Page 53 - Hampdens Monument Unveiled

The Hampden Memorial and Commemoration
Oxford Chronicle June 24 1843

Honour to Lord Nugent -much honour (and some blame), for this
design of commemorating Hampden which he has accomplished.
Hampden's name is indeed his best monument, and the "Memorials
of Hampden and his Times", given to the world in two
interesting volumes, by Lord Nugent, is a worthy record of the
man, and of the period. But there was a propriety in marking,
by some memorial, the spot rendered sacred by the struggle even
unto death, of this illustrious martyr to the great cause of
English freedom ; the design was entertained & completed by
Lord Nugent's exertions, and therefore he has the earnest
heartfelt thanks of his countrymen.

But for the manner of accomplishing this design his Lordship
must suffer a word of friendly rebuke. It is the misfortune of
Lord Nugent and of his class to know little of their fellow
countrymen -the great English People. Hence imperfect
sympathies and distrust; and hence, perhaps, the ignorance of
the whole kingdom of the projected design, and, as a
consequence, a monument which will not bear the frosts of fifty
winters, and a commemoration, which, to a considerable extent,
was a great occasion lost. Had the design been made known only
to "the associated counties of Oxford and Bucks," and a few
simple arrangements been made, we venture to assert, that an
obelisk, which should have outlived the Chiltern Hills would
have been raised : Scotland, the land of HAMPDEN'S compatriots,
and our own Dartmoor, should have furnished granite, in which
the illustrious name should have stood "graven in the living
rock forever."

Again, the occasion was, to a great extent, lost. Lord
Nugent, it was said, expected some "forty or fifty" persons to
meet him : but imperfectly known as the design was, and
imperfect as the arrangements were, some two thousand persons,
many from a considerable distances, gathered upon the Field,
and expected, naturally expected, that their feelings on the
occasion would have found utterance, and that,

"Thoughts that breathe and words that burn"

-would have marked the commemoration of Hampden at Chalgrove
Field.

But it was not so : and hence great and natural disappointment.
But though the two thousand upon The Field were disappointed,
the two hundred who afterwards filled the spacious barn were
gratified. The speech of Lord Nugent will be found faithfully
reported in our account of the dinner : we scarcely need