Thomas Wright
Encyclopedia
Thomas Wright was an English
antiquarian
and writer.
, in Shropshire
, descended from a Quaker family formerly living at Bradford, Yorkshire. He was educated at Ludlow Grammar School
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he graduated in 1834.
While at Cambridge he contributed to the Gentleman's Magazine and other periodicals, and in 1835 he came to London
to devote himself to a literary career.
His first separate work was Early English Poetry in Black Letter, with Prefaces and Notes (1836, 4 vols. 12mo), which was followed during the next forty years by an extensive series of publications, many of lasting value. He helped to found the British Archaeological Association
and the Percy Society
, the Camden
and the Shakespeare Society. In 1842 he was elected corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres of Paris, and was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
as well as member of many other learned British and foreign bodies.
In 1859 he superintended the excavations of the Roman
town of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter
), near Shrewsbury
, and issued a report.
A portrait of him is in the Drawing Room Portrait Gallery for October 1, 1859.
He was a great scholar, but will be chiefly remembered as an industrious antiquary and the editor of many relics of the Middle Ages.
He died at Chelsea, London
in his 67th year. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and writer.
Life
Wright was born near LudlowLudlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
, in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, descended from a Quaker family formerly living at Bradford, Yorkshire. He was educated at Ludlow Grammar School
Ludlow College
Ludlow College is a sixth form college situated in the heart of Ludlow, Shropshire, England. Its history traces back to 1200, when it was known as Ludlow Grammar School. This makes Ludlow College one of the oldest educational institutions in England....
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he graduated in 1834.
While at Cambridge he contributed to the Gentleman's Magazine and other periodicals, and in 1835 he came to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to devote himself to a literary career.
His first separate work was Early English Poetry in Black Letter, with Prefaces and Notes (1836, 4 vols. 12mo), which was followed during the next forty years by an extensive series of publications, many of lasting value. He helped to found the British Archaeological Association
British Archaeological Association
The British Archaeological Association was founded in 1843; it was established by Charles Roach Smith. It is aimed at the promotion of the studies of archaeology, art and architecture and the preservation of antiquities. After disagreements arose, it was split into two organizations, the newer one...
and the Percy Society
Percy Society
The Percy Society was a British book-club. It was founded in 1840 and collapsed in 1852.It was a scholarly collective, aimed at publishing limited-edition books of rare poems and songs...
, the Camden
Camden Society
The Camden Society, named after the English antiquary and historian William Camden, was founded in 1838 in London to publish early historical and literary materials, both unpublished manuscripts and new editions of rare printed books....
and the Shakespeare Society. In 1842 he was elected corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres of Paris, and was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
as well as member of many other learned British and foreign bodies.
In 1859 he superintended the excavations of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
town of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...
), near Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, and issued a report.
A portrait of him is in the Drawing Room Portrait Gallery for October 1, 1859.
He was a great scholar, but will be chiefly remembered as an industrious antiquary and the editor of many relics of the Middle Ages.
He died at Chelsea, London
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
in his 67th year. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
.
Selected works
- Queen Elizabeth and her Times, a Series of Original Letters (1838, 2 vols.)
- Reliquiae antiquae (1839-1843, again 1845, 2 vols.), edited with Mr JO Halliwell-PhillippsJames Orchard Halliwell-PhillippsJames Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps was an English Shakespearean scholar, and a collector of English Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales....
- W. Mapes's Latin Poems (1841, 4to, Camden Society)
- Political Ballads and Carols, published by the Percy Society (1841)
- Popular Treatises on Science (1841)
- History of Ludlow (1841, etc.; again 1852)
- Collection of Latin Stories (1842, Percy Society)
- The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman (1842, 2 vols.; 2nd ed., 1855)
- Biographia literaria, vol. i. Anglo-Saxon Period (1842), vol. ii. Anglo-Norman Period (1846)
- The Chester Plays (1843-1847, 2 vols., Shakespeare Society)
- St Patrick's Purgatory (1844)
- Anecdota literaria (1844)
- Archaeological Album (1845,410)
- Essays connected with England in the Middle Ages (1846, 2 vols.)
- ChaucerGeoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
's Canterbury Tales (1847-1851, Percy Society), a new text with notes, reprinted in 1 vol. (1853 and 1867) - Early Travels in Palestine (1848, Bohn's Antiq. Lib.)
- England under the House of Hanover (1848, 2 vols., several editions, reproduced in 1868 as Caricature History of the Georges)
- Mapes, De nugis curialium (1850, 4to, Camden Society)
- Geoffrey GaimarGeoffrey GaimarGeoffrey Gaimar , was an Anglo-Norman chronicler. Gaimar's most significant contribution to medieval literature and history is as a translator from Old English to Anglo-Norman. His L'Estoire des Engles translates extensive portions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as well as using Latin and French...
's Metrical Chronicle (1850, Caxton Society) - Narratives of Sorcery and Magic (1851, 2 vols.)
- The Celt, the Roman and the Saxon (1852; 4th ed., 1885)
- History of Fulke Fitz Warine (1855);
- de Garlandia, De triumphis ecclesiae (1856, 4to, Roxburghe ClubRoxburghe ClubThe Roxburghe Club was formed on 17 June 1812 by leading bibliophiles, at the time the library of the Duke of Roxburghe was auctioned. It took 45 days to sell the entire collection. The first edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, printed by Chrisopher Valdarfer of Venice in 1471, was sold to the...
) - Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial English (1857)
- A Volume of Vocabularies (1857; 2nd ed., by RP Wülcker, 1884, 2 vols.)
- Les Cent Nouvelles NouvellesCent Nouvelles nouvellesThe Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles is a collection of stories supposed to be narrated by various persons at the court of Philippe le Bon, and collected together by Antoine de la Sale in the mid-15th century....
(Paris, 1858, 2 vols.) - Malory's History of King Arthur (1858, 2 vols., revised 1865)
- Political Poems and Songs from Edward III to Richard III (1859-1861, 2 vols; "Rolls" series)
- Songs and Ballads of the Reign of Philip and Mary (1860, 4to, Roxburghe Club)
- Essays on Archaeological Subjects (1861, 2 vols.)
- Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England in the Middle Ages (1862, 410, reproduced in 1871 as The Homes of other Days)
- Roll of Arms of Edward I (1864, 4to)
- Autobiography of Thomas Wright (1736-1797), his grandfather (1864)
- History of Caricature (1865, 4to)
- On the Worship of the Generative Powers during the Middle Ages of Western Europe (1865) (Attributed) Appended to the 1865 reprint of Sir Richard Payne Knight'sRichard Payne KnightRichard Payne Knight was a classical scholar and connoisseur best known for his theories of picturesque beauty and for his interest in ancient phallic imagery.-Biography:...
An account of the remains of the worship of Priapus. Scanned facsimile available on Internet Archive - Womankind in Western Europe (1869, 4to)
- Anglo-Latin Satirical Poets of 12th Century (1872, 2 vols., Rolls SeriesRolls SeriesThe Rolls Series, official title The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages, is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources, published in the second half of the 19th century. Some 255 volumes, representing 99 separate...
).
External Links
- http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Wright%2C%20Thomas%2C%201810-1877%22%20-sponsor%3Agoogle