Gervase and Martha Price

Gervase Price, musician, is buried in the north aisle of the nave of Westminster Abbey, not far from the grave of Ben Jonson. Unfortunately the grave inscription has now worn away but the inscription on the graves of Gervase and his wife were published in an early 19th century book on the Abbey. The inscriptions read:

Here lyeth the body of Martha Price, the wife of Gervase Price Esq. Serjeant of the Office of Trumpets to King Charles the Second and Gentleman of his Bowes etc. She dyed the VII day of April MDCLXXVIII in the XXXVIII year of her age

Here lyeth the body of Gervase Price Esq. near his wife Martha whom he followed out of this life the 11 of September 1687 in the 59 year of his age

There is still a large mural tablet, with festoons of fruit and flowers, to Martha in the nave. This has been attributed to sculptor Grinling Gibbons. The Latin can be translated:

Near this place lies buried (as appears by the gravestone) Martha, wife of Gervase Price, Esq. who served King Charles II in the double capacity of Serjeant of the Office of Trumpets, and Gentleman of the Bows. She died 7 April 1678.

Gervase was possibly the son of William Price of Nottingham and he served with the Royalist forces during the English Civil War. He was among the trumpeters at the coronation of Charles II in 1661 and he played at various other royal occasions, following the Court around the country. His figure appears in engravings of the funeral procession of General Monck in 1670. He was appointed chief keeper of St James's Park in 1663 and was in great favour with the king. Martha was the daughter of John Mayer of London and married Gervase in 1660. Her sister Mary Lucy was buried in the Abbey on 15th January 1709. Their sons were James, Gervase, Charles and William, and their daughters were Mary, Arabella, Martha, Anne, Barbara and Elizabeth, who married Anthony Meeke in the Abbey on 21st January 1686. Elizabeth was buried on 27th November 1695 and Anthony on 15th February 1730, both in the nave. Three of their children were baptised at St Margaret's Westminster.