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Gentleman's Magazine 1848 part 1 p.620
absurd. This edifice was erected for the accommodation of
the inhabitants of Brougham Village, which is situated near
three miles from the parish church, and was up to 1833 quite
a plain building, with a common barn-like roof. It has since
been ceiled to the slates, and each side of the roof divided
into many compartments, and each division contains an
escutcheon of stucco, not carved, but plain plaster, not one
of which coats of arms can we find has any reference to the
Brougham family whatever. Bedecked with gold and ornaments,
the whole affair is but gilt gingerbread; it is gingerbread
still. The fiction about St. Wilfred's Well in this chapel
was never before heard of. The "open carved benches and
pulpit," the "parclose screen," the "old lace altar-cloth,"
the "ambry," and "collection of old ecclesiastical vessels,
processional cross, and pyx," are all inventions and
importations here since 1833; nor was there a vestige of
stained glass in it prior to that date: since which time
Lord Brougham has appropriated, or wishes to appropriate,
this chapel to his own use.
Then, as to the Crusader's grave, so wonderfully discovered
in the parish church of Brougham, belonging to Udard de
Broham, it is the most puerile creation ever set up,
particularly as bones bear no inscriptions nor dates; and it
was shrewdly observed by one of the London daily papers at
the time of the supposed discovery, that from the
cross-legged position in which the skeleton was found it was
as likely to have been the timbers of an ancient knight of
the thimble as a crusader. We are of the same opinion.
Lastly, the "Castle of Brougham in ruins," which has now
been in the Earl of Thanet's family for about 644 years, was
not forfeited by the Brougham family in the reign of King
John. Neither was Udard de Broham governor of Appleby castle
temp Hen. II. Nor have that family been located there from
the time of the Heptarchy. The hall does not stand upon the
Roman station; nor is the manor of Brougham theirs, but the
estate of the Right Honourable the Earl of Thanet.
We have written thus a plain statement of facts, in order to
set the public right, and to prevent if possible the spread
of untruths, such as those circulated under the mask of Mr.
George Shaw of Saddleworth's letter most undoubtedly are,
and which ere long will be copied into every
four-and-sixpenny gazetteer in England; and we think it is
high time such outrageous perversions of historical facts
for family gratification should cease and determine.
We are, &c.
OLD SUBSCRIBERS.
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