Thomas Bateman (8 November 1821 (baptised) – 28 August 1861) 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 ...

and

barrow Barrow may refer to: Places England * Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria ** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area ** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency) * Barrow, Cheshire * Barrow, Gloucestershire * Barro ...

-digger.

Biography

Thomas Bateman was born in

Rowsley Rowsley () is a village on the A6 road in the English county of Derbyshire. The population as at the 2011 census was 507. It is at the point where the River Wye flows into the River Derwent and prospered from mills on both. The border of the P ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England, the son of the amateur

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

William Bateman. After the death of his father in 1835, Bateman was raised by his grandfather, and from the age of 16 he helped run the family estate at Middleton Hall in

Middleton-by-Youlgreave Middleton, often known as Middleton-by-Youlgreave or Middleton-by-Youlgrave to distinguish it from nearby Middleton-by-Wirksworth, is a village in the Peak District, Derbyshire, England. The appropriate civil parish is called Middleton and Smerr ...

, during which time he became interested in archaeology: Sir

Richard Colt Hoare Sir Richard Colt Hoare, 2nd Baronet Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (9 December 1758 – 19 May 1838) was an English antiquarian, archaeologist, artist, and traveller of the 18th and 19th centuries, the first major figure in the detailed study ...

's ''Ancient History of North and South Wiltshire'' influenced him greatly. He built Lomberdale Hall in 1844 as his private residence. Bateman had a long affair with Mary Ann Mason, but she was already married. He married Sarah Parker on 2 August 1847 and they had four daughters and a son. Sarah Bateman and her three daughters by Thomas Joseph Banks

Sarah Bateman and her three daughters by Thomas Joseph Banks

Bateman's first archaeological experience was observing the demolition of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

church in

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...

. He joined the British Archaeological Association in 1843 and in 1844, whilst at an archaeological congress in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, participated in the excavation of barrows in the surrounding countryside. The following year he excavated 38 barrows in

and

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, earning himself the nickname "The Barrow Knight". left, Thomas Bateman's museum at Lomberdale Hall, Middleton-by-Youlgreave In 1847, he published ''Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire'' which united his work with that of earlier excavators in the area. With the help of

Samuel Carrington Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

of Wetton he continued to excavate barrows, 50 in the period 1848–1849 and a further 22 between 1851 and 1861, when he died. His second book was ''Ten Years' Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills in the Counties of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, Stafford and York'', published in the year of his death and it had the details of his work including

Heath Wood barrow cemetery Heath Wood barrow cemetery is a Viking burial site near Ingleby, Derbyshire. Description Heath Wood contains a series of 59 barrows which is a Viking burial site near Ingleby, Derbyshire. The barrows are unusual because they are the only known S ...

Thomas Bateman by Llewellyn Jewitt, manchester art gallery, uk

He was buried, following his instructions, in

unconsecrated ground In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

on a hillside in

His tomb is a Grade II listed building. After his death, his son sold most of Bateman's collections, parts of which were acquired by the Sheffield City Museum (now called the

Weston Park Museum Weston Park Museum is a museum in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is one mile west of Sheffield city centre within Weston Park. It is Sheffield's largest museum and is housed in a Grade II* listed building and managed by Museums Sheffie ...

) in 1893, including the celebrated

Benty Grange helmet The Benty Grange helmet is an Anglo-Saxon boar-crested helmet from the 7th century AD. It was excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1848 from a tumulus at the Benty Grange farm in Monyash in western Derbyshire. The grave had probably been looted b ...

found in

Benty Grange Benty Grange is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the parish of Monyash in Derbyshire, England. in size and with at least four species of grass and ten others of plant, it is considered of national importance as one of the largest areas ...

, Derbyshire. A daughter, Clara Theodora Bateman, married

Harcourt Clare Sir Harcourt Everard Clare was born in 1854, Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England. He was well known in Lancashire where, in 1896, when he took up a post as Clerk at Lancashire County Council, which he kept until his death, at Bank Hall, in 192 ...

. In 2006, a bequest allowed Derbyshire Libraries to purchase a collection that had been amassed by Bateman by inserting documents into the four Derbyshire volumes of Lysons' '' Magna Britannia''. Among the prints was an image of his museum at his home which is dated from around his death. A long description of his museum is found in

Eliza Meteyard Eliza Meteyard (1816–1879) was an English writer. She was known for journalism, essays, novels, and biographies, particularly as an authority on Wedgwood pottery and its creator. She did living writing for periodicals. Life The daughter of Wil ...

's novel ''Dora and her Papa''.

Publications

Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire, and the Sepulchral Usages of Its Inhabitants
(1848), with Stephen Glover * * *

References

* Marsden, B.M., 2007, ''The Barrow Knight'', Ryestone Books

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, Thomas 1821 births 1861 deaths English archaeologists People from Derbyshire Dales (district) Fellows of the Ethnological Society of London