Yarborough Monument (The), Culver Down
The Grade II listed[1] Yarborough monument was erected in 1849 by public subscription in memory of Charles Anderson Pelham, 2nd Earl of Yarborough.
Lord Yarborough lived at Appuldurcombe House, Wroxall, which had been inherited by Henrietta, his wife, from her uncle, Sir Richard Worsley.
In 1825 he has been appointed the first Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes and during his time in that position, the popularity of yachting, and membership of the Squadron had grown.
After his sudden death in 1846, the committee of the Squadron proposed a ‘Nautical Monument’ or ‘Sea Mark’ in his memory and contributed £200 towards the cost – the Yarborough Monument was the result.
The monument had originally been erected further to the west on top of the Bembridge Down but was moved to its current position in 1867 to make way for the Bembridge Down Fort which was part of Lord Palmerston’s defence system for the Solent.
Inscriptions on the monument read:
| [West side] TO THE MEMORY OF CHARLES ANDERSON PELHAM EARL OF YARBOROUGH BARON YARBOROUGH OF YARBOROUGH IN THE COUNTY OF LINCOLN BARON WORSLEY OF APPULDURCOMBE IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT D.C.L. F.R.S. F.S.A. WHOSE BENEVOLENCE KINDNESS, HEART AND MANY VIRTUES ENDEARED HIM TO ALL WHO KNEW HIM THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED AS TESTIMONY AFFECTION AND RESPECT BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION [East side] AS THE OWNER OF LARGE ESTATES HE WAS ONE OF THOSE MOST CONSPICUOUS FOR THE QUALITIES WHICH PECULIARLY ADORN THAT STATION AND AS THE FIRST COMMODORE OF THE ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON HE WAS EMINENT IN FOSTERING AND ENCOURAGING BY HIS EXAMPLE AND LIBERALITY ALL THAT WAS CALCULATED TO IMPROVE THE SCIENCE OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE AND TO ADVANCE THE MARITIME INTERESTS OF HIS COUNTRY HE DIED ON BOARD HIS YACHT THE KESTREL IN THE PORT OF VIGO IN SPAIN SEPTEMBER 5TH 1846 AGED 65 |
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