Richard Lucas

Dr Richard Lucas is buried in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. His gravestone was re-cut in 1961 and the inscription reads:

Here lies the body of Richard Lucas D.D. [Doctor of Divinity] Prebendary of this Church, who died ye 29th of June A.D. 1715 in ye 67th year of his age.

The coat of arms on the stone is now rubbed but it showed "argent, on a canton sable, a ducal coronet or".

Richard was born in Presteigne in Radnorshire in Wales, son of Richard Lucas. He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford and worked as a school master in Abergavenny. In 1677 he published the first of many works, Practical Christianity, and was a noted preacher, becoming rector of St Stephen's, Coleman Street in London. John Wesley was an admirer of his writings. Although he was blind towards the end of his life in 1697 he was appointed a clergyman at the Abbey. He married Anne and they had three sons - Robert, Richard (d.1747) who became a deacon at Ely and rector at Foots Cray in Kent, and William (d.1753) rector of Benington in Hertfordshire. Anne was buried with her husband on 11th August 1727.

Further reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Some family wills can be obtained from The National Archives website