HEXAB1009

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Rulers of Hexham Abbey Church

plaque | memorial

marble | alabaster

The Atkinson Memorial. The white marble and alabaster slabs bears the names of those in charge of the church from its foundation to 1945, in two columns. Inscription is all in caps. Gold etoile on blue disk above gold saltire on blue shield at top.
“The materials chosen are white marble and alabaster. The names of the rulers are arranged on two panels of the former, and the ornaments, shields of arms, and dedicatory inscription on the latter material. In the head, in a circle, is an étoile, or star of six rays, the arms ascribed in the middle ages to St Wilfrid, introduced here as being symbolical of him as the rising star of the fortunes of the Church of Hexham. Below are the arms of the Priory of Hexham, azure, a saltire or, for the recovery of which we are indebted to Sir Walter Scott's appreciation of the importance of heraldry. The border has a sunk arabesque design, at the four angles and two sides, interrupted by a guilloche, each twist of which is charged with a conventional flower; the same design is placed on the division between the panels … At the base is the date AD 1904, and the arms of Snowball, impaling Atkinson, crest a golden eagle rousant [rising] wings expanded argent, beaked and legged gules.” [Hex.Par.Mag. Mar 1905 p.21]

FOUNDED A.D. 674.

RULERS OF HEXHAM ABBEY CHURCH

FOUNDER		JOHN DE WALWORTH	1349–1358.
S^T WILFRID	674.	WILLIAM DE KENDAL	1358–1366.
BISHOPS		ALEXANDER DE MARTON	1367–1398.
TRUMBRITH	681–684.	JOHN DE HEXHAM	1399–1409.
S^T CUTHBERT	684.	WILLIAM DE WOODHORN	1409–1428.
S^T EATA	685.	JOHN DE BRAWBY	1428–1443.
S^T JOHN OF BEVERLEY	685.	THOMAS FERRER	1443–1457.
S^T WILFRID	686–692&705–709.	JOHN WELLES	1457–1475.
S^T ACCA	709–733.	WILLIAM BYWELL	1476–1480.
S^T FRUITHBERT	734–766.	ROWLAND LESCHMAN	1480–1491.[sic, actually 1480–1499]
S^T ALCHMUND	767–780.	THOMAS SMITHSON	1491–1524.[sic, actually 1499–1524]
S^T TILBERT	780–789.	EDWARD JAY	1524–1536.
ETHELBERT	789–797.	CURATES & LECTURERS
EADRED	797–800.	JOHN MEKE C.	1567.
EANBERT	800–806.	JOHN DOBSON C.	1587.
TIDFRITH	806–821.(?)	ANTHONIE THOMPSON C.	1603.
PROVOSTS		BENONI STEERE	L.1628 C.1635.
TEIN COLLAN I.	990–1018.	THOMAS TILHAM L.	1651.
TEIN ULKILL I.	1020–1041.	GEO. RITSCHELL C.L.	1655.
COLLAN II.	1042–1056.	GEO. RITSCHELL junr.C.L.	1683.
ULKILL II.	1056.	THOS. ANDREWS L.	1717.
UTHRED	1056–1072.	WILLIAM GRAHAM C.	1724.
PRIESTS		WILLIAM TOTTON L.	1758.
ÆLFRED WESTOU	1021.	PETER RUMNEY C.	1765.
EILAF LARWA	1042–1100.	SLOUGHTER CLARKE L.	1766.
EILAF HIS SON	OB:1138.	GEORGE BUSBY C.	1771.
PRIORS		JOSEPH FELL L.	1788.
ASKETILL	1114–1130.	WILLIAM FLEMING C.	1799.
ROBERT BISETH	1130–1141.	ROBERT CLARKE L.	1801.
RICHARD [prob.d.<1167]	1142–1174.	ANTHONY HEDLEY C.	1809.
JOHN [prob.from <1167]	1174–1209.	JOHN GIBSON C.	1814.
WILLIAM	1209–1215.	CHARLES LEE L.	1824.
BERNARD	1215–1242.	WILLIAM AIREY C.	1826.
JOHN DE LAZENBY	1242–1271.	JOSEPH HUDSON C.	1845.
HENRY DE MERDENE	1269–1281.	RECTORS & LECTURERS
WILLIAM DEL CLAY	1281–1292.	HENRY CHRISTOPHER BARKER
THOMAS DE FENWICK	1293–1311.	L. 1862. R. 1866.
GILBERT DE BOROBRIDGE	1311.	EDWIN SIDNEY SAVAGE
ROBERT DE WHELPINGTON	1312–1328.	R. 1898. L. 1902.
THOMAS DE APPLETON	1328–1345.	JAMES VAUX CORNELL FARQUHAR	R.L.1919
JOHN DE BRIDEKIRK	1345–1349.	ARCHIBALD GEORGE HARDIE	R.L.1945

