3-017-344 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Uncovering the equestrian statue of the late Field Marshal Lord Combermere at Chester, 1865. 'Sir Edward Cust, introduced by Earl Grosvenor, made a speech concerning the gallant services and character of the late Field Marshal, by whose side he had fought his earliest battles in Spain. The statue [in front of the castle gate] was then uncovered, the troops presented arms, the bands played, and the bells in every church tower of the city rang a merry peal...The statue is equestrian, and of bronze. The likeness was considered correct, and the monument, as a whole, was much admired. The gallant Field Marshal is seated on a horse of fine proportions, his head is bared, and he is in the act of giving a salute...The cost of the erection, subscribed by the inhabitants of Cheshire, is upwards of £6000, and of this sum £3000 has been paid to the artist, Baron Marochetti. The pedestal bears the following inscriptions: "Erected in honour of Stapleton Cotton, Viscount Combermere, Field Marshal. Bom 1773; died 1865." On the reverse side,...[a list of the] places where the deceased had distinguished himself as a soldier'. From "Illustrated London News", 1865.