Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon & Family

Soldier, Statesman and Politician

The monument to Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon (1526-1596) in St John the Baptist's chapel is the tallest in Westminster Abbey, at thirty-six feet high. It is made of alabaster and marble with a considerable display of heraldry, which includes the Carey arms – "argent, on a bend sable three roses of the field" (ie. a silver shield with a black bar diagonally across it from top left to bottom right with three silver roses on it). His crest is a swan and his motto "Comme je trouve" (As I find it).

The other shields on the obelisks in front of the tomb are for the families of Spencer, Bruer, Wake, Beauford, Meschem, Gaunt, Kent, Brian, Curcy, Estotville, Holland, St Leger, St Omer, Walthof, Bigod, Fastolf, Malmains, Macmurch, Marshall, Holway, Wichingham, Fitzion, Strongbow, Staplton, Teies, Rochford, Butler, Bracton, Barkley, Ormond, Bullen, Hanckford, Pipard, Hoo, Carict, Orchard, Lisle, Manduit, Gware, Casneto, Gerard, Beauchamp, Warwick, Harcourt, Abtot, Tony and Newburgh, to whom he was obviously in some way related. The heraldry on the monument was re-painted in the late 1950s.

Inscription

The monument was erected between 1600 and 1603 by his widow and son George, and the Latin inscription (which assumes that Anne will later join Henry) can be translated :

Consecrated for the burial of the Hunsdon family. Here sleeps in the Lord Henry Carey, Baron Hunsdon, one-time Governor of the town of Berwick, Warden of the east marches towards Scotland, Captain of the gentleman-pensioners, Chief Justice of the Forests south of the Trent, Knight of the Order of the Garter, Lord Chamberlain of the Lady Queen Elizabeth, sworn of the Privy Council, and first cousin to the aforesaid Queen. Together with him is buried Anne, his dearest wife, daughter of Thomas Morgan, knight, who bore him many children, of whom there survive George, John, Edmund and Robert, knights, Catherine, Countess of Nottingham, Philadelphia, Baroness Scrope, and Margaret, Lady Hoby.

He died 23 July 1596 aged 71. His son, George Carey, Baron Hunsdon, member of the Order of the Garter, Captain-General of the Isle of Wight, Chamberlain of the household to Queen Elizabeth, Privy Councillor, and his wife Anne, placed this monument to the best of fathers and dearest of husbands, in his honour and memory, and being mindful of their own and their family's mortality.

Henry Carey's life

Henry was the only son of William Carey (son of Thomas, and grandson of Sir William Carey) who died in 1528, and Mary (died 1543, burial place unknown), sister of Queen Anne Boleyn and daughter of Thomas Boleyn (or Bullen), Earl of Wiltshire (who died in 1539 and is buried at St Peter's church, Hever in Kent near the family home). Mary was a mistress of Henry VIII and some writers have conjectured that the king was actually the father of her child.

Henry's sister, Dame Katherine Knollys, is buried and has a wall monument in St Edmund's chapel in the Abbey.

In 1545 Henry Carey married Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Morgan of Arkestone in Herefordshire, and in 1559 he was created Baron Hunsdon of Hunsdon (in Hertfordshire). They had 10 children. The youngest was Robert, who was created Baron Carey of Leppington and then 1st Earl of Monmouth in 1626. Robert had wanted to be buried with his parents but instead his son Henry interred him in Rickmansworth church.

Henry died at Somerset House in London and Elizabeth I paid for his funeral at the Abbey. Anne died on 19th January 1607 and was buried with Henry.

Carey Family

Other members of the family buried with Henry and Anne in the vault beneath this chapel include their son George, 2nd Baron Hunsdon (died 8th September 1603) and his wife Elizabeth (Spencer) (buried on 2nd March 1618). He was knighted for military services at Berwick, was a Member of Parliament, Marshal of the Queen's Household, and Knight Marshal and Captain of the Isle of Wight. He built a house at Carisbrooke Castle. His widow married Ralph, Lord Eure.

Henry Carey, Lord Leppington, grandson of the 2nd Earl of Monmouth, who died very young and was buried on 24th May 1653.

Anne Carey, buried on 27th December 1661, was an unmarried daughter of the 4th Baron Hunsdon and 1st Earl of Dover and his wife Judith (Pelham).

Robert Carey, 7th Baron, buried on 17th September 1702, is also in the vault. Robert was son of Ernestus Carey (brother of Horatio who was father of the 6th Baron Hunsdon) and was an officer in the army and died unmarried.

The names of those buried in the vault are all recorded on a modern stone in front of the monument.

See also the separte entry for Sir John Carey, Earl of Dover, eldest son of Henry 4th Baron Hunsdon.

Thomas Carey

In the same chapel is a mural wall monument, with an heraldic achievement, to Thomas Carey, who was born on 16th September 1597, second son of Robert, Earl of Monmouth, and his wife Elizabeth (Trevanion) His brother Henry Carey (died 1661) became 2nd Earl of Monmouth. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, and served at the Madrid embassy and travelled in Europe. He was a groom of the bedchamber to Charles I, as Prince and King. As a Member of Parliament he served in various Duchy of Cornwall constituencies. In about 1627 he married Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Smith, and they had three daughters. The unmarried daughter Frances was buried in the vault on 24th November 1653. Daughter Philadelphia (died 1663) married Sir Henry Lyttelton, and the other daughter Elizabeth (died 1679) married John Mordaunt.

He died on 9th April 1634 in Whitehall. He was buried in the family vault on 14th April although he does not appear in the Abbey burial register.

The Latin inscription can be translated:

Here is buried a man of great family and greater talents, THOMAS CARY, who died in the 33rd year of his age. Whatever still survived of nobility - the second son of the earl of Monmouth - whatever of virtue - the illustrious example - whatever was dearest to King Charles I - whom he served in the bedchamber with pious devotion - did not utterly perish before the year 1648, when it was found necessary to destroy everything excellent. He expired, and a most noble family, lacking a male heir, died out, as if prodigal nature, in fashioning him, had exhausted all the powers of the race. Go hence, traveller, and mingle the numbness of reverence and grief

The reference to the execution of Charles I in January 1649 is given in Old Style dating on the tablet ie.1648.

The coats of arms are of Carey, Holland, Beauchamp and Newburgh. It seems this tablet was not erected until many years after his death and is possibly by sculptor William Stanton. It was in place by 1682 as it is mentioned in an Abbey guide of that year which says the tablet "was placed of late" which seems to imply it was put up not long before that guide was published.

His age given on the tablet is incorrect. Nor was Thomas the last of his line as the inscription seems to imply. This branch of the family did however die out as Henry, his brother, had no heir.