Thomas Scheemakers

Thomas-Henry's father Henry Scheemakers (c.1686-1748) had been born in Flanders to the Antwerp sculptor Pieter Scheemaeckers and his wife Catharine van der Hulst.

Thomas and his three surviving siblings were named as their father's heirs in Paris after Henry died there in July 1748 : Peter, Thomas-Henry, Marie-Louise, and Geneviève-Catherine.

(This contradicts allegations previously on this page, both that Thomas was Peter's sole heir, and that he subsequently "squandered" his supposed inherited "fortune").

As Thomas made no mention of property ownership in his own Will written in 1787, it is likely that he had simply leased the Vine Street premises for sculptural work, which explains why he never figures as a Vine Street ratepayer in the St James' Westminster Rate Books, but does figure yearly as a resident in the Marylebone parish Land Tax Records from 1782 until his death.

Later Life Thomas Scheemakers seems to have ceased working as a monumental sculptor after 1792, but continued to exhibit yearly at the Royal Academy from 1780 until 1804,[10] selling his sculpture-related effects in 1805.

Burial Thomas Scheemakers was buried on 18 July 1808 in the churchyard of St Pancras Old Church and was followed by his wife Barbara Row in January 1810, who had in the meantime moved to Fitzroy Square.

[14] Now lost, their inscription in Old St Pancras Churchyard once read: [15] Posterity After Barbara's death, Joseph Nollekens as second executor did indeed act to clear the estate as Thomas had requested.