Thomas Close (12 February 1796 – 25 January 1881) was an English antiquarian and archaeologist.

Biography

Thomas Close was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

on 12 February 1796 to John Close, a merchant of the city, and his wife, Mary. Close was a keen antiquarian and archeologist, engaging mostly in heraldic and genealogical research. Close created several

illuminated Illuminated may refer to: * "Illuminated" (song), by Hurts * Illuminated Film Company, a British animation house * ''Illuminated'', alternative title of Black Sheep (Nat & Alex Wolff album) * Illuminated manuscript See also * Illuminate (disambi ...

pedigrees of royal and noble families, including some elaborate ones of the Tattershall and Wake families. He authored a work on the Saxon religious foundation,

St Mary's Church, Nottingham The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest parish churchDomesday Book: A Complete Translation (Penguin Classics) of Nottingham, in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest church after the Cathedral in the city of Nottingham. The church ...

, entitled ''St. Mary's Church, Nottingham: Its Probable Architect and Benefactors: With Remarks on the Heraldic Window Described by

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 ba ...

'' (Nottingham, 1866). Close penned an unpublished work on

Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (18 February 16099 December 1674), was an English statesman, lawyer, diplomat and historian who served as chief advisor to Charles I during the First English Civil War, and Lord Chancellor to Charles II from ...

's ''

History of the Rebellion ''The History of the Rebellion'' by Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and former advisor to Charles I and Charles II, is his account of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Originally published between 1702 and 1704 as ''The History of the Rebellion ...

'', which is now held at the National Art Library, in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. Close was the member of several societies and organisations. On 10 May 1855, he was made a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. In 1836, he was one of the founders and original members of the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

- a London-based, Whig gentleman's club - and was the Grand Master of the

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

province of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. Close was also a chevalier of the honorary Belgian Order of Leopold, and a member of several other foreign orders. Close was vice-president of his local Nottingham

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

in 1866. Close's wife died on 22 January 1881, and, three days later, on 25 January, Close died at his home in St James's Street, Nottingham. Close left less than £60,000 in his will.

References

External links

"Close, Thomas (1796-1881) Antiquary" at the National Archives: Record Creators

St. Mary's Church, Nottingham (1866) at Google Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Close, Thomas 1796 births 1881 deaths 19th-century antiquarians English archaeologists English antiquarians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Nottingham Academics from Greater Manchester 19th-century archaeologists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links