History

William Woollett, the most celebrated English carver of his day, has a memorial in the west cloister of Westminster Abbey. It shows his marble bust with a relief of his studio below showing the engraver attended by symbolic figures. The sculptor was Thomas Banks. The inscription reads:

William Woollett. Born August XXII MDCCXXXV. Died May XXII MDCCLXXXV. Incisor Excellentissimus

He was the eldest son of Philip Woollett (died 1784) and his wife Ann (Hinkley). He was born at Maidstone in Kent on 22 August 1735 according to his monument but other sources give 15 August. He was an apprentice to an engraver in the Goldsmiths' Company in London and later built up his reputation as a draughtsman and engraver of stately homes and castles. His first wife was Hannah (surname not known) but their children died in infancy. His second wife was Elizabeth (surname possibly Weston) and only their children Elizabeth, Anne and George survived their father. He was Director of the Society of Artists and his engraving of Benjamin West's portrait "The Death of General Wolfe" so impressed George III that he made him "Historical Engraver to His Majesty". He died on 22 May 1785 and is buried in Old St Pancras churchyard in London.

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

Further reading:

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004

Some of his drawings and a portrait are in Maidstone Museum.