Thomas Bever (baptised 1725 – 1791) was an English civil lawyer and legal writer. He is known also as an antiquarian scholar and patron.

Life

Bever was born at Stratfield Mortimer,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, the son of Thomas Bever and his wife Ann. He was educated at

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

, where he graduated B.A. 21 April 1748. At

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

, where he became a Fellow, he graduated bachelor of law (B.C.L.) 3 July 1753, and doctor 5 April 1758. He was admitted to Doctors' Commons 21 November 1758. He was promoted to be judge of the Cinque Ports, and chancellor of two dioceses, Lincoln and Bangor. Bever became

Admiralty Advocate The Admiralty Advocate was one of the Law Officers of the Crown. He represented the Crown in the High Court of Admiralty from 1661 to 1867. He was also known as the Advocate for the Affairs of the Admiralty. History The post was first establis ...

in 1788. He died at his house in Doctors' Commons on 8 November 1791, unmarried. He was buried in Stratfield Mortimer church, where there was a mural monument in the chancel to his memory.

Legal lectures and writings

In 1762, Bever delivered a course of lectures on civil law at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Herbert Jenner __NOTOC__ Herbert Jenner (23 February 1806 – 30 July 1904) was an English barrister. As an amateur cricketer he played first-class cricket from 1825 to 1838. He changed his name to Herbert Jenner-Fust in 1864.Regius Professor A Regius Professor is a university Professor (highest academic rank), professor who has, or originally had, Monarchy of the United Kingdom, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Republic ...

in the subject, gave them his blessing, as did the vice-chancellor. Jenner's appointment in 1753 had been political, backed by the

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...

, and he has been regarded as ignorant of the law; he pleaded ill-health, in allowing Bever to deputise for him. Bever, on the other hand, was a follower and supporter of

William Blackstone Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the ''Commentaries on the Laws of England''. Born into a middle-class family i ...

, who had been lecturing at Oxford on the English

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...

. The lectures, though never very popular, continued for some years. Among Oxford students who heard both Blackstone and Bever lecture, and a future judge, was William Scott. In 1766 Bever published ''A Discourse on the Study of Jurisprudence, and on the Civil Law, being an Introduction to a Course of Lectures'', but lacked support for the publication of his lecture series. In 1781 he brought out a volume ''The History of the Legal Policy of the Roman State; and of the rise, progress, and extent of the Roman Laws'', which remained an unfinished work.

Other interests

In 1752

Andrew Ducarel Andrew Coltée Ducarel (9 June 1713 – 29 May 1785), was an English antiquary, librarian, and archivist. He was also a lawyer practising civil law (a "civilian"), and a member of the College of Civilians. Early life and education Ducarel was ...

took a holiday in Normandy with Bever as a companion. It resulted in Ducarel's book ''A Tour through Normandy'' (1754). In the mid-1750s Bever was cataloguing the

Codrington Library All Souls College Library, known until 2020 as the Codrington Library, is an academic library in the city of Oxford, England. It is the library of All Souls College, a graduate constituent college of the University of Oxford. The library in its ...

at All Souls College. Bever was a bibliophile already as a young man. He took an interest in music and the fine arts: Sherwin the engraver received Bever's patronage; and the copying of the religious music of

Orlando di Lasso Orlande de Lassus ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with Giovanni Pierluigi da Palest ...

had his support, a project carried out by Robert Didsbury in 1785. Bever composed an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

, ''Hercules'', and was a friend of

Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicist a ...

Legacy

Bever left legal manuscripts to John Loveday the younger, and musical manuscripts to the singer

John Hindle John Hindle (6 April 1857 – 29 December 1927) was an Australian politician. Born at Rishton in Lancashire to William Hindle and Elizabeth Woolstonecraft, he received a limited education and began working in a cotton factory at the age of ...

. His will shows other bequests, such as a harpsichord and music by Handel to

James Bartleman James Karl Bartleman (born 24 December 1939) is a former Canadian diplomat and author who served as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 2002 to 2007. Bartleman grew up in the Muskoka town of Port Carling, and he is a member of the ...

. A large music library, which was soon broken up, included English composers, with a substantial collection of manuscripts by

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

, and music by Phocion Henley that Bever himself had copied.Richard Charteris, ''Thomas Bever and Rediscovered Sources in the Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, Hamburg'', Music & Letters Vol. 81, No. 2 (May 2000), pp. 177–209, at pp. 182–3. Published by: Oxford University Press. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/855398

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Bever, Thomas Year of birth missing 1791 deaths Members of Doctors' Commons English legal writers Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford