Statues - Hither & Thither

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Hull
(Kingston-upon-Hull)
East Riding of Yorkshire
Yorkshire & Humberside

Market Place

King William III

Den Haag 1650 - Hampton Court 1702
Stadhouder and king of England
(Wikipedia)

Peter Scheemakers (Jr.)
1734

Description

Gilt equestrian statue of King William III in the costume of a Roman Emperor. The statue is know as "King Billy".

It was mentioned in the of 10 December 1734 as: "A curious Equestrian Statue of King William III done by the famous Statury Mr. Scheemaker, has been lately set up at the Town of Kingston Upon Hull in Yorkshire."

There are several myths concerning the statue. The first is that Scheemaker committed suicide when he realised that he had forgotten the stirups but in fact as he is depicted as a Roman they didn't have stirrups at the time. It is also said that when the clock of Holy Trinity strikes midnight King Billy gets off his horse and goes for a drink in the nearby pub. It is also said that when it strikes thirteen the horse also get down for a pint! (150 Facts about Hull).

Inscription(s)

THIS STATUE
was Erected in the Year
MDCCXXXIV
To the Memory of
KING WILLIAM The Third
OUR GREAT DELIVERER.

King William III
(by Peter Scheemaker)
Erected by Subscription in 1734.
Removed for Safety to Houghton Hall, East Yorkshire,
during the Second World War.
Replacedd by the Corporation in 1949
with the generous help of
Wm. Broady, Coppersmith, of this City.
Alderman J. Henson, J.P.
Lord Mayor. W. Morris, O.B.E., M.I.C.E.,
City Engineer. E.H. Bullock,
Town Clerk

This statue was refurbished by Hull City Council
with the assistance of public donations and a grant
from English Heritage end re-erected on the 5^th March 1989
Ceremony performed by
Councillor Mrs. M. Smelt
Lord Mayor of Kingston upon Hull
Dr. A. Peper
Burgomaster of Rotterdam
Councillor J. Stanley J.P.
Chairman Technical Services Committee
A.B. Wood
Town Clerk and Chief Executive. J.M. Deeming,
City Engineer.

Sculptor

Peter Scheemakers or Pieter Scheemaeckers II or the Younger (Antwerpen 1691 - Antwerpen 1781), Flemish-English sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Vic Allen, Monumental Oversights: Public sculpture in Yorkshire (Halifax 2019).
150 Facts about Hull, Fact 28. The most impressive equestrian statue in Britain.
Historic England, Statue of King William III and flanking lamps.
Hull Daily Mail, 17 February 2019, The fascinating stories behind some of Hull's most famous statues.
Kees van Tilburg, From Marcus Aurelius to Kim Jong-il: The story of equestrian statues throughout the ages (Amstelveen, 2017). – see also the Equestrian statue website.

Locatie (N 53°44'27" - W 0°20'0") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: gbyh023; Photograph: 25 July 2019
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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