Wall monument in Unknown Townland

17th-century wall-memorial (H 0.54m x Wth 0.52m) of Sir Henry Wallop (c. 1531-99) Vice-Treasurer of Ireland located in the south choir aisle of St Patrick’s Cathedral (DU018-020269-) (Fenton 2012, 178-9). Described in the Urban Survey of Dublin City (Bradley and King 1988, Vol. 1, 86-7) as; ‘Sir Henry Wallop. 1608. Wall memorial brass in south choir aisle. Rectangular plaque, decorated with two coats of arms in a medallion above and an inscription in Roman letters: NEARE VNTO THIS PLACE LYETH THE WORTHIE KNIGHT sr HENRYE WALLOP, OF FARLEY -WALLOP, IN THE COVNTYE OF SOVTHT, IN THE REALME OF ENGLAND WHOE FAITHFULLYE SERVED QVEENE ELIZABETH IN THIS KINGDOME AS VICETREASVRRER AND TREASVRER AR WARRES, BY THE SPACE OF XIX YEARES AND EIGHTE MONETHES, & WAS LO: IVSTICE WthIN THIS REALME IOINTLYE WITH THE LORD CHAVNCELLOr OF THIS REALME ALMOSTE BY THE SPACE OF 2 YEARES, IN THE YEARES OF OUR LORD GOD '1582 , 1583 AND 1584 IN WHICH TIME THE WARRES OF DESMOND WERE ENDED AND HIS HEADE SENT INTO ENGLAND. BESIDES MANY OTHER WEIGHTIE CAVSES COMITTED TO HIS CHARDGE DVRING HIS SAYD SERVICE, HE DEPTED THIS LIFE THE XIIII DAY OF APRILL: 1599. HE WAS SONNE AND HEIRE OF Sr OLIVER KNIGHT BROTHER AND HEIRE OF sr IOHN WALLOP, OF THE MOSTE HONORA. ORDER OF THE GARTER AND LIEFTENNANT OF THE CASTLE & COUNTY OF GVYSNES IN FRANCE, NEPHEWE & HEIRE OF sr ROBERT WALLOP KNIGHT. HERE ALSO LYETH DAME KATHERINE HIS WIFE, DAVGHTER OF RICHARD GIFFORD OF SOMBORNE, IN THE SAIDE COVNTY OF SOVTHAMPTON ESQ: AND ANN HIS WIFE DAVGHTER TO sr WILLIAM GORINGE OF BVRTON IN THE COVNTYE OF SVS: SEX KNIGHTE WHO DYED THE XVIth IVLYE 1599 ALSO HERE LYETH OLIVER WALLOP YOVNGER SONNE OF THE SAYDE sr HENRYE WALLOP AND DAME KATHERINE WHO WAS SLAYNE IN SERVICE AGAINST Ye MOVNTAIE REBELLS Ye XVth OF IVN 1598. THIS INSCRIPTION WAS HERE AFFIXED THE Vlth DAYE OF MARCH 1608 BY sr HENRYE WALLOP KNIGHTE SOLE SVRVIVINGE SONNE AND HEIRE OF THE SAIDE sr HENRYE WALLOP DECEA: SED AND A FAYER MONVMENT HEREOF PLACED IN THE CHVRCH OF BASINGSTOAKE IN THE SAYDE COVNTYE OF SOVTHT. ACCORDINGE TO THE APPOYNTMENT OF Ye SAYDE sr HENRYE HIS LASTE WILL & TESTAMET’ (Mason 1820, xlix). The brass memorial was described by Heather King (1994, 128-9) as; 'This rectangular plaque was originally in the north side of the choir according to Mason and Borlase (Bernard 1906, 528) but has been in the south choir aisle since the Guinness restoration in 1864. It is the only remaining portion of a much larger wall tomb which was illustrated in Monumenta Eblanae (p. 62). It is undecorated apart from its inscription, which is in Roman lettering: 'NEARE VNTO THIS PLACE LYETH THE WORTHIE KNIGHT SR / HENRYE WALLOP, OF FARLEY-WALLOP, IN THE COVNTYE OF SOVTHT, / IN THE REALME OF ENGLAND, WHOE FAITHFVLLYE SERVED / QVEENE ELIZABETH IN THIS KINGDOME AS VICETREASVRER / AND TREASVRER AT WARRES, BY THE SPACE OF XIX YEARES AND / EIGHTE MONETHES, & WAS LO: IVSTICE WTHIN THIS REALME IOINTLYE / WITH THE LORD CHAVNCELLOR OF THIS REALME ALMOSTE BY THE / SPACE OF 2 YEARES, IN THE YEARES OF OR LORD GOD 1582, 1583 / AND 1584, IN WHICH TIME THE WARRES OF DESMOND WERE ENDED / AND HIS HEAD SENT INTO ENGLAND, BESIDES MANYE OTHER / WEIGHTIE CAVSES COMITTED TO HIS CHARDGE DVRING HIS SAYD / SERVICE, HE DEPTED THIS LIFE THE XIIII DAY OF APRILL; 1599./ HE WAS SONNE AND HEIRE OF SR OLIVER WALLOP KNIGHT BROTHER / AND HEIRE OF SR IOHN WALLOP, OF THE MOSTE HONORA. ORDER / OF THE GARTER AND LIEFTENNANT OF THE CASTLE & COVNTY/ OF GV\SNES IN FRANCE, NEPHEWE & HEIRE OF / SR ROBERT WALLOP KNIGHT. HERE ALSO LYETH DAME KATHERINE HIS WIFE, DAVGHTER / OF RICHARD GIFFORD OF SOMBORNE, IN THE SAIDE COVNTY / OF SOVTH AMPTON ESQ: AND ANN HIS WIFE DAVGHTER TO / SR WILLIAM GORINGE OF BVRTON IN THE COVNTYE OF SVS:/ SEX KNIGHTE , WHO DYED THE XVITH IVLYE 1599 / ALSO HERE LYETH OLIVER WALLOP YOVNGER SONNE OF THE / SAYDE SR HENRYE WALLOP AND DAME KATHERINE WHO WAS /SLAYNE IN SERVICE AGAINST YE MOVNTAIE REBELLS YE XVTH OF IVN 1598 THIS INSCRIPTION WAS HERE AFFIXED THE VITH DAYE OF MARCH 1608 BY SR HENRYE WALLOP KNIGHTE SOLE SVRVIVINGE / SONNE AND HEIRE OF THE SAIDE SR HENRYE WALLOP DECEA:/ SED AND A FAYER MONVMENT HERE PLACED IN THE CHVRCH / OF BASINGSTOAKE IN THE SAYDE COVNTYE OF SOVTHT. ACCOR / DINGE TO THE APPOYNTMENT OF YE SAYDE SR / HENRYE HIS LAST WILL & TESTAMET'. This brass is probably 'Southwark' work of the late sixteenth century (Norris 1977, 221-2)'.   According to Fenton (2012, 179), ‘Sir Henry, his wives and his son Oliver (killed by rebels in 1598) were buried in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and the very fine brass in their memory, probably Southwork work of the late 16th century, was erected on the 6th of March 1608 by his son, Sir Henry Wallop'.  