Anstis, John (1669–1744), herald and antiquary, was born at St Neot, Cornwall, on 28 or 29 August 1669, the first son of John Anstis (d. 1692), registrar of the archdeaconry of Cornwall, and Mary (1641×52–1669), daughter of George Smith of Lantewy and ...
Article
Michael Hunter
Ashmole, Elias (1617–1692), astrologer and antiquary, was born on 23 May 1617 at Lichfield in Staffordshire, the son of Simon Ashmole, a saddler, and his wife, Anne, daughter of Anthony Bowyer, a Coventry draper whose family was of gentry status. Ashmole's grandfather Thomas Ashmole...
Article
Aubrey, John (1626–1697), antiquary and biographer, was born on 12 March 1626 at Easton Pierse near Kington St Michael in north Wiltshire, the eldest of the three surviving sons of Richard Aubrey (1603–1652), who owned estates at Burleton in Herefordshire and at Broad Chalke...
Article
Arthur Sherbo
Ayscough, Samuel (1745–1804), librarian and antiquary, was born in Nottingham and baptized at St Peter's, Nottingham, on 29 November 1745, the only son of George Ayscough (1721/2–1783), printer, and his second wife, Edith Wigley. His grandfather, William Ayscough, was a stationer and printer in ...
Article
Theodor Harmsen
Bagford, John (1650/51–1716), bookseller and antiquary, was born in Fetter Lane, London, the son of John Bagford. Very little is known about his early life and family background. He was trained and worked as a shoemaker and wrote a little tract about this trade (...
Article
Alexander Du Toit
Balfour, Sir James, of Denmiln and Kinnaird, first baronet (1600–1657), antiquary and herald, was probably born at Denmiln, Fife, the son of Sir Michael Balfour of Denmiln (c.1580–1652), later MP for Fife and comptroller of the household to Charles I, and his wife, ...
Article
Elizabeth Baigent
Bankes, William John (1786–1855), traveller and antiquary, was born on 11 December 1786, second son of Henry Bankes (1757–1834) of Kingston Lacy, Dorset, politician and author, and his wife, Frances (1760/61–1823), daughter of William Woodley, governor of the Leeward Islands, and the elder brother of ...
Article
Kristine L. Haugen
Barnes, Joshua (1654–1712), Greek scholar and antiquary, was born on 10 January 1654, the son of Edward Barnes, a tailor from St Stephen, Coleman Street parish, London; he was baptized at St Giles Cripplegate on 22 January. He was educated at Christ's Hospital...
Article
David Philip Miller
Barrington, Daines (1727/8–1800), judge, antiquary, and naturalist, was born at Becket in the parish of Shrivenham in Berkshire, the fourth son and fourth of nine children of John Shute Barrington, first Viscount Barrington (1678–1734), barrister and politician, and his wife, Anne (d...
Article
Betham, William (1749–1839), antiquary, the third son of William Betham (b. 1698), was born at Little Strickland, near Morland, Westmorland, on 17 May 1749. His family seems to have been settled in the county from the twelfth century, and to have derived its name from the little village of ...
Article
Bliss, Philip (1787–1857), antiquary and book collector, was the elder son of Philip Bliss (d. 1803), rector of Dodington and Frampton Cotterell, near Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, where Bliss was born on 21 December 1787. His mother was Anne, daughter of Thomas Michell...
Article
Boileau, Sir John Peter (1794–1869), antiquary, was born at Hertford Street, London, on 2 September 1794, the eldest son of the John Peter Boileau (1747–1837) and his wife, Henrietta (d. 1817), the daughter of the Revd George Pollen of Little Bookham, Surrey...
Article
Brand, John (1744–1806), antiquary and topographer, was born on 19 August 1744 at Washington in co. Durham, where his father, Alexander Brand, was the parish clerk. Little is known of his mother, Elizabeth Wheatley, who died shortly after he was born. When his father remarried ...
Article
J. Mordaunt Crook
Britton, John (1771–1857), antiquary and topographer, was born on 7 July 1771 at Kington St Michael, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, the son of Henry Britton, a small farmer, maltster, baker, and village shopkeeper, and his wife, Anne Hillier. His mother died young, having reared ten children, of whom ...
Article
Brown, Rawdon Lubbock (1806–1883), historian and antiquary, was born in London, the son of Hugh William Brown and Anne Elizabeth Lubbock, sister of Sir John Lubbock, bt. He was a boarder at Charterhouse School, 1820–21, and appears to have studied at Oxford; but the record is uncertain until his arrival in ...
Article
Leonard W. Cowie
Buckler, Benjamin (1716/17–1780), antiquary, was born at Warminster, Wiltshire, the son of Thomas Buckler, gentleman, of Warminster. He matriculated on 15 February 1733 aged sixteen as a member of Oriel College, Oxford, whence he graduated BA in 1736 and proceeded MA in 1739, when he was elected a fellow of ...
Article
Richard Cust
Burton, William (1575–1645), antiquary, was born on 24 August 1575, the eldest son of Ralph Burton (1547–1619) of Lindley, Leicestershire, and Dorothy (b. 1550), daughter of William Faunt of Foston, Leicestershire. He was educated, along with his younger brother Robert Burton (1577–1640)...
Article
Byres, James, of Tonley (1734–1817), antiquary and architect, was born on 7 May 1734 at Tonley, his family's estate in the parish of Tough, Aberdeenshire; he was the first of the seven children of Patrick Byres (b. 1713), laird of Tonley, and of his wife, ...
Article
Carew, Richard (1555–1620), antiquary and poet, was born on 17 July 1555 at Antony House, Torpoint, Cornwall, the eldest son among the three children of Thomas Carew (c.1527–1564) and his wife, Elizabeth Edgcumbe. His father having died when he was eight, ...
Article
Alexander Du Toit
Chalmers, George (bap. 1742, d. 1825), antiquary and political writer, was born in Fochabers, Moray, and baptized there on 26 December 1742, the son of James Chalmers, postmaster at Fochabers, and his wife, Isabella Ruddock. He attended the parish school of Bellie and later appears to have studied at ...
