Notes

The Schwerdt Mausoleum

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The mausoleum when it was built
It can be located at
///else.suffice.crucially

The mausoleum now (2015)

The mausoleum ceiling

In 1931, CFGR (Richard) Schwerdt gave some land to Old Alresford church to extend the churchyard. And on that land he built a vault and small building which was consecrated in 1932 and, under the Act of 1867, was registered as the "burial place" of Mr Schwerdt. He was buried in the vault in 1939. The building is now (2015) Grade II Listed.

Report in the
Hampshire Observer
6th Feb 1932

Current plaques on the mausoleum walls are:


Richard Schwerdt
Tilla Schwerdt
Dick Schwerdt & Violet Schwerdt

George & James Schwerdt
Colin Schwerdt
George Peter Patrick Schwerdt

Pam Schwerdt		 Bunty Post & Betty MacMurray
Bunty Post & Betty MacMurray
Their mother was Lilla Schwerdt		 Rosemary & David Booth
Rosemary (née Schwerdt) & David Booth

Currently in the vault, and/or noted on a plaque, are:

IDNameBornDiedInterredComments
00422Schwerdt, Charles Francis George Richard {Richard} 12-Mar-186219391939+ plaque
 Carl Georg Schillings * 11-Dec-186529-Jan-19211939 
00497Schwerdt, Mathilde Sofie Annette {Tilla} (née von Guaita) 18-Apr-186919541954+ plaque
00423Schwerdt, Charles Max Richard {Dick} 3-Dec-188918-Nov-19681968+ plaque
00430Schwerdt, George Francis Ignatius 13-Dec-189213-Apr-19751975+ plaque
00432Schwerdt, James Colin Nicholas 4-Apr-196019791979+ plaque
00425Schwerdt, Francis Colin C {Colin} 19-Jun-192719831983+ plaque
00105Schwerdt, Violet Vere Charlotte (née Dent) 1-May-1900Mar-19961996+ plaque
00429Schwerdt, Pamela Helen {Pam} ** 8-Apr-193111-Sep-2009 plaque only
00431Schwerdt, George Peter Patrick {Patrick} 16-Apr-192911-Jan-20102010+ plaque
00211Post, Annette Mary (née MacMurray) *** 21-Jul-192120-Apr-2013 plaque only
00212MacMurray, Betty Frances Bell **** 9-Jun-192428-Jun-2013 plaque only
00435Booth, Hilda Rosemary Lilla (née Schwerdt) 17-Dec-192921-Aug-20182018+ plaque
02300Booth, David Lawry 28-Jun-19314-Feb-20192019+ plaque

* Carl Schillings was Richard's 1st cousin and a close friend. He wrote "With flashlight and rifle" - one of the first books about conservation of African wildlife.
   There is an English translation by Henry Zick
** Pam is interred at the Church of St Nicholas, Condicote, GL54 1ES
*** Bunty's ashes are scattered at South Stoneham Garden of Remembrance, Southampton, SO18 2NF
**** Betty is interred at Gannicox House, 55 Cainscross Road, Stroud, GL5 4EX
Bunty's and Betty's mother was Lilla Mary Sophie MacMurray (née Schwerdt)

Works of Art

The relief at the back of the mausoleum is ......

The tondo on the left of the Mausoleum was in the hall at Longwood House and we assume it was put there by Richard Schwerdt

When he moved to Alresford House in 1926, he took the tondo with him and had it installed on the main staircase

When Alresford changed hands (in about 2015) the owner generously gave the tondo back to the family and it was installed in the Mausoleum in December 2016


A painting of this relief, called "Angels Adoring the Child Jesus", by Filippino Lippo can be seen in the Pitti Palace in Florence.

And there are other versions, notably "Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist and an Angel" and "The Adoration of the Child" by Francesco Botticini

It's not clear whether the painting or the relief came first.

End of Note.