Statue Of Third Marquess Of Londonderry

Statue of the Third Marquess of Londonderry

This is an equestrian statue in the Market Place, Durham, commemorating Charles William Vane Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778-1854). Created to the designs of Raffaelle Monti, the statue was cast around 1858 and unveiled on 2 December 1861.

The monument comprises a three-stepped sandstone base supporting a high bow-end sandstone pedestal upon which stands a copper figure 4.7 metres tall. The statue depicts the Third Marquess in hussar uniform mounted on a rearing horse, executed at heroic size. The figure stands on a granite plaque incised with capitals, commemorating Charles William Vane Stewart, 3rd Marquis of Londonderry, 1st Earl Vane and Baron Stewart of Stewarts Court K.G., G.C.B., Lord Lieutenant County of Durham and Founder of Seaham Harbour, General in the Army, born May 8th 1778, died March 6th 1854. A second metal plaque records the statue's restoration in 1952, unveiled on 9 April 1952 by the Eighth Marquess of Londonderry to commemorate the restoration funded by the City Council. The statue is signed R Monti on the copper base.

The Third Marquess was born in Dublin and educated at Eton. He pursued a military career with the 5th Dragoons (The Royal Irish), serving as under-secretary for Ireland in 1803 and under-secretary for war in 1807. Following Napoleon's defeat, he became Ambassador in Vienna and played an important role in the Congress of Vienna negotiations. In 1819 he married Frances Anne Vane-Tempest, acquiring estates in County Durham and Ireland, to which he later added the Seaham Estate. He developed the economic potential of his lands, completing the new harbour and docks at Seaham in 1831 to facilitate coal export. At his death, his estates were worth £75,000 annually, with three-quarters derived from coal. He acquired a reputation locally as a ruthless colliery owner.

The statue was commissioned by the Third Marquess's widow, Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest, to honour her husband's service to County Durham. By 1858 the memorial committee had received £2,000 and recommended a double life-size equestrian statue by Milanese sculptor Raffaelle Monti (1818-1881), resident in London. The statue is considered to be the largest piece ever produced using the electro-plating process. It is thought to have been cast by the London firm Elkington & Co, who were awarded the first electro-plating patents in 1840 and by the mid-19th century were established as the leading silver and electroplate company in the world. This was a relatively new process in which pure copper was built up on moulds using electro-plating, which enabled greater detailing than had previously been possible. Those attending the unveiling on 2 December 1861 included Disraeli and Monti. The inscription is believed to have been added some years after the unveiling. The statue was restored in London in 1951 and again in 2009-10, after which it was repositioned 16 metres south of its original location in the Market Place.