The Maisters came to Hull from Kent in the 16th century, and traded with Hamburg, the Baltic and Scandinavia.

William Maister snr and Henry snr were Mayors of Hull in the 17th century. A younger Henry served as MP 1734-41, but tragedy struck his family. In April 1743 his wife Mary, their infant son and 2 maids were killed in a fire at the family’s High Street home. Mary ran back in to save her baby but the wooden staircase collapsed. The house was rebuilt with a
stone staircase. Henry himself died in December 1744, leaving his orphaned children to his younger brother Nathaniel.

The large plaque is a modern replica of a damaged older one with which two of the children – Henry and Arthur – commemorated uncle Nathaniel (1704-72) and aunt Elizabeth (1708-82) who brought them up.

The very small marble plaque below shows Nathaniel’s coat of arms (the crescent on it is a ‘cadency mark’ to show it commemorates a second son) with the family motto on Latin:

'VIX EA NOSTRA VOCO' ("I scarcely call these ours").

The plaque above commemorates Arthur Maister (1738-91). In 1772 he married a young widow, Esther Thompson (née Rickaby; 1748-1823) from Bridlington. Arthur died at only 53, after being taken ill at a dinner in Beverley. You will find burial slabs for him and Esther in the South Choir Aisle, and other Maisters monuments elsewhere.