3-034-721 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Statue of Sir Michael de la Pole, at Hull, 1871. 'The connection of the ancient English family of De La Pole with the borough of Kingston-on-Hull is well known. Those merchant princes, whose offspring rose to rank among the proudest and most powerful nobles, and allied themselves with the Royal lineage, belonged to this East Yorkshire seaport town...A statue, by the...sculptor, Mr. W. D. Keyworth, of Michael De la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, who was Lord Chancellor of England in the reign of Richard II., has just been erected in the Townhall, being the gift of the Sheriffs of Hull to the Corporation. It represents the Lord Chancellor in his robes of office, richly bordered with fur, girt with a belt and pouch, in the fashion of his time. His attitude is that of stepping down the stairs from his court, and stopping to speak to some of those around him, which is a more lively and dramatic conception than is usually seen in works of sculpture. The artist, we believe, is connected with Hull by birth or family; and his works are a credit to Hull as well as to himself'. The sculptor, William Day Keyworth junior (1843-1902), suffered financial problems in later life, and committed suicide. From "Illustrated London News", 1871.