Edward Wetenhall

Priest/Minister, Physician and Doctor

Bishop Edward Wetenhall

In the south transept of Westminster Abbey is the grave of Bishop Wetenhall. The inscription reads:

Here lie buried the remains of the Right Reverend Father in Christ Edward Wetenhall D.D. Bishop first of Cork for 20 years, then of Kilmore and Ardagh for 14 years in the Kingdom of Ireland. He died 12 November, year of our Lord 1713 in the 78th year of his age.

He was born at Lichfield in Staffordshire on 7th October 1636 and educated at Westminster School and Trinity College Cambridge. After brief preferments at Exeter and Dublin he was consecrated bishop of Cork and Ross in 1679. In 1699 he was translated to the diocese of Kilmore. He was married twice. His first wife was buried in Cork cathedral. By her he had sons Edward (mentioned below) and John, who became archdeacon of Cork. His second wife was Philippa D'Oyly who was buried in the Abbey on 18th April 1717.

Dr Edward Wetenhall

Edward was buried next to his father and his gravestone reads:

Here lies Edward Wetenhall M.D. eldest son of the Right Reverend Father in Christ Edward Wetenhall D.D. who is buried nearby. He died 29 August 1733 aged 71.

On the wall above is a marble monument by sculptor William Woodman. This has winged skulls and winged cherub heads and floral sprays. The coat of arms shows quarterly of four 1&4 "vert, a cross engrailed ermine" for Wetenhall, 2&3 "sable a cross engrailed or, between four fleurs de lys argent" [possibly for the bishop's first wife], impaling "argent a scythe and sneyd [handle] with a fleur de lys on the dexter side, all sable" for Sneyd. The Latin inscription can be translated:

Nearby are deposited the remains of EDWARD WETENHALL, M.D. eldest son of Edward, bishop of Cork and lately of Kilmore, who for many years felicitously exercised his profession in Cork, after the pure example of the ancients. At last in his declining years he bade farewell to medicine in order to devote himself with all his powers to the great Physician of souls. He was a man distinguished for his singular piety towards God, for his zeal for the ancient religion of Christ, for his love of the Church of England as established by law, for his generosity to the needy, his kindness to all men, and for the simplicity of his habits. While visiting once more his native land of Britain, he who had snatched so many from death, himself tranquilly succumbed to death on 29th August 1733 in the 72nd year of his age. Go your way, traveller, and do likewise. This monument to a very dear father was placed here by his sorrowing daughters Anne and Philippa, the offspring of his beloved wife Anne, of the illustrious family of Sneyd in Staffordshire.

His daughter Anne was wife of John Hawkins and Philippa married the Reverend Thomas Russell. His other daughter was Mary.