Sir Thomas Isham, 3rd Baronet of Lamport (15 March 1656/57 – 26 July 1681) is known for a diary he wrote from 1671 to 1673 of his observations as a teenage member of the English

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

Life

Thomas Isham II, the eldest son and second child of Sir Justinian Isham I and his wife Vere Leigh, was born on 15 March 1656/57 in Northamptonshire. When his father died on 2 March 1675, Thomas succeeded at 19 years of age to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

of Lamport, Northamptonshire. He

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

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 ...

that June, three months after becoming baronet, but he would have only been able to spend a few months at most in his studies, as he embarked in October of the following year on a tour of Europe with his cousin and tutor the Reverend Zacchaeus Isham. Though it was not uncommon for the young English

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest ...

of the time to tour the continent for several months as part of their education, Sir Thomas and Zacchaeus stayed a full two and a half years, a large part of their time spent in Italy collecting art works. Returning to Lamport, Sir Thomas contracted to marry Mary van de Bempde, the daughter of a Dutch merchant, but he died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 26 July 1681 before his marriage could take place. He was buried several days later on 9 August in Lamport, and succeeded in the baronetcy by his younger brother Sir Justinian Isham, who became the 4th baronet.

Diary

Sir Thomas is remembered mainly for a diary that he wrote in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

from 1671 to 1673 at the command of his father. It is made up largely of one-sentence entries, with occasional longer anecdotes of local newsworthy events, as relayed to the boy by visitors. His diary is noteworthy in that it provides a glimpse of the everyday life of a teenage member of the English gentry, as played out in a country estate. His diary first became widely available in 1875 when it was first published, but the most readily available edition is a 1971 publication of a translation by Norman Marlow with annotations by the 12th baronet Sir

Gyles Isham Sir Gyles Isham, 12th Baronet (31 October 1903 – 29 January 1976) was an English aristocrat, actor (who appeared in several films in the 1930s) and historian. Life and career Gyles Isham was born 31 October 1903 in Lamport, Northamptonshire, E ...

.Isham (1875), Marlow and Isham (1971). A portrait of Sir Thomas Isham painted about 1675 by Sir

Peter Lely Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618 – 7 December 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. Life Lely was born Pieter van der Faes to Dutch ...

, about the time Thomas became baronet, hangs at

Lamport Hall Lamport Hall in Lamport, Northamptonshire is a fine example of a Grade I Listed House. It was developed from a Tudor Manor but is now notable for its classical frontage. The Hall contains an outstanding collection of books, paintings and furnitu ...

, and there is a reduced copy of Lely's work by

Mary Beale Mary Beale (; 26 March 1633 8 October 1699) was an English portrait painter. She was part of a small band of female professional artists working in London. Beale became the main financial provider for her family through her professional work � ...

Notes

References

* Brainard, Homer Worthington (1938),
A survey of the Ishams in England and America; eight hundred and fifty years of history and genealogy
'' Tuttle publishing company, inc., Rutland, Vt, 672 p. * Burdon, Gerald (1960), ''Sir Thomas Isham: an English collector in Rome, 1677-8,'' in Italian Studies, Maney Publishing, v. 15, p. 1-25. An abstract is available online a
Ingentaconnect
accessed 5 April 2013. * * Isham, Sir Gyles (1969), ''Sir Thomas Isham: an English collector in Rome, 1677-8,: A Selection of Pictures, Engravings, Books and Manuscripts Lent by Sir Gyles Isham, Bart., from Lamport Hall, Northampton: Exhibited at Central Art Gallery, Northampton, 12th July to August, 1969'' * Isham, Rev. Robert (1875),
The journal of Thomas Isham, of Lamport: In the County of Northampton, from 1st Nov., 1671, to 30th Sept. 1673
'' Miller and Leavins, Norwich, 127 p. * Marlow, Norman and Isham, Sir Gyles (1971), ''The diary of Thomas Isham of Lamport (1658-81),'' Gregg Publishing, 343 p.

External links

Portrait of Sir Thomas Isham by Mary Beale

Portrait of Sir Thomas Isham by Peter Lely
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isham, Thomas, Baronet, 03 1656 births 1681 deaths 17th-century English writers Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of England Burials in Northamptonshire Deaths from smallpox English diarists English male non-fiction writers

Life

Diary

See also

Notes

References

External links