Robert Fox (2 March 1798,

Godmanchester Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...

, England – 7 June 1843, Godmanchester) 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

He was the second surviving son of John Fox (1748-1817), cabinet maker and upholsterer, of Huntingdon, and second wife, Frances Maples (1760-1845). Fox was admitted a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

on 5 March 1819, and practised in

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

and the neighbourhood. He was the founder of the Literary and Scientific Institution of Huntingdon in 1841, and was himself an able lecturer on subjects connected with antiquities, geology, natural history, and philosophy. His only publication, ''The History of Godmanchester, in the county of Huntingdon'', 8vo, London, 1831, one of the best of its class, gained him admission to the Society of Antiquaries. He was also a member of the

Numismatic Society The Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics. Its patron was Queen Elizabeth II. Membership Foremost collectors and researchers, b ...

. In 1826 and 1831 he served as a bailiff of

Family

In 1821 at Godmanchester he married firstly Jane Ashton (1792-1831), daughter of Edward Ashton, of Old Weston, Huntingdonshire, and they had five children, three died young; her sister Elizabeth had married his elder brother, George Morris Fox in 1818. Their two surviving sons were Dr. Henry Erasmus Fox (1825-1869) and Conrad Fox (1826-1871), chemist, druggist, who went to New York. Jane Fox died in 1831. In 1832 he married secondly Anne Taylor (1806–1877), sister of Rev. Richard Taylor who had married his youngest sister Mary Caroline Fox in 1829. She was the only daughter of Richard Taylor (1762-1818) and Catherine Spencer (1769-1810), and they had one daughter, Anne Taylor Fox (1839 Letwell, Yorkshire-1893 Godmanchester), who died unmarried.

Death

Fox died in Godmanchester on 8 June 1843, aged forty-five, highly regarded for his benevolence. Fox left a small but choice collection of coins and antiquities, mostly local 'finds.' This, together with his philosophical apparatus, was purchased by subscription after his death, and placed in the Huntingdon Literary and Scientific Institution as a testimonial to his memory.

References

;Attribution * ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

'', new ser. xx. 99; ''Lists of Members of Royal Coll. of Surgeons''; ''Lists of Soc. of Antiq.''; ''

Kelly's Directory Kelly's Directory (or more formally, the Kelly's, Post Office and Harrod & Co Directory) was a trade directory in England that listed all businesses and tradespeople in a particular city or town, as well as a general directory of postal addresses o ...

of Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, &c.'' (1885), pp. 207–8.] {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Robert 1798 births 1843 deaths English antiquarians 19th-century English medical doctors People from Godmanchester