Henry Keepe (1652–1688) was an English antiquarian, known for his ''Monumenta Westmonasteriensia'', a history of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

Life

Born in

Fetter Lane Fetter Lane is a street in the ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. It forms part of the A4 road and runs between Fleet Street at its southern end and Holborn. History The street was originally called Faytor or Faiter Lane, then Fe ...

, London, he was the son of Charles Keepe, a Cavalier cornet in Sir William Courtney's regiment of cavalry in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, and then in the exchequer office. He entered New Inn, Oxford, as a

gentleman-commoner A commoner is a student at certain universities in the British Isles who historically pays for his own tuition and commons, typically contrasted with scholars and exhibitioners, who were given financial emoluments towards their fees. Cambridge ...

in Midsummer term 1668. Leaving university without a degree, he returned to London and studied law in the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. For 18 years Keepe belonged to the choir of Westminster Abbey. He died at his lodgings in Carter Lane, near

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, at the end of May 1688, and was buried in St Gregory by St Paul's. Anthony Wood stated that Keepe had become a Catholic convert under James II.

Works

Keepe's works are: *''Monumenta Westmonasteriensia; or an Historical Account of … the Abbey-Church of Westminster'', London, 1682, dedicated to the

Earl of Arundel Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used (along with the Earl of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. The e ...

. It preserved information about monuments in the Abbey that have subsequently been altered or moved. *''The Genealogies of the high-born Prince and Princess George and Anne of Denmark'', London, 1684. Dedicated to the

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...

. *''A true and perfect Narrative of the strange and unexpected Finding of the Crucifix and Gold Chain of that pious Prince S. Edward, the King and Confessor, which was found after 620 years' interment''. Published as Charles Taylour, Gent., London, 1688. *A manuscript account of the city of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, begun about 1684, containing descriptions of the coats of arms in the churches.

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 ...

, in his ''Eboracum'' (1736), acknowledged heraldic assistance from Keepe's collections.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Keepe, Henry 1652 births 1688 deaths English antiquarians