Anthony Morris Storer (1746–1799) was an English man of fashion, politician and collector.

Life

Born on 12 March 1746, Anthony Morris Storer was elder son of Thomas Storer of Westmoreland, Jamaica (d. Golden Square, London, on 21 July 1793, aged 76), who married Helen, daughter of Colonel Guthrie. He was at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

from about 1760 to 1764 with

Charles James Fox Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-riv ...

and

Earl Fitzwilliam Earl Fitzwilliam (or FitzWilliam) was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family (later Wentworth-Fitzwilliam). History The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in the ...

. He was admitted a fellow-commoner of

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th century ...

in December 1764, but left without taking a degree. Storer became a prominent figure of London's social world. Through patronage, he was both a man of fashion, and a Whig politician. During 1778 and 1779 he was in America with

Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle (28 May 1748 – 4 September 1825) was a British peer, statesman, diplomat, and author. Life He was the son of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle and his second wife Isabella Byron. His mother was a ...

and William Eden. He visited Carlisle in Ireland in 1781, and, through his interest, succeeded Benjamin L'Anglois as a commissioner of the Board of Trade on 26 July 1781. Meanwhile, he sat in the House of Commons as Member for from 1774 to 1780, and subsequently—from 1780 to 1784—for . Much of Storer's time was passed with the family of

Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was 12th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most o ...

, and in August 1782 he was a channel of communication between North and Fox. He enlisted in the

Fox–North Coalition The Fox–North coalition was a government in Great Britain that held office during 1783.Chris Cook and John Stevenson, ''British Historical Facts 1760–1830'', Macmillan, 1980 As the name suggests, the ministry was a coalition of the groups s ...

; and in September 1783, to the indignation of

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is k ...

, who also aspired to the post, he was sent by Fox to Paris as secretary of the legation. On 13 December 1783, when the ambassador, the

Duke of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named afte ...

, came home, Storer was nominated as minister plenipotentiary. Six days later his friends were ejected from office. Storer's connection with politics then ceased. He had by that time quarrelled with Carlisle, and so did not seek re-election for Carlisle's borough of Morpeth after the dissolution of 1784. In 1786 he was reading the Latin and Greek writers with

Edward Harwood Edward Harwood (1729–1794) was a prolific English classical scholar and biblical critic. Life Harwood was born at Darwen, Lancashire, in 1729. After attending a school at Darwen, he went in 1745 to the Blackburn grammar school under Thomas Hu ...

, who used Storer's library. He was desirous in December 1787 of entering the diplomatic service, and in April 1793 he languished for employment; but his father's death in the same year brought him a fortune. He purchased Purley Park, between

Pangbourne Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in Berkshire, England. Pangbourne has its own shops, schools, a railway station on the Great Western main line and a village hall. Outside its grouped developed area is an in ...

and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

and, with the advice of

Humphrey Repton Humphry Repton (21 April 1752 – 24 March 1818) was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of ...

, improved and ornamented the grounds. His health was bad, however; he had been very ill in the winter of 1787–8, and he did not live to complete the house for the estate. But the mansion was erected after his death from the designs of Wyatt. Repton left a rather unflattering description of his dealings with Storer in his personal journal published in Project Purley Vol 45 September 1997

Collection and Extra-illustration

According to

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

, Storer began collecting books and prints in 1781, acerbically adding that Storer, as a man of fashion, was "a macaroni turned antiquary."Lucy Peltz, ''Facing the Text: Extra-Illustration, Print Culture, and Society in Britain, 1769–1840'' (San Marino, California: Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, 2017), p. 157. Distributed in the UK by

Manchester University Press Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with th ...

/ref> Although Storer complained of the "burden of having nothing to do" in 1787, having been three years out of Parliament, he was busy developing his library and print collection. In addition to early bindings, Storer collected Caxtons and other black-letter books, Greek and Latin classics, Italian literature and early English plays including the first three folios of Shakespeare. His interest in topography and

extra-illustration Extra-illustration is the process whereby texts, normally in their published state, are customized by the incorporation of thematically linked prints, watercolors, and other visual materials. History Extra-illustration was a vibrant and widespread ...

is shown by a letter from

Thomas Pennant Thomas Pennant (14 June Old Style, OS 172616 December 1798) was a Welsh natural history, naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales ...

who wrote to Storer in 1782 saying that he wished "to contribute to his torer'samusements in his private hours." Storer left his complete library to

in 1799. His collection of prints and extra-illustrated books also went to Eton, the extra-illustrated works being stored in a specially designed press brought from his Devonshire Street residence and installed in the College library to house the bequest.Illustrated in Lucy Peltz, ''Facing the Text: Extra-Illustration, Print Culture, and Society in Britain, 1769–1840'' (San Marino, California: Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, 2017), p. 159, figure 103. Despite the riches of Storer's library – 87 books extra-illustrated by Storer in 143 volumes – the only title named in his will is

James Granger James Granger (1723–1776) was an English clergyman, biographer, and print collector. He is now known as the author of the ''Biographical History of England from Egbert the Great to the Revolution'' (1769). Granger was an early advocate of ani ...

's ''Biographical History of England''.

Death and legacy

Storer died at Bristol Hotwells on 28 June 1799, and was buried at Purley, a monument by

Nollekens Joseph Nollekens Royal Academy of Arts, R.A. (11 August 1737 – 23 April 1823) was a sculpture, sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century. Life Nollekens was born on 11 August 1737 ...

, with a Latin inscription, being erected to his memory in Purley church. Storer was elected Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

on 11 December 1777, and became a member of the

Dilettanti Society The Society of Dilettanti (founded 1734) is a British society of noblemen and scholars that sponsors the study of ancient Greek and Roman art, and the creation of new work in the style. History Though the exact date is unknown, the Society is b ...

on 18 April 1790. Storer's fortune was left to his nephew, Anthony Gilbert Storer, the only son of his brother Thomas James Storer, who had married the Hon. Elizabeth Proby, daughter of

John Proby, 1st Baron Carysfort John Proby, 1st Baron Carysfort KB PC (25 November 1720 – 18 October 1772) was a British Whig politician. Life He was the son of John Proby, of Elton Hall, Huntingdonshire, and his wife Jane, daughter of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Baron Gowe ...

. The only other legacy was the sum of £1,000 to James Hare. Letters by Storer are printed in

John Heneage Jesse John Heneage Jesse (1809 – 7 July 1874), English historian, son of Edward Jesse, was educated at Eton and became a clerk in the secretary's department of the Admiralty. His poem on Mary, Queen of Scots was published about 1831, and was fol ...

's ''George Selwyn and his Contemporaries'', vols. iii. and iv., and in the ''Correspondence of William Eden, Lord Auckland''.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Storer, Anthony Morris 1746 births 1799 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge British diplomats Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 Deputy Lieutenants of Berkshire Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Carlisle