Sir Nicholas Carlisle, KH, FRS, MRIA, (1771 in

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 ...

, England – 27 August 1847 in

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

, England) 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 ...

antiquary and librarian. In 1806, he became a candidate for the office of Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries, which he obtained the following year. In 1812, he became an Assistant Librarian of the Royal Library; he went on to accompany that collection to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, which he attended two days each week. He wrote several

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

dictionaries A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, p ...

of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. He also wrote an historical account of Charitable Commissioners, and of Foreign Orders of Knighthood. Carlisle traced his descent from John Carlisle (d. 1670), of

Witton-le-Wear Witton-le-Wear is a village in County Durham, North East England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Wear, to the north-west of Bishop Auckland. Geography and administration Witton-le-Wear is part of the North West Durham Parliament ...

. He was the son of Thomas Carlisle. His father married, first, Elizabeth Hutchinson; they had at least one child, a son, the surgeon,

Anthony Carlisle Sir Anthony Carlisle FRCS, FRS (15 February 1768 in Stillington, County Durham, England – 2 November 1840 in London) was an English surgeon. Life He was born in Stillington, County Durham, the third son of Thomas Carlisle and his first wife, a ...

. Thomas married secondly Susanna Skottowe, who was Nicholas' mother. Nicholas was born in York, where he was baptized in the

St Mary Bishophill Junior, York St Mary Bishophill Junior, York is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England, in the Bishophill area of York. History The church dates from the 10th century with the oldest part being the tower, which reuses some Roman stones. ...

on 8 February 1771. He received his education from the Rev. James Lawson at

West Witton West Witton is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. Located in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales it lies on the A684 (the main road between Leyburn and Hawes). The civil parish also includ ...

. Carlisle entered the naval service of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

, attaining the post of

purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

. He also went into private business and made a large sum of money. In 1839, he was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. He was appointed

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...

in 1847.

Select Bibliography

''A concise description of the endowed grammar schools in England and Wales 2 vols.''
(1818)
''A Topographical Dictionary of England''
(1808)
''An Index to the First Fifteen Volumes of Archaeologia; Or, Miscellaneous Tracts, Relating to Antiquity''
(1809)
''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland''
(1819)
''A Topographical Dictionary of the Dominion of Wales''
(1811)
''A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland''
(1813) * ''A concise account of the several foreign orders of knighthood : and other marks of honourable distinction'' (1839)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlisle, Nicholas 1771 births 1847 deaths People from York English antiquarians English librarians English lexicographers 19th-century English writers Employees of the British Library Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Royal Irish Academy British East India Company Marine personnel