Memorial Type:

Memorial - Plaque

Does the monument still exist?

Yes

Installation Date:

post 1871?

Inscription:

Lead plaque:
HENCE REBEL-HEART! NOR DEEM A WELCOME DVE
FROM WALLS ONCE RVINED BY A REBEL’S HAND
3ce WELCOME THOV IF THOV INDEED BE TRVE
GO GOD AND TO THE LADY OF THE LAND

Allegiance:

Neutral

Condition:

Good

Condition Description:

Viewed 19 July 2025

Memorial Notes:

Thought by the current owners of Biddulph Old Hall to have been placed here sometime after 1871 when he got the tenancy by Pre-Raphaelite artist Robert Bateman.
The plaque script includes the tell-tale ‘R’s with extended tails, which is how Bateman signed all his paintings, so points almost certainly to him having created it. The words are probably his - he was known for drafting poetry, often illustrated by himself. He submitted a poem entitled ‘Fetters’ to The People’s Magazine in 1873 with an illustration. The words on the plaque reflect Bateman's take on the conflict and, in particular, the Parliamentarian siege of the Royalist garrison Jan-Feb 1644.

See: Wheeler, Phillip B.T. 2015 'Biddulph Old Hall: a history rediscovered.'