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St John the Baptist's (Lady Chapel), Mersham, Kent: Monument to Sir Wyndham Knatchbull-Wyndham, 6th Baronet, probably commissioned by Sir Edward Knatchbull, 7th Baronet, 1763, executed (2)
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St John the Baptist's (Lady Chapel), Mersham, Kent: Monument to Sir Wyndham Knatchbull-Wyndham, 6th Baronet, probably commissioned by Sir Edward Knatchbull, 7th Baronet, 1763, executed (2)
Signed and dated
- 1763
Notes
St John the Baptist's church, which contains various Knatchbull family monuments, is local to Hatch House (now Mersham Le Hatch), the home of the Knatchbull family from 1486. Sir Wyndham Knatchbull-Wyndham, 6th Baronet (1737-63). He succeeded his father in 1749, he served as MP for Kent in 1760-63, and was a subscriber to Adam's Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia, published a year after his death, in 1764. He died unmarried, and the title reverted to his uncle Sir Edward Knatchbull, 7th Baronet (1704-89), who had previously served as MP for Armagh Borough in the Irish House of Commons in 1727-60.
Hatch House was started by Sir Wyndham in 1762, and completed by his uncle, Sir Edward, in 1772, all to designs by Robert Adam. As Sir Edward retained Robert Adam as his architect at Hatch House, he also doubtless commissioned this monument on the death of his nephew. Sir Edward was described by Pevsner and Newman as 'tight with his money', and this may explain the simplicity of the monument. It is an elegant tablet, executed to Adam's design, albeit with minor alterations to the details, and sculpted in 1765 by William Tyler RA (c1728-1801) at a cost of £38-6s-6d. The monument remains in situ in the Lady Chapel of St John the Baptist's church in Mersham.
See also: Hatch House (now Mersham-le-Hatch), Mersham, Kent
Literature:
A.T. Bolton, The architecture of Robert and James Adam, 1922, Volume II, pp. 17, 78; N. Pevsner, and J. Newman, The buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, 1976, pp. 423-25; J. Ingamells, A dictionary of British and Irish travellers in Italy: 1701-1800, 1997, p. 581; D. King, The complete works of Robert & James Adam and unbuilt Adam, 2001, Volume I, pp. 363, 365, 367; A.N. Newman, ‘Knatchbull Wyndham, Sir Wyndham, 6th Bt. (1737-63), of Mersham Hatch, Kent', History of Parliament online; 'Mersham Le Hatch, Mersham', www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk
Frances Sands, 2012
Hatch House was started by Sir Wyndham in 1762, and completed by his uncle, Sir Edward, in 1772, all to designs by Robert Adam. As Sir Edward retained Robert Adam as his architect at Hatch House, he also doubtless commissioned this monument on the death of his nephew. Sir Edward was described by Pevsner and Newman as 'tight with his money', and this may explain the simplicity of the monument. It is an elegant tablet, executed to Adam's design, albeit with minor alterations to the details, and sculpted in 1765 by William Tyler RA (c1728-1801) at a cost of £38-6s-6d. The monument remains in situ in the Lady Chapel of St John the Baptist's church in Mersham.
See also: Hatch House (now Mersham-le-Hatch), Mersham, Kent
Literature:
A.T. Bolton, The architecture of Robert and James Adam, 1922, Volume II, pp. 17, 78; N. Pevsner, and J. Newman, The buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, 1976, pp. 423-25; J. Ingamells, A dictionary of British and Irish travellers in Italy: 1701-1800, 1997, p. 581; D. King, The complete works of Robert & James Adam and unbuilt Adam, 2001, Volume I, pp. 363, 365, 367; A.N. Newman, ‘Knatchbull Wyndham, Sir Wyndham, 6th Bt. (1737-63), of Mersham Hatch, Kent', History of Parliament online; 'Mersham Le Hatch, Mersham', www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk
Frances Sands, 2012
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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