <13> and more information was collected on its origins and design.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Money, W. 1887. The History of Newbury. p422-427. [Monograph / SWB11828]
http://archive.org/stream/cu31924028185811 (Accessed 02/09/2013) |
| <02> | Newbury Weekly News. 16/09/1993. Newbury Weekly News 16/9/1993. [Article in serial / SWB13466] |
| <03> | Hopson, S. 1988. Newbury Then and Now. No 22. [Monograph / SWB13973] |
| <04> | Imperial War Museum. 2005?. United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials. http://www.ukniwm.org.uk. UKNIWM Ref: 41426. [Website / SWB14698]
http://www.ukniwm.org.uk (Accessed 03/02/2016) |
| <05> | Money, W. 1905 & 1972. A Popular History of Newbury (also Walter Money's History of Newbury). p50, Illust, p110. [Monograph / SWB11278] |
| <06> | Pevsner, N. 1966. The Buildings of England (Berkshire). p182. [Monograph / SWB10024] |
| <07> | Goddard, J. 1999. Lucius Cary, Viscount Falkland. [Unpublished document / SWB146734] |
| <08> | Watson, M. 1996. Curiosities of Berkshire - A County Guide to the Unusual. p61. [Monograph / SWB146924] |
| <09> | Tyack, G, Bradley, S and Pevsner, N. 2010. The Buildings of England (Berkshire). p407. [Monograph / SWB147855] |
| <10> | Wood, P. 2011. West Berkshire War Memorials. http://westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk. 09/03/2012. WB248. [Website / SWB148248]
http://westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk (Accessed 09/03/2012) |
| <11> | Stokes, P. 2011. Enborne & Wash Common, an illustrated history. p15. [Monograph / SWB148364] |
| <12> | Historic England (previously English Heritage). 2002-present. ViewFinder. http://viewfinder.historicengland.org.uk/. Accessed 20/12/2006. Reference No CC97/02768. [Website / SWB146925]
http://viewfinder.historicengland.org.uk/ (Accessed 11/11/2015) |
| <13> | West Berkshire Council. 2015-. West Berkshire District Council in partnership with the West Berkshire Heritage Forum - Local List of Heritage Assets. pdf online. 16/00002/LOCAL. [Unpublished document / SWB148860]
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/locallist (Accessed on 01/06/2022) |
| <14> | Museum Curator. Newbury Museum Accession Records (West Berkshire Museum since 1998). 2022 WBC Network. NEBYM:20000.20.231-3. [Unpublished document / SWB14452] |
| <15> | Peacock, D. 03/07/2016. Correspondence from David Peacock to West Berkshire HER about his research on James Money. 2016 WBC Network. 21. [Unpublished document / SWB149196] |
| <16> | Young, N. 2015. Newbury 365. p261. [Monograph / SWB149295] |
Related Monuments
| MWB15762 | Newbury I Battlefield, 1643 (Landscape) |
| MWB20726 | The Gun, 142 Andover Road, Newbury (Building) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB1088 | Replacement Gas Main, Falkland Memorial, Andover Road, Newbury, West Berkshire - Archaeological Watching Brief (Ref: Site code FMN 09/86) |
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