Richard Creed

Soldier

There are memorials to two people named Richard Creed in the south choir aisle of Westminster Abbey.

Major Richard Creed

This memorial consists of an oval mural tablet with military trophies and a carved coat of arms at the top - a chevron between three swans. The inscription reads:

To the memory of the honoured Major Richard Creed, who attended his late Majesty King William ye third in all his wars during his reign; every where signalizing himself & never more himself than when he look'd an enemy in the face. At the glorious battell of Blenheim A.D. 1704 he commanded one of those squadrons that began ye attack. In two several charges he remain'd unhurt but in ye third after many wounds receiv'd, still valiantly fighting, he was shot thro' ye head. His dead body was brought off by his brother at the hazard of his own life, and buried there. To his memory his sorrowful mother here erects this monument; placing it near another which her son when living us'd to look upon with pleasure for the worthy mention it makes of that great man Edward, Earl of Sandwich, to whom he had ye honour to be related, and whose heroic virtues he was ambitious to imitate. He was ye eldest son of John Creed of Oundle Esq. and Elizabeth his wife, only daughter of Sr Gilbert Pickering, Baronet, of Tichmarsh in Northamptonshire.

The monument was originally placed further west in the nave, next to the memorial to Cottrell and Harbord, which mentions the Earl of Sandwich. The monument was moved to its present position when the memorial to Major John Andre was erected in its place. Richard's father John (died 1701) was a naval administrator and his mother Elizabeth (died 1728) was an artist and niece of the Earl of Sandwich. They married on 6th October 1668 but of their eleven children only two sons and three daughters survived to maturity - John being the brother alluded to in the inscription. One of the daughters was called Jemima.

Lieutenant Richard Creed

His mural monument, put up by his father Richard, is by sculptor John Thomas, and is on the window ledge of the south choir aisle and the inscription reads:

In memory of Lieut. Richard Creed of the Bombay Artillery who was killed in the Upper Sinde on the 20th February 1841 whilst fighting at the head of a party of volunteers from his troop whom he had gallantly led to the assault of the Fort of Kujjuck, thus prematurely closing in the 12th year of his services in India and the 28th of his age, a career of high credit and brightest promise, throughout which his ability, prudence and devotion to duty secured not less the esteem of his superiors than his uniform kindness and conciliatory demeanour won the confidence and marked attachment of his humbler companions in arms. This tablet was erected by the officers of his regiment to whom his generous nature, amiable deportment and Christian virtues have in no common degree endeared his memory

The relationship between the two Creeds is not known.