Tharston Harvey Mausoleum

The Harvey Mausoleum

In St. Mary’s Churchyard is a plain brick mausoleum (photo above) with stone dressings and a slate roof. The doorway is flanked by pilasters which support a straight cornice, and there is a date stone at the apex of the pedimental gable. It was built in 1855 by Sir Robert Harvey to a design probably by architect Thomas Jeckyll. It is very similar to the Boileau mausoleum at Ketteringham of much the same date.

Lieutenant General Sir Robert Harvey (1785-1861) was a distinguished soldier who acted as ADC to the Duke of Wellington at the battles of Oporto, Busaco, Salamanca, Vittoria, Nive, Nivelle, Orthez and Toulouse, and at the sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajos, Burgos and St Sebastian. He married his wife, Charlotte (d.1869) in 1815 and they had three sons and three daughters. All married except the youngest daughter, Maria Frances, who remained at home. Perhaps it was her death in 1854 that prompted Sir Robert to build the family mausoleum. The condition of this mausoleum is deteriorating. The walls are sound but there is a major problem developing at the north-east corner, which is falling away (2002).

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Tharston Past