Nicholas Dering

On the south wall of St Margaret's church Westminster is a cartouche to Nicholas Dering (or Dearing). The arms at the top show "sable and argent in chief three crescents of the second, in base a boar's head erased azure, armed and bristled or" impaling "or, a saltire sable". The first part and last part of the inscription is in Latin and is translated and the rest is in English (spelling has been standardized):

Sacred to his memory. Man is but a shadow and a dream. Here lie the mortal remains of Nicholas Dering, gentleman, of the county of Dorset and one imbued with a genuine piety, lovingkindness and integrity. He died on 31st Jan. 1688 in the 46th year of his age. He had by his wife Eliz[abeth] 8 children, 6 lie here interred. Jane the eldest was wife to James Tooth in the county of Surrey, Gent. She died big of her 2nd child in the 21st year of her age Nov. 15th 1691. She was a true inheritrix of her fathers' virtues and was enriched with two peculiar feminine ones viz. modesty and patience of much she was such an unparalled example that she was admired by all that knew her. I have lived and have run the course which God Himself allotted me; and now my joyful spirit rests in Heaven

Elizabeth was buried in 1689. The children would appear to have been William died 1677, Katherine died 1680, Nicholas died 1682, Ann died 1685 and another. The memorial may have been put up by James Tooth after his wife's death as the inscription says a lot about her.