Statue

King Edgar

Erection date: 21/11/1990

Inscription

King Edgar (959 - 75) granted this derelict land to thirteen knights on condition that they each perform three duels, one on land, one below ground, one on the water. These feats having been achieved, the king gave the knights, or cnihtengild, certain rights over a piece of land 'from Aldgate to the place where the bars now are, toward the east, on both sides of the lane, and extended it towards the gate now known as Bishopsgate in the north, to the house of William the Priest ... and to the south to the Thames as far as a horseman riding into the river at low tide can throw a lance'.

This sculpture by Denys Mitchell, commisssioned by the Standard Life Assurance Company, commemorates the cnihtengild and was unveiled by the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Sir Alexander Graham GBE DCL on 21st November 1990.

The plaque with this text utilizes an unusually interesting script, reminiscent of that on ancient manuscripts.

Site: King Edgar & David Ritchie (2 memorials)

EC2, Devonshire Square

From London Gardens Online: "Cutlers Gardens, now renamed Devonshire Sq. is an office development with generous landscaping on the historic site of East India Company Warehouses ... The knights gave up the land when the Holy Trinity Priory was founded at Aldgate in 1108, and the monks used part of the site for their convent garden." More on this sculpture and the history of the area at London Details.

The knights' land is now known as Portsoken, one of 25 wards in the City of London.

At Waymarking we read that "The statue used to be mounted in the centre of the large square on a slowly revolving turntable. It has now been moved to a fixed location a little aside."

2017: This horse just won't stand still. Londonist reports that it has moved from Cutlers Gardens, where we photographed it, to the west end of Devonshire Square, so we moved our pin there.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
King Edgar

Subjects commemorated i

cnihtengild

A guild of knights, whose role may have been to defend London from attack fro...

Read More

King Edgar

King of England 959 to his death. Brought St Dunstan to Britain. Father of Ki...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
King Edgar

Created by i

Sir Alexander Graham

Lord Mayor, 1990 - 91. Alderman in the City of London in 1996. Made Knight Gr...

Read More

Denys Mitchell

Sculptor.  Buy Design reports that Mitchell died in August 2015.

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
King Edgar

Also at this site i

David Ritchie

David Ritchie

[Around a relief of an oak branch:} David John Ritchie 1946 - 2007 For his co...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Frieze of Parnassus - Wren

Frieze of Parnassus - Wren

SW7, Kensington Road

The monument, commissioned by Queen Victoria and designed by George Gilbert Scott, was built 1864-72, and the statue of Albert was instal...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
British Library - Newton

British Library - Newton

NW1, Euston Road, British Library

Bronze, 12 foot high (and he's sitting down).  Via Facebook Henri Hudson has provided two references: one the full title of the 1790s Wil...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Queen Charlotte

Queen Charlotte

WC1, Queen Square

This square, the site of an ancient reservoir, was set out in 1716 on land owned by Sir Nathaniel Curzon and originally known as Devonshi...

3 subjects commemorated
V&A façade - Morris

V&A façade - Morris

SW7, Cromwell Road

Excluding the allegories (such as Knowledge) there are 36 statues on the two public façades of the V&A Museum, on Exhibition Road and...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
George IV

George IV

WC2, Trafalgar Square

One third of the sculptor's fees, totalling £9,000, were paid by the king, who was also responsible for the choice of Roman costume and, ...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator