Thomas Rackett (1757–1840) was an English clergyman, known as an antiquary. Thomas Rackett Romney

Life

He was son of Thomas Rackett of

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

, Surrey. Theodosius Forrest and

Paul Sandby Paul Sandby (1731 – 7 November 1809) was an English map-maker turned landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Life and work Sandby was ...

taught Rackett drawing. John Hunter interested him in natural history. He matriculated at

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

, on 16 November 1773, and graduated B.A. in 1777 and M.A. in 1780. In 1780, also, Rackett became rector of

Spetisbury Spetisbury () is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour and the A350 road, southeast of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the civil parish had 224 households and a population of 555. Spetisbury vil ...

with Charlton-Marshall, in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, and held the living for more than 60 years. He had multiple interests besides his parish, and was a musician. He concentrated on antiquarian researches, and spent time on scientific study in London. He came to know

Richard Gough Charles Richard Gough (born 5 April 1962) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Gough played in the successful Dundee United team of the early 1980s, winning the Scottish league title in 1982–83 and reachi ...

, Edward King,

Richard Colt Hoare Sir Richard Colt Hoare, 2nd Baronet 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 of the history of his home ...

and

William Lisle Bowles William Lisle Bowles (24 September 17627 April 1850) was an English priest, poet and critic. Life and career Bowles was born at King's Sutton, Northamptonshire, where his father was vicar. At the age of 14 he entered Winchester College, where ...

. He helped John Hutchins in the second edition of his ''History of Dorset'', and rambled on his pony over the whole of the county. Late in life he collected and took casts of ancient seals and coins. In 1794 and 1796 he accompanied

Charles Hatchett Charles Hatchett FRS FRSE (2 January 1765 – 10 March 1847) was an English mineralogist and analytical chemist who discovered the element niobium, for which he proposed the name "columbium". Hatchett was elected a Fellow of the Linnaean Soci ...

and

William George Maton William George Maton M.D. (31 January 1774 – 30 March 1835) was an English physician, a society doctor who became associated with the British royal family. He published on natural history and antiquarian topics. Life The son of George Maton, ...

in a tour through the western counties and collected minerals. When an octogenarian he was studying

conchology Conchology () is the study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of molluscs; however, malacology is the study of molluscs as whole organisms, whereas conchology is confined to the study of their shells. It includ ...

, and, with

Tiberius Cavallo Tiberius Cavallo (also Tiberio) (30 March 1749, Naples, Italy21 December 1809, London, England) was an Italian physicist and natural philosopher. His interests included electricity, the development of scientific instruments, the nature of " ai ...

, to whom he offered a home at Spetisbury, pursued astronomy. Rackett was a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

, and of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

. He died at Spetisbury on 29 November 1840.

Works

Rackett wrote: *''A Description of Otterden Place and Church and of the Archiepiscopal Palace at Charing in the county of Kent; accompanied by Genealogical Memoirs of the Family of Wheler and Anecdotes of some of the early Experiments in Electricity'', London, 1832. He drew the frontispiece of Otterden Place and also the view of the palace. This work, written to please Mrs. Wheler, his niece, first appeared as an essay in the ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the French ''magazine' ...

'', 1832. *''An Historical Account of Testaceological Writers'', with William George Maton, published in ''Transactions of the Linnean Society''.

Family

Rackett married, in 1781, Dorothea, daughter of James Tattersall, rector of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, and of Streatham. All his children predeceased him except Dorothea, wife of S. Solly of Heathside, near Poole, Dorset.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Rackett, Thomas 1757 births 18th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Anglican priests Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London 1840 deaths