▁Court ▁( Rich ard ▁Le ves on ) ▁elected . ▁ ▁Ash m ole ' s ▁health ▁began ▁to ▁d eter ior ate ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 6 8 0 s . ▁He ▁continued ▁to ▁hold ▁his ▁exc ise ▁office ▁throughout ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁James ▁II ▁and ▁after ▁the ▁G lor ious ▁Revolution ▁until ▁his ▁death ▁but ▁became ▁much ▁less ▁active ▁in ▁affairs . ▁His ▁home ▁c ures ▁included ▁h anging ▁three ▁sp iders ▁around ▁his ▁neck ▁which ▁" dro ve ▁my ▁Ag ue ▁away ". ▁He ▁began ▁to ▁collect ▁notes ▁on ▁his ▁life ▁in ▁di ary ▁form ▁to ▁serve ▁as ▁source ▁material ▁for ▁a ▁bi ography ; ▁although ▁the ▁bi ography ▁was ▁never ▁written , ▁these ▁notes ▁are ▁a ▁rich ▁source ▁of ▁information ▁on ▁Ash m ole ▁and ▁his ▁times . ▁He ▁died ▁at ▁his ▁house ▁in ▁Lamb eth ▁on ▁ 1 8 ▁May ▁ 1 6 9 2 , ▁and ▁was ▁buried ▁at ▁St . ▁Mary ' s ▁Church , ▁Lamb eth ▁on ▁ 2 6 ▁May . ▁Ash m ole ▁be que athed ▁the ▁remainder ▁of ▁his ▁collection ▁and ▁library ▁to ▁Oxford ▁for ▁the ▁Ash m olean ▁Museum . ▁Two - third s ▁of ▁his ▁library ▁now ▁res ides ▁in ▁the ▁Bod le ian ▁at ▁Oxford ; ▁its ▁separation ▁from ▁the ▁museum ▁collection ▁in ▁the ▁Victor ian ▁era ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁belief ▁that ▁Ash m ole ▁designed ▁the ▁museum ▁around ▁the ▁Tr ades c ant ▁collection , ▁rather ▁than ▁his ▁own . ▁Ash m ole ' s ▁wid ow ,