Transcript

of

Jasper John Amery [Obituary]

Trans. Devon Assoc.,  vol. 45, (1913). pp. 40-41.

by

Maxwell Adams (Ed.)

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was presented at the Association’s July 1913 Buckfastleigh meeting. The Book of Ashburton: Pictorial History of a Dartmoor Stannary Town, by Stuart Hands & Pete Webb, Halsgrove Press, (2004), provides information about the Amery family of Ashburton, of which the deceased was part. The book has been indexed for Genuki Devon by Frances Radford. The obituary may be found in a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal that can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

Mr. Amery, who was born at Ashburton in 1853, was the only son of Mr. Jasper Addems Amery, of Lustleigh and Bow Grange, Ipplepen, and his mother was the only daughter of Mr. Solomon Tozer, of Ashburton, a family for many generations connected with the woollen trade in that town. Owing to the early death of his father, and his mother marrying Mr. G. B. Lidstone, of Kingsbridge, he spent a large portion of his life at that place, and later lived for several years at Teignmouth. He was very fond of Natural History in all its branches, and was especially interested in birds and fishes. He also took a great interest in Photography, and in early days, before they were procurable locally, he made his own dry plates. More recently he employed coloured photography, by the Lumiere process, for the illustration of natural history subjects.
He joined the Devonshire Association in 1877 when it met at Kingsbridge, and took an active part in the meeting there. He was also a member of the Teign Naturalists' Field Club, which he joined in 1888, though latterly, owing to indifferent health, he was seldom able to attend the Field Meetings. As a Freemason, he was for many years an active member of the Duncombe Lodge at Kingsbridge, of which he became Worshipful Master and afterwards Secretary.
During the last few years he spent the greater portion of the year with his cousin, Mr. John S. Amery, of Druid, Ashburton. He died from the rupture of an artery on 23 February, 1913, at Cannes, where he was spending the winter, and was buried in the beautiful Protestant Cemetery there.