The Browne Clayton Column Traditional Cache
The Browne Clayton Column
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A significant landmark on the Wexford - New Ross road.
The Browne Clayton Column is considered one of the most ornamental
landscape structures to be found in Ireland. Erected on a square
pedestal, which itself is situated on a tall outcrop of rock, south
of the Wexford/New Ross road. Perhaps there is some irony in the
fact that, in a county so rich with tributes to the native rebels
of 1798, this immense column is dedicated to the commander of
British forces in Ireland in 1798, Sir Ralph Abercrombie. The fact
that is is a stone's throw from the hill at Carrigbyrne (the nearby
hill visible from the column), one of the strongholds of the
pike-men in 1798 is a further irony.
It was constructed in 1839 to the design of an English architect
Thomas Cobden, and was commissioned by a local landowner General
Robert Browne Clayton of Carrigbyrne in commemoration of
Abercrombie, who was his commanding officer with whom he fought and
was victorious in the Egyptian battles in 1801 against Napoleon. It
was at these battles that Abercrombie was mortally wounded.
The Column was a copy of a monumental Roman column in Alexandria,
which was well known to both the British and French armies at the
time. 89 feet in height, the Wexford column is a foot taller than
the one in Alexandria and another big difference between the
column’s is that the Wexford column has an internal
staircase, while the column in Egypt is solid. Columns, or pillars
of victory as they were known as, have a long history going back to
the days of ancient Rome.
As the column in Wexford would look bare without some adornment
Cobden added some figures around the base. Nine uniformed dragoons
are standing around with the figure that is probably the architect,
in frock coat and top hat concentrating on a drawing board.
We are told that after its erection flags were flown on certain
days and at certain times to commemorate events in the battle of
Alexandria. General Browne Clayton’s will laid down that
every year on March 21st, the day the French were routed at
Alexandria, the French flag would be raised at sunrise then lowered
at 10am when the British flag would be raised to sunset. On the
28th March, the Union flag was flown at half mast on the
anniversary of the death of Abercrombby.
On 29th December 1994 the Column was struck by lightning and
considerable damage was caused to the Capitol and the top 1/3 of
the Column, in which a large gaping hole was made. The internal
stairway was blocked by falling rock and debris. The successful
restoration of the column was marked in the Topping Out Ceremony on
3rd December 2003 with the placing of the final stone at the top.
The ceremony also included the ancient tradition of attaching an
ear of corn to the peak, a Norse traditional charm against
lightening. It was of course the 1994 lightening strike that
started it all and which placed the 94ft 4in Corinthian column in
such a precarious position and left a gaping hole.
Park at the supplied waypoint, walk down the road to right hand
bend in the road and follow the obvious path to the monument.
Please close the gates behind you!
Sources -
The Carlow Nationalist
Wexford County Council
The
world Monuments Fund
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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