William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney

William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney,

In 1880, he was elected to Parliament for West Norfolk, a seat he held until 1885, and then represented South West Norfolk until 1892. The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Amherst of Hackney, in the County of London, with remainder, in default of male issue, to his eldest daughter Mary and her issue male. Apart from his parliamentary career Tyssen-Amherst also served as High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1866 and as deputy lieutenant of Middlesex and was a justice of the peace for Norfolk, Middlesex and Westminster.

Collector

Tyssen-Amherst is chiefly remembered as a collector of books, manuscripts, antique furniture and other works of art.^[1] He became famous for his Egyptian collection. In his country home, Didlington Hall, he built a museum for his rapidly growing Egyptian collection. In 1906, he was forced to sell a large portion of his collection after discovering that his estate and certain trust funds had been entirely dissipated at the hands of an untrustworthy solicitor, Charles Cheston, under whose management they had been placed. He lived only six weeks following the first Sotheby's auction from this collection.^[2]

His name is noted at the Carter gallery display of

His rare book collection included the "only genuine perfect copy known" of Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, King Charles I's personal copy of the Cambridge Bible, and a Gutenberg Bible (No. 45).^[6]

Family

Lord Amherst of Hackney married Margaret Susan Mitford, only child of Admiral Robert Mitford, in 1856. Susan Mitford was a lineal descendant of politician Robert Mitford and Philadelphia Wharton, first cousin (once removed) of poet and journalist John Mitford, third cousin (three times removed) of both English Attorney General Lord Redesdale and William Mitford, a sixth cousin (twice removed) to the "Mitford Sisters", and a distant cousin of author Mary Russell Mitford. They had seven daughters:

• Mary Rothes Margaret ("May"), born 1857, who succeeded to his title;
• Sybil Margaret ("Sib"), born 1858;
• Florence Margaret ("Flo" or "Fluff"), born 1860;
• Margaret Mitford ("Maggie"), born 1864;
• Alicia Margaret ("Ally"), born 1865, a botanist and author, married Evelyn Cecil, 1st Baron Rockley;
• Geraldine Margaret ("Cherry"), born 1867, married Malcolm Drummond of Megginch, parents of John Drummond, 15th Baron Strange and Victoria Drummond;
• Beatrice Margaret ("Bee"), born 1869.

All of the girls were named after their mother, Margaret.^[7]

Lord Amherst died in London, in January 1909, aged 73, and was succeeded in the barony according to the special remainder by his eldest daughter Mary.

He was the great-grandfather of American heir

• Amherst papyri

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Lord Amherst of Hackney
• William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst
• The Amhersts of Didlington
• Didlington Estate, Norfolk

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Bagge	George Bentinck, to 1884 Clare Sewell Read , from 1884	constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk 1885–1892	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Leigh Hare
Honorary titles
Unknown	High Sheriff of Norfolk 1866–1867	Unknown
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Baron Amherst of Hackney 1892–1909	Succeeded by Mary Cecil