Christopher Rawlinson (1677–1733) of
Carke Hall in
Cartmell, Lancashire, was an English
antiquary.
Origins
He was born on 13 June 1677 at
Springfield in
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, the second son of
Curwen Rawlinson of Carke Hall in
Cartmell, Lancashire, a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
Lancaster in 1688, by his wife Elizabeth Monck, a daughter and co-heiress of
Nicholas Monck,
Bishop of Hereford, a younger brother of
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608–1670)
KG.
Career
He matriculated at
Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...
, on 14 June 1695.
He inherited his father's estates. In 1723 he erected to the memory of his grandfather Nicholas Monck, Bishop of Hereford, a pyramidical monument in black and white marble in St. Edmund's Chapel, Westminster Abbey.
Works
He devoted himself to
Anglo-Saxon studies
Anglo-Saxon England or Early Medieval England, existing from the 5th to the 11th centuries from the end of Roman Britain until the Norman conquest in 1066, consisted of various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms until 927, when it was united as the Kingdom of ...
and in 1698 published (with assistance from
Edward Thwaites
Edward Thwaites (Thwaytes) (baptised 1661–1711) was an English scholar of the Anglo-Saxon language. According to David C. Douglas he was "one of the most inspiring teachers which Oxford has ever produced".
Life
Thwaites was the son of William ...
), the Saxon text of the ''
Consolation of Philosophy
''On the Consolation of Philosophy'' ('' la, De consolatione philosophiae'')'','' often titled as ''The Consolation of Philosophy'' or simply the ''Consolation,'' is a philosophical work by the Roman statesman Boethius. Written in 523 while he ...
'' by
Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the tr ...
, from a transcript at Oxford made by
Francis Junius Franciscus Junius may refer to:
* Franciscus Junius (the elder) (1545–1602), theologian and Hebrew scholar
* Franciscus Junius (the younger)
Franciscus Junius (29 January 1591 – 1677), also known as François du Jon, was a pioneer of Germanic ...
. It was printed with the
Junian font. Rawlinson had made valuable collections for the history of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
,
Westmoreland, and
Cumberland, all of which have probably perished. The antiquary Sir
Daniel Fleming had, however, copied extracts from the part relating to Westmoreland, which were deposited in the collection of manuscripts at Rydal Hall, and were used in about 1777 by
Richard Burn
Richard Burn (1709 – 12 November 1785) was an English legal writer.
Education and career
Burn was born in Winton, Kirkby Stephen, Westmorland. He matriculated at The Queen's College, Oxford in 1729. He was not awarded his B.A. until 1735, t ...
and Joseph Nicolson for their work ''Westmoreland and Cumberland''.
Death, burial & legacy
He died unmarried and intestate on 8 January 1733 in Holborn Row, London and was buried in the abbey church of
St Albans, Hertfordshire. His portrait, engraved by
Joseph Nutting
Joseph Nutting (1660–1722) was an English engraver, working in London. He is known for his portraits, often used as book frontispiece
A frontispiece in books is a decorative or informative illustration facing a book's title page—on the left ...
, with those of other members of his family, is in the
Bodleian Library, Oxford. His estates passed to his cousins, the issue of his father's sisters Anne and Katherine. Following his death the furniture of Carke Hall was sold by auction and his manuscripts were at the same time sold for a few pennies in bundles to the villagers.
References
*
*
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlinson, Christopher
1677 births
1733 deaths
English antiquarians
Burials at St Albans Cathedral
People from Cartmel
People from the City of Chelmsford