The Musgrave Monument erected in May 1861 is an ashlar stone clocktower with four clock-faces, unmistakably of its time in its decorative details, including the delicately-wrought ironwork finials on the pinnacles of its central roof-pitch and gables. It stands in the market square of Penrith, Cumbria, and memorialises Philip Musgrave (1833-1859), the eldest son of an important local family: Sir George and Lady Musgrave lived at Eden Hall, a grand country house on the Edenhall estate near Penrith. As much or even more than a memorial, it was funded by local subscriptions as a mark of sympathy for the bereaved parents. The first part of the inscription, shown below right, reads, "In sympathy with the great sorrow/ which befell the family at Edenhall/ in the death of their eldest son/ Philip Musgrave. Esquire."
Sir George Musgrave (1799-1872) had become High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1840, and was highly respected. Thomas Trollope (Anthony Trollope's father) considered him "the beau idéal of a country gentleman of the old school" — in fact, says Trollope, "He was said to be the best landlord in the county, and really seemed to look upon all his numerous tenants, and all their labourers, as his born subjects, to whom protection, kindness, assistance, and general looking after were due, in return for their fealty and loyal attachment. Of course he was adored by all the country side" (34)."
The Musgraves' eldest son had followed the traditional course in such families. After attending Eton, Philip Musgrave had followed his father (who had served in the 5th Hussars) by entering the army, becoming a cavalry officer in the 17th Lancers. When the Crimean War broke out, his regiment was sent out to Varna, and during the campaign there he was taken ill in the epidemics which swept the army. Instead of moving on to Crimea with his regiment, he had to give up his commission and withdraw to Madrid, where he died on 16 May 1859. He was not quite 26. His body was repatriated and buried at St. Cuthbert's Church on the family estate, in the family vault; the church has a plaque testifying to his "aimable disposition and kindness of heart" ("Memorial"). The clocktower was erected, according to the inscription, in the May of 1861, which would have been the second anniversary of his death.
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Photographs and research by Tim Willasey-Wilsey; additional research and text by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use the photographs without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. [Click on the images to enlarge them.]
Bibliography
"Memorial: P. Musgrave." IWM (Imperial War Museums). Web. 20 June 2026. https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/68098
"Monuments & Buildings: Musgrave Monument." Penrith Town Council. Web. 20 June 2026. https://www.penrithtowncouncil.gov.uk/monuments-buildings/
Trollope, Thomas Adolphus. What I Remember. London: Richard Bentley, 1887. Internet Archive. Web. 20 June 2026.
Created 20 June 2026