William Roberts

Captain William Roberts, Royal Navy, died on 19th February 1811 aged 42 and was originally buried in St James' chapel in Hampstead Road London but his body was removed to the south cloister of Westminster Abbey. He was buried there on 7th November 1812.

It seems a small memorial tablet was erected for him on the wall of the cloister, next to the Rider memorial, as there is a sketch of it with the inscription in the Abbey archives. This read:

Erected to the memory of Captain William Roberts of the Royal Navy who died 19 February 1811 Aged 42. These remains were first interred in St James Chapel, Hampstead Road

But it must have been removed later in the 19th century or early 20th century, possibly due to decay, as it no longer remains.

He died suddenly at his apartments in Oxford Street and his sister Sarah Roberts, then living at Windsor, arranged for the faculty to remove the body to the Abbey (it is not clear why). In his will made in 1803 while in Port Royal, Jamaica, he asked that all his papers be destroyed without inspection on his death.