Robert William Eyton (21 December 1815 – 8 September 1881) was an English

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

clergyman who was author of ''The Antiquities of Shropshire''.

Life and career

Robert William Eyton was born in 1815. He was the son of Reverend John Eyton of

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, where he was born in his father's vicarage, and Eyton in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. He lived part of his childhood at

Tong, Shropshire Tong is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is located between the towns of Shifnal, Newport and Brewood. It is near junction 3 of the M54 motorway and A41 road. The population of the village which was included in the civil p ...

and was educated at

Bridgnorth Grammar School Bridgnorth Endowed School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in the market town of Bridgnorth in the rural county of Shropshire, England. Founded in 1503, The Endowed School is a state school and is a specialist ...

and

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

under

Thomas Arnold Thomas Arnold (13 June 1795 – 12 June 1842) was an English educator and historian. He was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement. As headmaster of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841, he introduced several reforms that were wide ...

, then went up to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

. Ordained priest in 1839, he went on to become the Rector at

Ryton, Shropshire Ryton is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England, in the district of Bridgnorth. It lies about one mile north north west of Beckbury. The civil parish originates during Norman times, and appears as "Ruitone" in the Domesday book of 108 ...

, where he served for 22 years. He married Mary Watts in 1839. Eyton died on 8 September 1881 aged 65. His son Robert Eyton became a

Canon of Westminster The Dean and Chapter of Westminster are the ecclesiastical governing body of Westminster Abbey, a collegiate church of the Church of England and royal peculiar in Westminster, Greater London. They consist of the dean and several canons meeting in ...

in 1895. Eyton is remembered as author of ''The Antiquities of Shropshire'', researched during his time at Ryton and published, at a rate of about two large volumes annually, from 1854 until 1860.

Antiquities of Shropshire

Volume 1 (1854)
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Volume 2 (1855)
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Volume 3 (1856)
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Volume 4 (1857)
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Volume 5 (1857)
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Volume 6 (1858)
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Volume 7 (1858)
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Volume 8 (1859)
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Volume 9 (1859)
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Volume 10 (1860)
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Volume 11 (1860)
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Volume 12 (1860)
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References

External links

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Parliamentary Archives, Papers of Robert William Eyton (1815-1881)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyton, Robert William 1815 births 1881 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford People educated at Bridgnorth Endowed School People educated at Rugby School People from Wellington, Shropshire