Allan, George (1736–1800), antiquary and topographer, was born on 7 June 1736 in Darlington, co. Durham, the eldest son of James Allan (1712–1790) and Elizabeth Pemberton (1710–1756). His father, ‘Auld Jem’, fourth son of Nicholas Allan of Staindrop, had trained as an attorney, and in 1738 was appointed bailiff of ...
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Allan, George (1736–1800), antiquary and topographer
C. M. Fraser
Article
Allen, Thomas (1803–1833), topographer
Elizabeth Baigent
Allen, Thomas (1803–1833), topographer, son of J. Allen, map engraver, was probably born in London. In 1827 he published The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Lambeth and the Archiepiscopal Palace, with illustrations, chiefly drawn and etched by himself. He afterwards published: ...
Article
Atkyns, Sir Robert (bap. 1647, d. 1711), topographer and antiquary
Robert J. Haines
Atkyns, Sir Robert (bap. 1647, d. 1711), topographer and antiquary, was baptized at Monken Hadley, Middlesex, on 26 August 1647, the eldest son of Sir Robert Atkyns (bap. 1621, d. 1710), lawyer, and his first wife, Mary (d. 1681), daughter of Sir George Clerk...
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Barry, George (1748–1805), topographical writer
T. F. Henderson
revised by Lionel Alexander Ritchie
Barry, George (1748–1805), topographical writer, was a native of Berwickshire. Educated at Edinburgh University, he was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Edinburgh. Initially he served as a tutor to the sons of gentlemen in Orkney, by whose patronage he became minister of second charge in ...
Article
Bartlet, Benjamin (1714–1787), numismatist and topographer
R. H. Thompson
Bartlet, Benjamin (1714–1787), numismatist and topographer, was born on 1 September 1714 at Bradford, Yorkshire, the only son of Benjamin Bartlet (1678–1759), bookseller and apothecary, and his second wife, Elizabeth Green (1684–1751). The family were Quakers: his grandfather and father suffered the seizure of goods for absenting themselves from the parish church; and ...
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Bartlett, William Henry (1809–1854), topographical artist
R. E. Graves
revised by Anne Pimlott Baker
Bartlett, William Henry (1809–1854), topographical artist, was born on 26 March 1809 at 5 Bartholomew Place, Kentish Town, London, the second child and elder son in the family of three children of William Bartlett and his wife, Ann. At the age of seven he was sent to a local boarding-school, where he was very miserable. He left school in 1821, and in 1822 was apprenticed to the antiquary ...
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Barton, Richard (1706–1759), topographer and religious writer
Eoin Magennis
Barton, Richard (1706–1759), topographer and religious writer, was born in Painstown, co. Meath, Ireland, the third son of the Revd John Barton (fl. 1675–1735), dean of Ardagh, and Elinor Jenney, daughter of the Revd Henry Jenney, archdeacon of Dromore diocese, and granddaughter of ...
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Baskerville, Thomas (1630/31–1700), topographer
Andrew Warmington
Baskerville, Thomas (1630/31–1700), topographer, was born, probably at Bayworth House, Sunningwell, Berkshire, in 1630 or early 1631, the eldest surviving son of the eccentric antiquary Hannibal Baskerville (1597–1668) and his second wife and cousin, Mary (1602–1644)—daughter of Nicholas Baskerville and widow of ...
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Bennett, James (1785–1856), topographer
Thompson Cooper
revised by H. C. G. Matthew
Bennett, James (1785–1856), topographer, was born at Falfield in the parish of Thornbury, Gloucestershire, on 10 May 1785, the eighth of the thirteen children of John Bennett, a yeoman farmer. He was sent to school at Stone, and was then apprenticed to George Robbins...
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Blomefield, Francis (1705–1752), topographical historian and Church of England clergyman
David Stoker
Blomefield, Francis (1705–1752), topographical historian and Church of England clergyman, was born on 23 July 1705 at Fersfield, Norfolk, the eldest son of Henry Blomefield (1680–1732) and his wife, Alice Batch (d. 1730), daughter of Henry Batch of Lynn. He came from a family of yeomen farmers and was the first member to receive a university education. He began attending classes run by the rector of ...
