Scale of feet - 1/3 inch to 1 foot (approximately)

pencil (Soane) dimensions of 3 (three times) and 6 feet

• see Notes below

Pen, pink and yellow ochre washes, pencil additions on laid secretary paper (316 x 199)

attributed to Thomas Poynder junior, bricklayer and partly copied from 'a plan in the possession of Mr Mawley' (see Notes below)

Britannia holding lance, shield and olive branch within crowned oval

Mrs Soane died in the early hours of 22 November 1815 and the date of 1 December 1815 (SM 63/7/2) is the day on which she was buried. For an account of Mrs Soane's illness, death and funeral see S. Palmer, The Soanes at home: domestic life at Lincoln's Inn Fields, 1997, pp.70-80.

Summerson's account (op.cit., above) suggests that 'she was buried ... in the burial ground of St Giles-in-the Fields ... [and] we must assume that the coffin was transferred [to the vault] in due course'. Bowdler and Woodward (op.cit., above) suggest that the vault was constructed 'in the days before the funeral' and internment in that vault took place on 1 December 1815.

A bricklayer's bill from Thomas Poynder & Son (16/17/1) dated '1816 / Feb^y 26 / to / April 28' gives a list of work done and of materials supplied. It begins: 'Digging out ground building wall round vault / making drain filling in and levelling ground / pointing & bricking up end of vault' and ends: 'Received June 11^th 1816 of John Soane Esq^re / One hundred & Seven Pounds seventeen / shillings & 4½ in full for Bricklayers / work done in S^t Giles Burying Ground / for Father & Self / Thos^s Poynder'.

The site for vault and monument was chosen because the Soanes' home at 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields was within the parish of St Giles in the Fields, Holborn. After the churchyard of St Giles (re-built by Henry Flitcroft, 1731-3) became overfull a new burial ground was opened in 1802 or 1803 next to but separate from the newly enlarged graveyard of St Pancras Old Church. In 1877 the St Giles burial ground and part of the Old St Pancras churchyard were turned into a public garden (St Pancras Gardens).

Drawing SM 63/7/2 and this drawing both show the extra ground purchased by Soane for £37.16.0 paid to Mr D. Bugden on 19 February 1816 (Journal 6 -200) which added an area of 4 x 9 feet to the plot of 7 x 9 feet 6 inches already agreed.

The site plan (SM 63/7/2) has a north point which does not tally with the orientation of the built monument that lies with the entrance to the south while the drawing shows the entrance to the vault as to the west. So that either SM 63/7/72 is inaccurate or the site was changed.

J. Summerson, 'Sir John Soane and the furniture of death', p. 135, The Unromantic castle and other essays, 1990; B. Cherry and N. Pevsner, London 4: North, 1998, p.348; R. Bowdler and C. Woodward, '"An Ornamental Structure and Very Likely to be Damaged... ": Sir John Soane's tomb in St Pancras Gardens, London', p. 248, Architectural History, 42, 1999

Drawing

Digitisation of the Drawings Collection has been made possible through the generosity of the Leon Levy Foundation

If you have any further information about this object, please contact us: drawings@soane.org.uk