''For the American politician see Benjamin T. Bartlett IV'' Benjamin Bartlett (1714–1787), was an English numismatical and

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

writer.

Life

Bartlett was of an old-established quaker family at

Bradford, Yorkshire Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 c ...

, where his father was an

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

, having for his apprentice the afterwards celebrated Dr John Fothergill. At an early age Bartlett showed a great aptitude for

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), 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 artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

pursuits. He left Bradford for London, where he set up an apothecary's business in Red Lion Street. This, however, he was eventually obliged to relinquish on account of failing health, resigning it to his partner, Mr. French. In his spare time he formed an extensive collection of English coins and seals from the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

time downwards, which was sold by auction after his death. His knowledge in the various departments of

numismatology Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...

was most extensive, and we are told that it would have been difficult to find his equal on this subject. In 1764 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and at the time of his death was their treasurer. His only literary venture was a memoir on the ''Episcopal Coins of Durham, and the Monastic Coins of Reading, minted during the reigns of

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

, II, and III, appropriated to their respective owners'', this having been the substance of a paper read before the Society of Antiquaries on 5 March 1778. He had, however, prepared for publication ''Manduessedum Romanorum'', or ''The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Manceter afterwards printed in

Nichols Nichols may refer to: People *Nichols (surname) *Nichol, a surname Places Canada * Nichols Islands, Nunavut United States * Nichols, California, an unincorporated community * Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California * Nichols, Connecticut * Nich ...

's ''Topographical Antiquities''. He also received the public thanks of Dr. Nash for the valuable communications he contributed to the ''History of Worcestershire'', and Gough, in his prospectus prefixed to the ''History of Thetford'', published in 1789, acknowledges himself to have been indebted to "that able master, Mr. Benjamin Bartlett", for the arrangement of the coins. He died of

dropsy Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

on 2 March 1787, at the age of 73, and was interred in the quakers' burying-ground at Hartshill, Warwickshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Benjamin 1714 births 1787 deaths Deaths from edema 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers English non-fiction writers Writers from Bradford English Quakers 18th-century Quakers 18th-century antiquarians English antiquarians English male non-fiction writers