Westmacott, Capt. John | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada

WESTMACOTT, Capt. John (1787-1816) of London, Engl. distinguished himself by winning the Silver Medal at the Royal Academy in 1802 for best architectural design. Son of Richard Westmacott, both John and his brother Thomas became pupils of James Wyatt, a leading architect in London. John was inducted into the British army and served with the Duke of Wellington for six years, obtaining the rank of officer in the Royal Staff Corps. He proved himself to be a talented draftsman and artist, yet it is unclear when or why he was posted to Nova Scotia where he was later murdered by robbers whom he discovered were 'carrying articles which he suspected they had come dishonestly by'. He was attacked in Halifax on 17 April 1816 and died of his wounds on 4 May 1816. No references to his architectural work in Nova Scotia have been found (obit. Acadian Recorder [Halifax], 11 May 1816; Gentleman's Magazine [London], 1816, part 1, 566; biog. in H. Colvin, Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840, 1995, 1039)