John Adamson (1787–1855) was an
antiquary and scholar of Portuguese from
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
, England. He was decorated by Queen
Maria II of Portugal
, image = Queen Maria II by John Simpson.jpg
, caption = Portrait by John Simpson, 1835
, succession = Queen of Portugal
, reign =
, predecessor = Pedro IV
, successor = Miguel I
, reg-type = Regents
, regent ...
for his services to Portuguese literature.
Early life
Adamson, son of Lieutenant Cuthbert Adamson, R. N., and his second wife Mary, was born on 13 September 1787 at his father's house in
Gateshead. He was educated at
Newcastle Grammar School, and in 1803 went to Lisbon, to work in the office of his elder brother Blythman, a merchant in the city. He left Portugal for England in 1807, when a French invasion threatened. While there, he had studied the language and collected a few books, including the tragedy of ''Dona Ignez de Castro'', which he translated and printed in 1808.
Return to England
On his return to England Adamson was articled to Thomas Davidson, a Newcastle solicitor and
clerk of the peace
A clerk of the peace held an office in England and Wales whose responsibility was the records of the quarter sessions and the framing of presentments and indictments. They had legal training, so that they could advise justices of the peace.
Histo ...
for Northumberland, to whom Adamson later dedicated his ''Memoirs of Camoens''. In 1810 he printed a small collection of sonnets, mostly translations from minor works of
Camoens. The next year he was appointed under-sheriff of Newcastle, a post he retained until the passing of the
Municipal Corporation Act in 1835. He became a member of the
Literary and Philosophical Society
The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne (or the ''Lit & Phil'' as it is popularly known) is a historical library in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and the largest independent library outside London. The library is still avai ...
of Newcastle about this time, and was one of its secretaries from 1825 to his death. He was one of the founders of the Antiquarian Society of Newcastle in 1813, and was appointed secretary with the Rev. J. Hodgson. With several other enthusiasts he also founded the Typographical Society of Newcastle, which published most of his works.
[
]
Portuguese literature
In 1820 Adamson's two-volume ''Memoirs of Camoens'' was published by Longmans. It was well received, with Robert Southey
Robert Southey ( or ; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a ra ...
in the ''Quarterly Review'' of April 1822 speaking warmly in its favour. The two volumes contain a biography of the poet, a note on the "rimas" or smaller poems, a translation of an essay by Dom Joze Maria de Souza, an account of the translations and translators of the '' Lusiad'', an account of the editions of Camoens, and notes on his commentators and apologists.[
In 1836 Adamson printed a catalogue of his Portuguese library entitled ''Bibliotheca Lusitana'', incorporating much bibliographical information. Except for volumes relating to Camoens and a few others, the library was destroyed by fire in 1849.
In 1842, Adamson brought out the first part of a collection entitled ''Lusitania Illustrata'' consisting of translations from Portuguese sonnets, with notes on their writers. This was followed in 1846 by a second part devoted to ballads.][ For these, Adamson produced an English prose version, which was then turned into verse by Richard Charles Coxe, vicar of Newcastle upon Tyne.][
]
Other activities
Adamson took an interest in coins and produced the catalogue of the Hexham Hoard
The Hexham hoard is a 9th-century hoard of eight thousand copper-alloy coins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, which were discovered whilst a grave was being dug close to Hexham Abbey in 1832.
Discovery
The hoard was uncovered on ...
after its discovery in 1833.[Adamson, John (1844). "An Account of the Discovery, at Hexham, in Northumberland, of a Brass Vessel, containing a Number of Anglo-Saxon Coins, called Stycas. Reprinted from the Archaeologia, Vol. XXV". ''Archaeologia Aeliana''. 3.] He was also interested in shells, publishing in 1823, his ''Conchological Tables''. His private collection, later sold, contained 3,000 different species.[ He also collected fossils and minerals; the former he presented to the museum at Newcastle and the latter to the University of Durham.][
Adamson was a close friend of Thomas Dibdin, the antiquary and bibliophile.
Aside from his work as a solicitor, Adamson served as secretary of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Company.][
]
Death
John Adamson died on 27 September 1855 and was buried at Jesmond Cemetery, near Newcastle.[
]
References
External links
Myers Literary Guide
Attribution:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, John
1787 births
1855 deaths
People educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne
English antiquarians
Recipients of the Order of the Tower and Sword
Recipients of the Order of Christ (Portugal)