Thomas Amyot (Amyott), lawyer and historian, and his wife Jane are buried in St Margaret's church Westminster. There is a marble tablet on the north wall but the inscription on this is very difficult to see. It reads:
"Sacred to the memory of Thomas Amyot Esqre.[Esquire] F.R.S. F.S.A. an inhabitant of this parish and for many years one of the magistrates of this county. He departed this life September 28th 1850 in the 76th year of his age. Also of Jane, his wife, daughter of the late Edward Colman Esqre. of Norwich, who died April 24th 1848 in her 65th year. Their children have raised this tablet to their memory in deep gratitude and affection".
The county referred to was Middlesex. In the pediment at the top of the tablet is a small uncoloured shield of arms - "a bend impaling a pale".
He was born in Norwich in Norfolk in 1775, a son of Peter Amyot, clock maker, and his wife Susannah (Garrett). His great grandfather Thomas (a Huguenot and son of a physician to Louis XIII) had settled his family in England. Thomas became private secretary to Member of Parliament William Windham. In 1806 he married Jane and they had three sons and four daughters. He was Fellow of the Royal Society and contributed several papers to the Society of Antiquaries journal and helped found the Camden Society and was its director. He chaired the London Committee for the Purchase of Shakespeare's Birthplace.
Further reading
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
This image can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library
Image © 2024 Dean and Chapter of Westminster
