Benjamin Cole (1695–1766) was an English

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

, instrument maker, engraver and

bookbinder Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an ordered stack of ''signatures'', sheets of paper folded together into sections that are bound, along one edge, with a thick needle and strong thread. Cheaper, b ...

living in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. His sons William and Benjamin were also instrument makers in London, while another son, Maximilian, was an engraver in Oxford.

Works

Benjamin Cole had a long-standing interest in

freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and engraved the frontispiece to the 1756 ''Book of Constitutions'' after succeeding

John Pine John Pine (1690–1756) was an English designer, engraver, and cartographer notable for his artistic contribution to the Augustan style and Newtonian scientific paradigm that flourished during the British Enlightenment. Early life and apprenti ...

in 1743 as official engraver to the

Grand Lodge A Grand Lodge (or Grand Orient or other similar title) is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country. In Freemasonry A Grand Lodge or Grand Orient is the us ...

. Cole drew up the ward maps for the first edition of the historian and topographer William Maitland's (c.1693–1757) posthumous ''History of London from Its Foundation to the Present Time'' (1769). (Cf. John Entick's ''New and Accurate History and Survey of London'' of 1766.) His music engravings included a collection by

John Frederick Lampe John Frederick Lampe (born Johann Friedrich Lampe; probably 1703 – 25 July 1751) was a musician and composer. Life Lampe was born in Saxony, Germany but came to England in 1724 and played the bassoon in opera houses. In 1730, he was hired b ...

with a setting of the ''Entered Apprentice's Song''.''Entered Apprentice's Song''
/ref> In 1728/9, he published a copy of the ''

Old Charges There are a number of masonic manuscripts that are important in the study of the emergence of Freemasonry. Most numerous are the ''Old Charges'' or ''Constitutions''. These documents outlined a "history" of masonry, tracing its origins to a biblic ...

'' with speeches by two

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

and architect Edward Oakley. His illustrations appeared in books ranging from fables for children to manuals of military drill, a notable work being a venture in collaboration with Edward Oakley, ''The Magazine of Architecture, Perspective, and Sculpture'' which provided an introduction to

Palladian architecture Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

. Cole made a wide range of instruments that are to be seen in museums throughout Britain. He was apprenticed to Thomas Wright and was free in the

Merchant Taylors' Company ] The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...

. The firm of ''Wright & Cole'' operated until 1748 when Cole succeeded Wright. ''Cole & Son'' conducted their business between 1751 and 1766 from the ''Orrery'' adjoining the ''Globe Tavern'', in

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

, London. This address became 136 Fleet Street about 1760 and 200 Fleet Street in later years. The business was taken over by John Troughton in 1782, surviving as ''Cooke, Troughton & Sims'' in the twentieth century. Benjamin Cole02

Family

Cole started a dynasty of engravers to the Freemasons. His son Benjamin (1725-1813), was apprenticed to his father in 1739. Another son, William, worked as engraver to the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

, and took over control and production of the freemasons' engraved lists in 1767. William's son, John, founded a ‘Masonic Printing Office’ in London.

References

Bibliography

* Loftus, Ernest Achey - ''A history of the descendants of Maximilian Cole of Oxford, who flourished in the 17th century'', London / Adlard & Son, Limited (1938)

External links

Websters' Instrument Makers Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole (instrument maker), Benjamin 1695 births 1766 deaths English cartographers English engravers English surveyors British scientific instrument makers 18th-century English scientists 18th-century engravers People from Oxford