Friends of Woking Palace

St Peter’s Church part three

 

 

At the time that John Aubrey wrote his The Natural History and Antiquities of Surrey (1673-92) there were a number of memorials in St Peter’s church which relate to Woking Palace. Aubrey’s book is helpful in listing these. Many have disappeared but some remain today including the inscription on the Gallery ‘This Gallery was erected at the Charge of the Right Worshipfull Sr.Edward Zouch Kt. and Knight Marshall of England, An. Dni. 1622’. James II had granted the Palace to Sir Edward in 1620.

 

The Zouch memorial, with its Latin inscription which in translation appears fulsome and strangely worded, is now in the south wall of the chancel. At the time Aubrey was writing, this was on the north wall, but the commemorative brass plate was moved when the new vestry and organ chamber were erected at the end of the nineteenth century.

 

A translation of the Latin text of the memorial is

 

THE TOMB

 

of Lord Edward Zouch, a most noble and glorious gentleman, a golden knight of their most serene majesties King James and King Charles, a princely Marshal for as long as he lived.

 

The Zouch family rightly placed in this marble vault all that is mortal of the earthly traveller. A sense of duty, a pristine loyalty, the gratitude of monarchs, generous strength of mind, candour and integrity, bountiful skill, attachment to his family, a noble pedigree, and an extensive holding of landed property all these ought to have kept any man free of death; at all events, verily this man ought not to have been capable of dying. However, envious death has by no means snatched him wholly away. It possesses nothing other than the spoils of his body (or his physical attributes). The better of him has reached heaven, whence it originally came. Our sense of loss and his reputation outlive this world.

 

His grieving (or mourning) spouse justly longs for her husband (or rightly mourns) the best of husbands

 

He departed this life on the seventh day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and thirty four.

 

© Phillip Arnold 2006

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Last modified: 12th May 2008
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Text Box: CHURCH OPENING St Peter’s is not normally open to the public other than on Open Days but it is usually open from 1 pm to 3 pm on Saturdays after Easter. The church is now open in 2008 on Saturdays from 12th April but not on 3rd and 31st May, 7th June, 26th July, 2nd August and 18th October when there are weddings taking place on those days.