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF LEONARD WILSON ATKINSON,
LATE CAPT: KING'S DRAGOON GUARDS, OF NEWBIGGIN, HEXHAM,
DIED OCT^R 19^TH 1904, AGED 68.
ALSO OF JANE DOROTHY ATKINSON, HIS ELDEST SISTER,
DIED AT NEWBIGGIN MARCH 7^TH 1901, AGED 66.
“BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHO DIE IN THE LORD.”
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY THEIR SURVIVING BROTHER AND SISTERS.
A. D.
19 04

2^nd line of heading larger than 1^st; the 7 decorated headings in larger font all red

C C Hodges [designer] | Mr G W Milburn of York [sculptor]

1905

‘The surviving brother and sisters of the late Mr Leonard Wilson Atkinson, of Newbiggin, Hexham, and his late sister, have decided to erect a mural memorial tablet in Hexham Abbey. This tablet will record the names of the rulers and ministers of the ancient church of Hexham in each status, from that of St Wilfrid, the founder, in 674, through its position as the church of a Northumbrian See, a priory of Austin Canons, down to that of the parish church as it is today, ending with the name of the present rector—a record of 1,231 years. The design has been intrusted to Mr C C Hodges, of Hexham, who carried out the memorials to Cædmon at Whitby, the Armstrong Memorial, and that to the Venerable Bede at Monkwearmouth.’ [Building News Vol.88 No.2614 1905 Feb 10 p.202]
On April 27^th the mural tablet was unveiled by the Bishop of Newcastle. [Hex.Par.Mag. May 1905]
“It was agreed that the Mural Tablet in the South Transept recording the names of the Founders, Incumbents, &c., of the Abbey be repaired and cleaned.” [Churchwardens' Minutes HEXAB5086 02/11/1920]
“It was decided that nothing further be done at present.” [Churchwardens' Minutes HEXAB5086 11/02/1921]
Modification was needed to enable Archibald Hardie's name to be added at the bottom. Bottom line used to be “NB: C.CURATE L.LECTURER R.RECTOR”. See HEXAB1001 for later Rectors.
‘In memory of Leonard Wilson ATKINSON of Newcastle b. 24 June. 1836, d. 19 Oct. 1904, late Captain, Kings Dragoon Guards. … Also Jane Dorothy their eldest daughter b. 4 Mar. 1835 d. 7 Mar. 1901. “Perfect peace”.’ [from inscription at cemetery 30/68: see URL]

Aug 2022: Thanks to Prof. Julian Luxford, a long-standing erroneous date, 1491, for the death of Prior Leschman, has been corrected to 1499.
Jun 2023: See last URL for article about the lack of a Curate's name between 1717 & 1724.
Nov 2023: Most sources more recent than J W Fawcett in 1903 have death of Prior Richard before 1167.

H 2.14 m | W 1.27 m | D 10 cm

Foot 1.32 m from floor

South Transept/South Wall lower

CND: STSW1
1904: “alabaster mural Tablet recording Abbey rulers £100” [Hex.Par.Mag. Mar 1904 p18]
1905. 25^th day of February. To place a mural tablet in memory of Atkinson. Faculty reg. no.1. Faculty no.244, NRO EP.184/80. Hex. Parish Mag. Mar. 1905, p.20.