The Dictionary of Irish Biography recorded that Sir Henry Wallop was the 'eldest son of Sir Oliver Wallop of Farleigh, Hampshire, England, and his wife Bridget Pigott of Beachampton, Buckinghamshire. At an unknown date, he married Katherine, daughter of Richard Gifford of King's Somborne, Hampshire. Both his father and his father-in-law were prominent and early promoters of the protestant reformation. Following his father's death in 1566, he inherited one of the largest estates in Hampshire, and began to play a leading role in the administration and politics of the county. Reflecting his status, he was knighted (1569) and returned as MP (1572) for Southampton, where he had a second residence. During the 1570s he was appointed to a number of local government commissions, impressing his superiors with his protestant zeal and knowledge of commercial affairs. Thus in summer 1579 the secretary of state, Sir Francis Walsingham, arranged his appointment as vice-treasurer of Ireland. He had not sought this promotion, knew nothing about Ireland, and asked for time to settle his private affairs before taking up his office. However, the eruption of the second Desmond rebellion (1579–83) in Munster a few months previously made his presence in Ireland essential, and he landed at Waterford on 12 September. He resided at the White Friars in the suburbs of Dublin, having bought a lease of the property of the dissolved religious house of the White Friars. About 1585 he moved his residence to Bagotragh, Co. Dublin. The vice-treasurership was a powerful and lucrative office, particularly during a time of war, when the holder enjoyed virtually unsupervised control over the disbursement of large subsidies sent from England. Like many newly arrived English administrators Wallop regarded Irish society as irredeemably backward due to its Gaelic culture and catholic religion, and advocated its total refashioning on English lines. Wallop was one of the ardent advocates in Dublin for the colonisation of Ireland by English settlers in order to promote the civilisation and economic growth of the island. By summer 1583 he was buying land within the Slaney valley and around Enniscorthy. In Easter 1585 he bought a lease of the manor of Enniscorthy and immediately set about rebuilding Enniscorthy castle, breaking up rocks that obstructed the Slaney river in order to make it navigable for another 5–6 miles (8–10 km), and settling English and Irish tenants on these lands. In August 1586 he bought a lease of the friary of Enniscorthy, and in December 1587 the queen granted him a lease of the property of the dissolved abbey of Selskar. Furthermore, the bishop of Ferns granted him 1,500 acres of church property on a ninety-year lease (1588). The Enniscorthy region had previously been uncultivated and lawless, but under Wallop a flourishing English colony emerged, bringing with it a greater degree of prosperity and security. Such was its growth that in November 1587 the government licensed the establishment of a weekly market at Enniscorthy. About 1590–92 he established English lumberjacks on his Wexford estate to fell trees on his lands, and erected a mill at Enniscorthy to saw the logs into planks, which were then transported along the River Slaney to Wexford town for shipment abroad. In January 1594 Wallop secured licence to export timber to certain ports in France and to the Spanish islands of Madeira and the Canaries.  Co. Wexford had being spared the destructive violence that had consumed most of Ireland, but in May 1598 O'More and Kavanagh rebels inflicted a decisive defeat on Wallop's company, which had been charged with protecting the county. As a result, Wallop's property in north Wexford was devastated by the rebels, with only his castle at Enniscorthy holding out. The death of his son Oliver that summer in a battle with rebel forces at Saggart, Co. Kildare, compounded his misery. Demoralised, in poor health, and assailed by renewed charges of corruption, he redoubled his efforts to secure permission to return to England, and in March 1599 the queen relented by allowing him to resign as vice-treasurer. However, she stipulated that he remain in Dublin for a time to advise his successor, Sir George Carey, which indicates that despite her harsh criticisms of Wallop, she valued his experience and efficiency. In the event, he died in Dublin on 14 April 1599, the very day of Carey's arrival in the city to replace him, and was buried in St Patrick's cathedral. He was succeeded by his surviving son, Henry' (Clavin 2009).   Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien