Memorial Plaque to Richard Merrett

	Memorial Plaque to Richard Merrett 1767
		Here lie the Remains of Richard Merrett WATCH and CLOCK MAKER Who died under Inoculation on Dec. 17. 1767 Aged 57 Years He was an ingenious Mechanic, A sincere Friend; And a Christian true to the faith Of his Redeemer. It was his request therefore Let no sacrelegious hand disturb his Ashes But permit them to rest in this gloomy mantion Till the last Trumpet Shall awaken him to Life And Immortality. Let those who to these awful Cells repair, To waste an hour or ease the Soul of care, Stop one short moment near this plaintive Stone And with the tears of friendship mix their own; Then take the last advice by Merrett given, Be virtuous now _ leave all the rest to Heaven.
	Richard Merrett's death occurred before Edward Jenner became a GP (1773) in Berkeley where he eventually embarked on a series of experiments (in the 1790s) to find a cure for smallpox. Perhaps the inoculation referred to in this inscription was "variolation" which was another, and often successful, means of combating smallpox. It was a procedure introduced into England (1721) from the East by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of the British Ambassador in Turkey.