The Raleigh Tercentenary

Abstract

THE tercentenary of Sir Walter Raleigh's death was celebrated on Sunday, October 27, by a special service at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster. The service was arranged by the. Tercentenary Committee, of Which the King is patron, Mr. Balfour one of the honorary presidents, and Prof. Gollancz hon. secretary. Two wreaths in memory of Sir Walter Raleigh were laid before the service at the foot of the Communion-table, where the body is said to have been buried. One was from the Tercentenary Committee; the other, of laurels, was from the Royal Geographical Society, and was inscribed: “To the memory of Sir Walter Raleigh on the tercehtenary of his death.” It was borne by Sir Thomas Holdich, K.C.M.G., and Mr. Arthur R. Hinks, secretary of the society. The address was delivered by the rector of St. Margaret's, Canon Carnegie. Memorial services were also held at the Temple Church and at Woolwich Parish Church. The work of Raleigh in exploration and colonisation was also commemorated on Tuesday by meetings at the Mansion House and elsewhere. At the Mansion House meeting Sir Charles Wakefield (hon. treasurer of the Tercentenary Committee) offered for the acceptance of the Lieutenant of the Tower a copy of Raleigh's “History of the World,” which he hoped would find a placei in the room where the history was written. He offered to the British Academy as the nucleus of a. Raleigh Fund for History the sum of 500l a year for at least the next five years, in the hope that it might not only advance historical learning among our fellow-citizens, but also help forward intellectual co-operation between American and British scholars. He would only stipulate that at least one public lecture be delivered annually, to be named after Raleigh.