History

A memorial tablet to Robert Cannon, Dean of Lincoln, is in the south aisle of the nave of Westminster Abbey near his grave. It has a black marble frame and was formerly surmounted by an urn with a cherub and drapery below. The Latin inscription can be translated:

"Sacred to the memory of Robert Cannon, S.T.P. Dean of Lincoln and Prebendary of this Church who died 28 March 1722 aged 59"

STP stands for professor of sacred theology.

He was born on 13 August 1663 in London, son of John and Marie. Educated at Eton and Cambridge he was ordained in 1685 and became Doctor of Divinity in 1707. In 1709 he married Elizabeth Moore, daughter of the bishop of Ely. They had at least three children and of these Anne and Thomas were baptised in the Abbey in 1716 and 1720 respectively. Another son was Charles. He was chaplain to Chelsea College and archdeacon of Norfolk and was appointed to the Abbey in 1715 and became Dean of Lincoln.

A photo of the tablet can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library.

Further reading:

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004.