George and Nicholas Monck

George Monck

George was the second son of Sir Thomas Monck (or Monk) and Elizabeth (Smith) and was born at Potheridge in Devon 6 December 1608. George was a distinguished naval captain and under Cromwell he was General of the land forces and Admiral at Sea. He was principally responsible for the restoration of Charles II to the throne in 1660 and for his services was created Duke of Albemarle. He died 3 January 1670 but the funeral did not take place until 30 April as the king had offered, but failed, to pay the expenses. Monck lies in a vault in the north aisle of Henry VII's chapel in Westminster Abbey. The armour from the funeral effigy which lay on his hearse still exists in the Abbey Museum. In 1653 he married Anne (Clarges) who died 29 January 1670 and lies with her husband.

Their only surviving son Christopher, 2nd Duke of Albemarle (1653-1688), Governor of Jamaica, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Cavendish (d.1734) also lie in the vault (they had no children).

Monument

The monument to George was not erected until the 1740s and stands in the south aisle of the chapel, as presumably there was no room for it in the aisle where he was buried. The inscription does not even mention Monck, just the names of those who erected it under the terms of Christopher's will:

"GRACE, Countess GRANVILLE Viscountess CARTERET Relict of GEORGE Ld. CARTERET Baron of HAWNES & youngest daughter of JOHN GRANVILLE Earl of Bath. JOHN Earl GOWER Viscount Trentham Baron of SITTENHAM grandson of Lady JANE LEVISON GOWER eldest daughter of ye. sd. Earl of BATH; BERNARD GRANVILLE, Esq.grandson of BERNARD GRANVILLE, brother to the said Earl of Bath have erected this monument in pursuance of ye will of CHRISTOPHER Duke of Albemarle"

Designed by William Kent and executed by Peter Scheemakers it shows a figure of George in armour holding a baton and a mourning woman above a portrait relief, thought to be Christopher.

Nicholas Monck

Nicholas, the third son of Sir Thomas Monck, was born about 1609 and died 17 December 1661. He married Susanna Payne and had two daughters. The Latin inscription on his monument in St Nicholas' chapel (which gives a wrong date of death) can be translated:

"In this chapel lies the body of the late Reverend Father in Christ Nicholas Monck, D.D., who was sometime Provost of Eton College, afterwards Bishop of Hereford; the most endeared brother to the most noble George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, Earl of Torrington, and Baron Monck of Potheridge; and was the chief and most successful assistant with him in that glorious Restoration of King Charles II, and the Church of England. He died 11 December 1661, closing, alas, too hastily, his course, at the opening of his 51st year. Christopher Rawlinson, of Cark in the county of Lancaster, Esquire, hath this lasting memory of his most worthy ancestor, devoutly erected this monument, 1723".

The sculptor was William Woodman and there is no representation of Nicholas on the monument. The Monck coat of arms is depicted ie. a red shield with a silver chevron between three silver lions' heads.

Photographs of the monuments can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library.

Portraits of George can be found at the National Portrait Gallery in London and some of his papers are at the British Library and the National Archives.

History