Find A Grave - St Margaret Churchyard

Blake, Robert b. 1599 d. August 7, 1657
British Naval Figure. Born in Somerset, he first came to prominence as a Member of Parliament for his home town, and joined the Parliamentary side when the English Civil War broke out. He fought at four seiges in the West Country and, at the end of the War, was appointed General At Sea. His first major exploit was to chase Prince Rupert's Fleet from Ireland to the Portuguese coast, where he virtually demolished the Royalist warships. He also captured the Scilly Isles, last Royalist outpost in...[Read More] (Bio by: Mark McManus)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Plot: unmarked, plaque on exterior wall of church
Caxton, William b. 1422 d. 1491
The first English printer.
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Cornysh, William b. 1430 d. 1502
Composer. All but unknown until recently, he was a notable English musician of the Tudor period. Only five of his liturgical compositions survive, but the moving "Stabat Mater" (c. 1490) is considered a masterpiece and the "Magnificat" (c. 1480) and "Salve Regina" (c. 1485) are quite substantial and accomplished. On the basis of these alone the loss of most of his output is deeply regrettable. A native of Westminster, Cornysh apparently lived his entire life there. From 1479 he was...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Elstob, Elizabeth b. 1683 d. 1756
Linguist, Scholar. Probably the first woman in England to study the Saxon language, she published "An English-Saxon Homily on the Day of Saint Gregory" in 1709 and "English-Saxon Grammar" in 1715, both very influential works. After her brother's death, having financial difficulties, she moved to Worcestershire and ran a small school. At last an annuity was raised for her and she continued her studies. (Bio by: julia&keld)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Ford, Thomas b. 1580 d. November 15, 1648
Composer, Musician. A contemporary of John Dowland, he was long associated with England's royal family. His best known works were published as "Musicke of Sundrie Kindes" (1607), featuring the famous partsongs "Since First I Saw Your Face", and "There is a Ladie, Sweet and Kind". Some of his church music shows a nascent Baroque influence. It includes the anthems "Almighty God, Which Hast Me Brought" and "Not Unto Us". He also composed dance music and pieces for viol consort. Nothing is known of...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Plot: churchyard, unmarked
Hollar, Wenceslas b. July 13, 1607 d. March 25, 1677
Artist and engraver who died in poverty. His last words were addressed to the bailiffs asking them not to remove his bed.
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Ludford, Nicholas b. 1485 d. 1557
Composer. A leading British composer of the Tudor era, he provided a stylistic link between the Renaissance master Robert Fayrfax and the early Protestant stirrings of John Taverner. Ludford was 16th Century England's most prolific creator of full Mass settings; of his 17 known works in the genre, 11 survive complete and three are in fragmentary condition. They include his graceful cycle of seven daily "Lady Masses" (c. 1520), dedicated to Henry VIII and his wife Catherine of Aragon. Scored...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Pym, John b. 1584 d. December 8, 1643
Pym was the eldest son of Alexander Pym of Brymore, Somerset, who died when John was a child; his mother married Sir Anthony Rous, a client of the Russells, the earls of Bedford. Pym was educated at the University of Oxford, but took no degree, and at the Middle Temple, but was not called to the bar. Through Bedford influence he became a local official of the Exchequer. From 1621 to his death Pym sat in every Parliament, usually for the Russell borough of Tavistock. He soon made a name as an...[Read More]
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
GPS coordinates: 51.5000801, -0.1292300 (hddd.dddd)
Raleigh, Sir. Walter b. 1552 d. October 29, 1618
Poet, Adventurer, Explorer. Colonizer of Roanake island in America. Credited with introducing potatoes and tobacco to England. Put down an Irish rebellion in Ulster in 1580. Became Governor of Jersey. In 1596 he sacked Cadiz. Explored Trinidad and sailed up the Orinoco in search of a gold mine. Wrote flattering poetry to Elizabeth I to secure his release from the tower of London. He was later re-arrested and beheaded in the Old Palace yard. His wife Bess took the head home in a leather bag, (as...[Read More]
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Plot: south of the alter
Rumsey, James b. 1743 d. December 24, 1792
Invented the steamboat. His invention was first demonstrated privately to George Washington in 1784. Whilst lecturing on the principles of steam navigation to English scientists in London, he died and was buried here.
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Rutherfurd, William Gordon d. January 14, 1818
Rutherford was captain of H.M.S. Swiftsure at the Battle of Trafalgar, where the British Navy defeated the French and where Admiral Nelson was killed.
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Sheppard, John b. 1515 d. December 20, 1558
Composer. One of England's leading religious composers of the Tudor period, he flourished during the reign of Mary I (1553 to 1558). Sheppard's style was eclectic and sometimes experimental, yet always English in character. The "Missa Cantate" (c. 1555) and "Western Wynde Mass" (c. 1553) are considered the best of his five Masses. His music influenced William Byrd. Few personal details of Sheppard are known. Much of his life was spent at Oxford University, where he studied intermittently...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Skelton, John b. 1460 d. June 21, 1529
Poet. Arguably the greatest English poet of his time. In his satirical and humorous verse he took on the abuses of the church and the nobility, while also providing unvarnished looks at life among common men. His breathless signature style - blocks of short, irregular, consecutively rhymed lines - is known as Skeltonic meter. The popular expressions "By hook or by crook" and "I smell a rat" were coined by him. Little is known of Skelton's early life. He was probably born in Norfolk and studied...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Udall, Nicholas b. 1504 d. December 23, 1556
Playwright, Scholar, Teacher. He wrote "Ralph Roister Doister" (1553), the first known comedy in English. Udall was born in Hampshire, England. A precocious Latin scholar, he graduated BA from Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 1524, but was not allowed to take a Master's degree there because of his outspoken Lutheran views. This gained him the early patronage of Thomas Cromwell, who as Henry VIII's chief minister in the 1530s employed Udall as a propagandist for the English Reformation. His...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England
Plot: churchyard, unmarked
White, Robert b. 1535 d. November 10, 1574
Composer. Last name also spelled Whyte. One of England's first important musicians of the Elizabethan period. The son of an organ builder, he studied music at Trinity College, Cambridge, earning a B.A. in 1560. He succeeded his father-in-law, Christopher Tye, as organist and choir director of Ely Cathedral in 1561 and held a similar post at Chester Cathedral from 1566 to 1569. In 1570 he received his most important appointment, as Master of Choristers at Westminster Abbey, but his tenure...[Read More] (Bio by: Robert Edwards)
St Margaret Churchyard, Westminster, Greater London, England

15 records found