John Nickolls (1710?–1745) was an English collector and

antiquary 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 ...

Life

John Nickolls was born in

Ware, Hertfordshire Ware is a town in Hertfordshire, England close to the county town of Hertford. It is also a civil parishes in England, civil parish in East Hertfordshire district. Location The town lies on the north–south A10 road (Great Britain), A10 road ...

, in 1710 or 1711, the son of John Nickolls, a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

miller. He was apprenticed to

Joseph Wyeth Joseph Wyeth (1663–1731) was an English merchant and Quaker controversial writer. Life The son of Henry and Sarah Wyeth, he was born on 19 September 1663 in the parish of St Saviour, Southwark. He became a successful London merchant. Wyeth die ...

, merchant in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and, after serving his time, became a partner with his father. Nickolls was elected a

fellow of the Society of Antiquaries A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

on 17 January 1740 and elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1744.

Collector

Nickolls built up an extensive library at his house in Trinity parish,

Queenhithe Queenhithe is a small and ancient ward of the City of London, situated by the River Thames and to the south of St. Paul's Cathedral. The Millennium Bridge crosses into the City at Queenhithe. Queenhithe is also the name of the ancient, but now ...

. He also collected from the bookstalls about

Moorfields Moorfields was an open space, partly in the City of London, lying adjacent to – and outside – its northern wall, near the eponymous Moorgate. It was known for its marshy conditions, the result of the defensive wall acting like a dam, i ...

two thousand prints of heads; these later furnished Joseph Ames with material for his ''Catalogue of English Heads'', London, 1748. From Wyeth's widow Nickolls received a number of letters at one time in

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

's possession; they had since belonged to Milton's secretary,

Thomas Ellwood Thomas Ellwood (October 1639 – 1 March 1714) was an English religious writer. He is remembered for his relationship with poet John Milton, and some of his writing has proved durable as well. Life Ellwood was born in the village of Crowell, Ox ...

, and had been used by Wyeth in the preparation for publication of Ellwood's ''Journal'', which was issued in 1713.

William Oldys William Oldys (14 July 1696 – 15 April 1761) was an English antiquarian and bibliographer. Life He was probably born in London, the illegitimate son of Dr William Oldys (1636–1708), chancellor of Lincoln diocese. His father had held the ...

visited Nickolls at Queenhithe on 22 December 1737, to see this collection of original letters. These documents were issued by Nickolls in 1743.''Original Letters and Papers of State, addressed to Oliver Cromwell, concerning the Affairs of Great Britain. From the Year mdcxlix to mdclviii, found among the Political Collections of Mr. John Milton. Now first published from the Originals''. Oldys says in his diary that Nickolls allowed

Thomas Birch Thomas Birch (23 November 17059 January 1766) was an English historian. Life He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell. He preferred study to business but, as his parents were Quakers, he did not go to t ...

to use some of them in his life of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

in the ''

General Dictionary, Historical and Critical The ''General Dictionary, Historical and Critical'' was a biographical dictionary published from 1734 to 1741 in London in 10 volumes. It derived from the '' Dictionnaire historique et critique'' of Pierre Bayle, already translated into English in ...

'', 1731–41.

Death and burial

Nickolls died of fever on 11 January 1745, and was buried at the Quaker Burying Ground, Bunhill Fields, five days later.

Legacy

On 18 January 1746, Nickolls' father presented the original manuscripts from his collection to the Society of Antiquaries. Nickolls' prints and rare pamphlets were purchased by John Fothergill.

References

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Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Nickolls, John 1710 births 1745 deaths People from Ware, Hertfordshire English antiquarians English Quakers Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal Society Burials at Bunhill Fields