Dying Thymes

Hi everyone, earlier this year i bought 2 thyme plants, both were around 8" in diameter and height,  "silver queen" and "lemon aureus" i potted them in 10" square containers with plenty of drainage holes in, crocks and gravel in the bottom, i used Westland multi purpose compost with some fine pea gravel added, i've had a good crop of stems which i've dried. Over the last 2 weeks both plants have appeared to have gradually dried up and died, both now being brown and brittle, i initialy gave them a good water, but since then have been sparsely watering about once or twice a week, they are planted on a balcony, close to the wooden slatted barrier, they get partial sun, and they seemed to thrive in the strong winds we've had but not so in the recent glorious sun. Could anyone please tell me if i've done something wrong, and if i would be able to breathe some life back into them, many thanks.

Have you checked in the pots for vine weevil grubs?

Thymes actually like constant hot sun, so that certainly shouldn't have killed them.

Yes, check for pests.  Another thought is if your pots are in the 'glorious' sun they might have dried out just a little bit too much.  If they are actually brown and brittle all over they may be beyond recovery, but it might be worth moving them into a more sheltered spot and increasing the watering to see if they put on any new growth.  I've got some common thyme in a 12 inch pot on my patio and at the moment I am watering it well every evening.