Joseph Foster (9 March 1844 – 29 July 1905) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

antiquarian 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 ...

and

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...

whose transcriptions of records held by the

Inns of Court The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple. All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...

and the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

are still important historical resources.

Life and career

While his family was originally seated at Cold Hesledon and Hawthorne on the east coast of County Durham, Joseph Foster was born in Sunniside, Sunderland, and developed an interest in

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

at an early age. Educated in private schools in the neighbouring towns of North Shields, Sunderland, and Newcastle-on-Tyne, Foster inherited his genealogical faculty from his grandfather, Myles Birket Foster (1785-1861), and published his first genealogical work in 1862, entitled "The Pedigree of the Fosters of Cold Hesledon in Co. Durham," at the age of 18. He was a nephew of the artist

Myles Birket Foster Myles Birket Foster (4 February 1825 – 27 March 1899) was a British illustrator, watercolourist and engraver in the Victorian period. His name is also to be found as Myles Birkett Foster. Life and work Foster was born in North Shiel ...

. Working initially as a printer in London, Foster continued to undertake genealogical research and became a prolific writer and publisher in the field. He undertook research into the histories of various families from the north of England, later publishing four volumes of Lancashire and Yorkshire pedigrees. He became friends with several

Kings of Arms King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings and sometimes certify genealogies and noble titles. In other traditions, the power has been de ...

and heralds of arms during his lifetime, and the records of the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

were often unreservedly placed at his service. His major works, still used by historians, were transcriptions of the admission registers of the

(published in 1885 as '' Men at the Bar'') and of the

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

registers of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

for the period 1500 to 1886 (published as ''

Alumni Oxonienses ''Alumni Oxonienses: The Members of the University of Oxford'' is a biographical reference work by Joseph Foster (1844–1905), published by Oxford University Press, listing the alumni of the University of Oxford. Foster's work was compiled pri ...

''). This latter work was marked by the award of an honorary MA degree by the university in 1892. It has been said of Foster that he was "no scholarly antiquary, but his energy as a transcriber and collector of genealogical and heraldic data has few parallels, and many of his publications remained classic resources, several of permanent value." Foster died in London aged 61, at his home in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, and was buried at

Kensal Green cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

Works

Foster's publications include the following: * ''Some Account of the Pedigree of the Forsters of Cold Hesledon, Co. Durham'' (1862) * ''The King of Arms'' (1871) * ''The Pedigree of Wilson of High Wray & Kendal, and the Families Connected With Them'' (1871) * ''A Pedigree of the Forsters and Fosters of the North of England, and of some of the families connected with them'' (1871) * ''Lancashire County Families'' (1873) * ''Yorkshire County Families'' (3 volumes) (1874) * ''The Pedigree of Dawes, of Shawe Place'' (1874) * (editor) ''Visitations of Yorkshire'' by Robert Glover (1875) * ''The Pedigree of Sir Josslyn Pennington'' (1878) * (with Edward Bellasis) ''Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage'' (1879) * ''The Lyon Office and the Marjoribanks family'' (1882) * ''Members of Parliament, Scotland'' (1882) * ''Men at the Bar'' (1885) * ''London Marriage Licences (1521–1869)'' (1887) * ''Alumni Oxonienses (1715–1886)'' (4 volumes) (1887) * ''Concerning the Beginnings … of Heraldry as Related to untitled Persons'' (1887) * ''The register of admissions to Gray's Inn (1557–1859), together with … marriages in Gray's Inn Chapel'' (1889) * ''Index ecclesiasticus, or, Alphabetical lists of all ecclesiastical dignitaries in England and Wales since the Reformation'' (1890) * ''The Pedigree of Birkbeck of Mallerstang and Settle, Braithwaite of Kendal, Benson of Stang End'' (1890) * ''Alumni Oxonienses (1500–1714)'' (4 volumes) (1891) * ''Pease of Darlington'' (1891) * ''The Royal Lineage of our Noble and Gentle Families'' (1891) * ''Oxford Men and their Colleges'' (1893) * ''The Descendants of John Backhouse'' (1894) * ''The Pedigree of Ashworth of Ashworth &c.'' (1895) * ''A Narrative of the Descendants of Richard Harris'' (1895) * ''The Pedigree of Raikes, formerly of Kingston-upon-Hull'' (1897) * ''Some Feudal Coats of Arms'' (1902) * ''Two Tudor books of arms'' (1904)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Joseph 1844 births 1905 deaths English genealogists 19th-century English historians People from Sunderland Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery People associated with the University of Oxford English male non-fiction writers British heraldists