Joseph Nicolson (1706 1777) was an English

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 ...

Life

Nicolson was the youngest son of John Nicolson (d. 1727) the diocesan registrar and chapter clerk at Carlisle and a nephew of bishop

William Nicolson William Nicolson (1655–1727) was an English churchman, linguist and antiquarian. As a bishop he played a significant part in the House of Lords during the reign of Queen Anne, and left a diary that is an important source for the politics of ...

. His father acquired an estate at Hawksdale in

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas includ ...

through his marriage to Mary Miller (d. 1763) with whom he had three daughters and three sons. In 1728 he became proctor to the Consistory Court at Carlisle and in the subsequent year was appointed joint diocesan registrar for life. By 1735 both his elder brothers had died, leaving Joseph to inherit his father's and mother's estates. Nicolson became a member of an ecclesiastical elite centered on Carlisle and was active in support of the political interests of the Howards of

Naworth Castle Naworth Castle, also known or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England, near the town of Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69, about east of Brampton. It is on the opposite side of the River Irthing to, and ...

in the area from the early 1730s. His published correspondence during the period of the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

shows his active involvement in local politics. By 1768 Nicolson was acting as the agent of

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (14 April 173830 October 1809) was a British Whig and then a Tory politician during the late Georgian era. He served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford (1792–1809) an ...

in Carlisle. Nicholson had acquired his uncle's antiquarian collections and these formed the basis of the two volume ''History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland'', which he compiled with

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 ...

. He died shortly before the work was published. He had no children by his wife Elizabeth (d. 1755) and his estate was inherited by his nephew John.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolson, Joseph English antiquarians 1706 births 1777 deaths