__NOTOC__ The Chatham Vase is a stone sculpture by John Bacon commissioned as a memorial to

William Pitt the Elder William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

by his wife, Hester, Countess of Chatham. It was originally erected at their

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

Burton Pynsent Curry Rivel is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton and east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The parish has a population of 2,148. The parish includes the hamlet of Burton Pynsent. History The ...

in 1781. It was subsequently moved to

Stowe House Stowe House is a grade I listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school and is owned by the Stowe House Preservation Trust who have to date (March 2013) spent more than £25m on t ...

but sold in 1848, then purchased in 1857 by a member of the family and installed at

Revesby Abbey Revesby Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Revesby in Lincolnshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1143 by William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln, and the first monks came from Rievaulx Abbey. After the Dissolution of the M ...

. It was moved to the grounds of

Chevening House Chevening House () is a large country house in the parish of Chevening in Kent, in Southeast England. Built between 1617 and 1630 to a design reputedly by Inigo Jones and greatly extended after 1717, it is a Grade I listed building. The surround ...

in 1934, where it currently resides. It is currently

grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Pedestal inscription

The inscription on the pedestal reads:

:Sacred to pure affection :This simple urn :Stands a witness of unceasing grief for him who :Excelling in whatever is so admirable :and adding to the exercise of the sublimest virtues :The sweet charm of refined sentiment and polished wit :By gay social commerce :Rendered beyond comparison happy :The course of domestic life :and bestowed a felicity inexpressible on her :Whose faithful love was blessed in a pure return :That raised her above every other joy but the parental one :and that still shared with him :His generous country with public monuments has eternised his fame :This humble tribute is but to soothe the sorrowing breast of private woepedestal, Chatham Vase, Chevening, 17 June 2006.

References

{{Coord , 51.2960, 0.1347, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Monuments and memorials in England Individual vases