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Blundell, William (1620–1698), royalist landowner and topographer
Malcolm Gratton
Blundell, William (1620–1698), royalist landowner and topographer, was born on 15 July 1620 at Crosby Hall, Little Crosby, Lancashire, the second son of Nicholas Blundell (c.1590–1631) and Jane (d. 1640), daughter of Roger Bradshaigh of Haigh, near Wigan. In 1635 at the age of fifteen he married, in ...
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Bond, Thomas (1765–1837), topographer
John Westby-Gibson
revised by Christine North
Bond, Thomas (1765–1837), topographer, was born at East Looe, Cornwall, in February 1765, the son of Thomas Bond, JP, and his wife, Philippa, daughter of John Chubb of East Looe (said to be the first discoverer of fossils in Cornwall). Bond was by training a lawyer, and practised as a solicitor in ...
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Bowack, John (fl. 1705–1737), writing master and topographer
Gordon Goodwin
revised by J. A. Marchand
Bowack, John (fl. 1705–1737), writing master and topographer, was for many years a writing master at Westminster School. In 1705, when living in Church Lane, Chelsea, he began to publish, in folio numbers, The Antiquities of Middlesex, which contained a description of the church monuments in the county with a historical account of each church and parish, and the seats, villages, and names of the most eminent inhabitants. Two parts of this work appeared in 1705–6, comprising the parishes of ...
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Bowen, James (bap. 1718, d. 1774), painter and topographer
Jennett Humphreys
revised by Asia Haut
Bowen, James (bap. 1718, d. 1774), painter and topographer, was baptized on 29 January 1718 at St Chad's, Shrewsbury, the son of John Bowen and his wife, Anne, née Wilding. He collected substantial materials for a history of Shropshire, having taken notes on churches, sketches of monuments, and transcripts of records when he was accompanying ...
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Boys, Thomas Shotter (1803–1874), topographical watercolour painter and printmaker
Patrick Noon
Boys, Thomas Shotter (1803–1874), topographical watercolour painter and printmaker, was born on 2 January 1803 at Pentonville, near London, the son of James Boys (1774–1821), a salesman, and his wife, Elizabeth Collins (1785–1875). He was apprenticed on 4 February 1817 to the ...
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Boys, William (1735–1803), surgeon and topographer
Jennett Humphreys
revised by John Whyman
Boys, William (1735–1803), surgeon and topographer, was born in Deal, Kent, on 7 September 1735, the eldest son of Commodore William Boys (1700–1774), afterwards lieutenant-governor of Greenwich Hospital, and Elizabeth Pearson of Deal. He practised as a surgeon in Sandwich and devoted much of his spare time to literature and scientific research. Descended from an ancient ...
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Brand, John (1744–1806)
Maker: unknown artist
In
John Brand (1744–1806) by unknown artist Tyne and Wear Museums
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Brand, John (1744–1806), antiquary and topographer
R. H. Sweet
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 ...
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Brayley, Edward Wedlake (1773–1854), topographer and archaeologist
Thompson Cooper
revised by Elizabeth Baigent
Brayley, Edward Wedlake (1773–1854), topographer and archaeologist, born in Lambeth, London, was apprenticed to one of the most eminent enamellers in London. While an apprentice he met John Britton. They both had literary and artistic aspirations, and longed to be free of their existing trades. They formed a close friendship, which lasted for sixty-five years, and collaborated to produce illustrated volumes on topographical subjects. They began their literary partnership with a song called ...
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Brewer, James Jupp Norris (1777–1839), novelist and topographer
John D. Haigh
Brewer, James Jupp Norris (1777–1839), novelist and topographer, was born on 11 September 1777 in London (where he was baptized at St Sepulchre, Holborn on 8 October 1777), the eldest son of James John Brewer (1747–1802), a merchant, and his wife ...
