Dr Robert Thoroton (4 October 1623 – c. 21 November 1678) 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 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 ...

, mainly remembered for his

county history English county histories, in other words historical and topographical (or " chorographical") works concerned with individual ancient counties of England, were produced by antiquarians from the late 16th century onwards. The content was variable: ...

, ''The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire'' (1677).

Life

Thoroton belonged to an old

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

family, which took its name from

Thoroton Thoroton is a small English parish in the borough of Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire, with a population of 112. The village has conservation area status. Its Anglican parish church is a Grade I listed building. Geography Thoroton lies along the ban ...

, near Newark. He resided mainly at another village in the same neighbourhood, Car Colston, where he practised as a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, and lived the life of a country gentleman. He took little part in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, but his sympathies were with the

royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

. However, as a magistrate he was very active in persecuting the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

. In return, the Quakers were active in recording the occasions on which he imposed heavy fines on poor members of their faith, often depriving them of the tools to make a living. In 1667 Thoroton, aided by a band of helpers, began work on his great

, ''The Antiquities of Nottinghamshire''. This was published in London in 1677. It was dedicated to the eminent antiquarian

William Dugdale Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject. Life Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Coleshi ...

, and illustrated by engravings by

Wenceslaus Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as . He is particu ...

. It was Dugdale who had urged Thoroton to complete the work of history begun by Thoroton's father-in-law. Some six years before his death, Thoroton commissioned an elaborate coffin carved from red Mansfield stone, and incised with the

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...

of his various ancestors. He was buried at Car Colston in the coffin; but in 1845, during restoration work on the chancel of St Mary's Church, it was unearthed and opened. Thoroton's skull was removed and placed in a shop in the village as a "curiosity". The vandalism was subsequently discovered, and the vicar ordered the remains to be collected, replaced within the coffin and reinterred. Title page Thoroton's History of Nottinghamshire vol 1

Title page Thoroton's History of Nottinghamshire vol 1

In 1797 a new edition of the ''Antiquities'' was published by

John Throsby John Throsby (1740–1803) was an English antiquary. Life The son of Nicholas Throsby, alderman of Leicester and mayor in 1759, by Martha Mason, his second wife, was born at Leicester on 21 December 1740, and baptised at St. Martin's Church t ...

(1740–1803), who added an additional volume.

Legacy

The

Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire The Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, generally known as the Thoroton Society, is Nottinghamshire’s principal historical and archaeological society. It was established in 1897, and takes its name from Dr Robert Thoroton who published the first ...

was founded in 1897, and named in honour of the antiquarian, its object being to promote the study of the history and antiquities of Nottinghamshire. It publishes an annual volume of ''Transactions'', and a separate Record Series of

primary source In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time under ...

materials. A brass plaque to the memory of Thoroton is in Car Colston church. Myles Thoroton Hildyard, a descendant of Robert Thoroton's brother and heir, who lived at Flintham Hall,

Flintham Flintham is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district in Nottinghamshire, 7 miles (11 km) from Newark-on-Trent and opposite RAF Syerston on the A46. It had a population of 597 at the 2011 Census and estimated at 586 in 2019. The vil ...

, served as president of the Thoroton Society for many years until his death in 2005.From its beginnings at Car Colston, the Thoroton family later purchased Screveton Hall at nearby Screveton, where they lived until purchasing Flintham Hall at Flintham. They changed their name to Hildyard on marriage with an heiress of Hildyard of

Winestead Winestead is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated approximately south-east of the town of Hedon and north-west of the village of Patrington. It is situated to the north of the A10 ...

. Screveton Hall has since been demolished, and the heir of Myles Thoroton Hildyard lives today at Flintham Hal

/ref>

References

External links

Photograph of Tombstone of Robert Thoroton, Car Colston St Mary Church, southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk

* * ttp://www.thorotonsociety.org.uk/ The Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire {{DEFAULTSORT:Thoroton, Robert 1623 births 1678 deaths English antiquarians 17th-century antiquarians People from Rushcliffe (district)

Life

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links