William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney Doctor of Laws, Justice of the Peace was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and collector of books and works of art
Background
Born William Amhurst Daniel-Tyssen, he was the eldest son of William George Daniel-Tyssen, who was the son of William George Daniel and his wife Amelia Amherst, the daughter of John Amherst and Mary Tyssen. Amherst"s mother was Mary, daughter of Andrew Fountaine. In 1852, he and his father assumed by Royal licence the surname of Tyssen-Amhurst.
Education
Tyssen-Amherst was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
Career
However, in 1877 he again changed it, to Tyssen-Amherst, also by Royal licence. In 1880, he was elected to Parliament for West Norfolk, a seat he held until 1885, and then represented South West Norfolk until 1892. 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.
Tyssen-Amherst is chiefly remembered as a collector of books, manuscripts, antique furniture and other works of art
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 under whose management they had been placed.
He lived only six weeks following the auction of the last lot from this collection. His name is noted at the Carter gallery display of Swaffham Museum in Norfolk, suggesting that Tyssen-Amherst’s collection of ancient papyri and Egyptian figures was seen by a young Howard Carter.
The Museum records reveal that in 1882 he exhibited six "life size Egyptian figures" at Swaffham assembly rooms.
A copy of the catalogue describes the figures he exhibited which included a figure of a Bedouin chief He also exhibited a Thutmose III brick circa 1330bc, excavated from the banks of the Nile. Amhurst"s collection included the lower section, of a 20th Dynasty tomb robbery papyri otherwise described as the Leopold II and Amherst Papyrus, which is in the possession of the Morgan Library & Museum, New New York
Lord Amherst of Hackney married Margaret Susan, only child of Admiral Robert Mitford, in 1856.
They had seven daughters.
Membership
22nd United Kingdom Parliament. 23rd United Kingdom Parliament. 24th United Kingdom Parliament.