The Society or College of Antiquaries
1586-1607
In 1586, according to accounts of this society
founded originally under the patronage of Archbishop Matthew Parker (1504-1575),
but not meeting formally until the year after his death, a group of historians
and collectors of books and manuscripts, began meeting at the house in Debry
Place occupied by the College of Arms to discuss lectures prepared by members
on subjects of historical importance. The history of this Society/College (it
is referred to in manuscripts as both) has never been throroughly studied, in
spite of the fact that many of the discourses presented to the Society survived
and were transferred from the Cotton library to Thomas Smith, who prepared the
first printed catalogue of Cotton’s wonderful collection, now in the British
Library. Sir Richard Spelman was a member and contributed an essay on the
original of the law terms, printed in Edmund Gibson’s edition of Reliquae
Spelannianae (Oxford, 1698), reprinted in 1723 as part of Volume II of The English Works of Sir Henry Spelman, Kt. Publish’d in his Life-time;
together with his Posthumous Works, London, 1723. There is a brief account in
Pierre Des Maizeaux’s introduction to the 1723 edition of Richard Carew’s Survey of Cornwall which is based on
Smith. Contemporary accounts of the membership known are: Cotton Julius F x;
Cotton Faustina E v; Harley 2077; Harley 5177. Note: Joan Evans, A History of the Society of Antiquaries,
The membership of the Society has never been
precisely determined but the following are known to have attended meetings and
submitted papers, many of which were printed by Thomas Hearne in his Collection of Curious Discourses published
at Oxford in 1720.
___________
Agard, Arthur (1535?-1615) Andrewes,
Lancelot (1555-1626)
Beale, Robert (1541-1601)
Bourchier, Henry, Earl of
Broughton, Hugh (1549-1612)
Carew, Richard (1555-1620) Coke,
Sir Edward (1552-1634)
Cope, Sir Walter (1553?-1614) Cotton, Sir
Robert Bruce (1571-1631)
Davies, Sir John (1569-1626) Dethick,
Sir William (1543-1612)
Dodderidge, Sir John (1555-1628) D’Oyly, Thomas
(1530?-1598?)
Erdeswick,
Sampson (1538?-1603) Fleetwood, William
(1525-1594)
Hakewill, William (1574-1655) Hartwell,
Abraham (1553-1606)
Heneage, Michael (1540-1600)
Jones, Sir William (1566-1640)
Lambarde, William (1536-1601) Leigh [Ley],
Francis (d. 1653)
Ley, James (1550-1629) Patten,
William (d. 1599?)
Savile, Sir John (1546-1607) Spelman,
Sir Henry (1563?-1641)
Stow, John (1524?-1605) Strangman,
James (1555?-1596?)
Talbot, Thomas (1535?-1599?) Tate,
Francis (1560-1616)
Thynne, Francis (1545?-1608) Townshend,
Whitelocke, Sir James (1570-1632)
Exactly
a hundred years after the last formal meeting, the Socciety was re-founded in
1707.