William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney

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Lord Amherst of Hackney.

William Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney (born April 25, 1835 in Narford Hall, Norfolk , † January 16, 1909 in London ) was a British MP and collector.

He was the eldest son of William George Daniel-Tyssen and Mary born. Fountain. He was educated at Eton College and attended Christ Church College, Oxford . He married Margaret Susan Mitford, daughter of Admiral Robert Mitford, in 1856. The marriage resulted in seven daughters. In 1877 he changed his name to Tyssen-Amherst. From 1880 to 1892 he was a member of the British Parliament . In 1892 he was knighted as Baron Amherst of Hackney and became a peer in the House of Lords. He also held several other offices.

Tyssen-Amherst was known as a collector of manuscripts, incunabula and books, antique furniture and Egyptian works of art. His estate at Didlington Hall became a museum for his library and for his famous and rapidly growing Egyptian collection, including the so-called Amherst Papyri . He traveled frequently to Egypt and supported Egyptologists working there such as Flinders Petrie and Howard Carter . In 1906 it turned out that his land and investments had been completely embezzled by a dubious administrator and he had to start selling his collection. His collection of Caxton prints was sold to J. Pierpont Morgan . The most important manuscripts and books were auctioned at two auctions in 1908 and 1909, the art collection in December 1908. His papyri were sold to the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York in 1913 , the rest of his Egyptian collection in June 1921.

After his death, his title was continued by his daughter Mary Rothes Margaret Cecil , who was also interested in Egyptology , and her son.

literature

  • Seymour de Ricci : A Handlist of a Collection of Books and Manuscripts belonging to The Right Hon. Lord Amherst of Hackney at Didlington Hall, Norfolk. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1906, full text .
  • Maurice L. Bierbrier: Who Was Who in Egyptology. Third revised edition. Egypt Exploration Society, London 1995, ISBN 978-0-85698-125-8 , p. 14.

Web links

predecessor Office successor
New title created Baron Amherst of Hackney
1892-1909 		Mary Cecil
personal data
SURNAME Tyssen-Amherst, William, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Amherst of Hackney, William Tyssen-Amherst 1st Baron
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British politician, member of the House of Commons and collector
DATE OF BIRTH April 25, 1835
PLACE OF BIRTH Narford Hall, Norfolk
DATE OF DEATH January 16, 1909
Place of death London