Thomas Barker ('' fl''.1591–1651) was an English fishing guide and author.

Life

For more than sixty years, he practised the art of angling, and "spent many pounds in the gaining of it". In the dedicatory address to Lord Montague, the author tells us that he was born at " Bracemeol in the liberty of

Salop Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

(ie Meole Brace in the vicinity of

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

), "being a freeman and burgess of the same city(''sic'')". Barker is described by

Hugh Chisholm Hugh Chisholm (; 22 February 1866 – 29 September 1924) was a British journalist, and editor of the 10th, 11th and 12th editions of the ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Life He was born in London, a son of Henry Williams Chisholm (1809–1901), ...

, in his ''

Encyclopaedia Britannica An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

'' (1911) article on Izaak Walton, as being "a retired cook, and humorist".''Encyclopaedia Britannica'' (1911), Volume 28, p. 301;article on Izaak Walton by Hugh Chisholm, who misdate's Barker's "own treatise" to 1659.

Treatise

At the time of writing his treatise he was living in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, and seems to have gained a livelihood by accompanying gentlemen on fishing expeditions, or giving instruction at home in the use of baits and tackle. The following invitation in the dedicatory address doubtless met a warm response:— The remark and his alleged years of experience suggest he was of great age at the time of its publication.

''The Art of Angling''

He was the author of ''The Art of Angling: wherein are discovered many rare secrets very necessary to be known by all that delight in that recreation. Written by Thomas Barker, an ancient practitioner in the said art'' (1651), duodecimo. Barker's remarks on fly-fishing are quoted in Izaak Walton's ''

Compleat Angler ''The Compleat Angler'' (the spelling is sometimes modernised to ''The Complete Angler'', though this spelling also occurs in first editions) is a book by Izaak Walton. It was first published in 1653 by Richard Marriot in London. Walton continu ...

'' (1653), page 108. In the words of Barker's 19th century biographer in ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'',

Arthur Henry Bullen Arthur Henry Bullen, often known as A. H. Bullen, (9 February 1857, London – 29 February 1920, Stratford-on-Avon) was an English editor and publisher, a specialist in 16th and 17th century literature, and founder of the Shakespeare Head Press, w ...

: "His directions on catching and dressing fish are equally serviceable; but it is to be regretted that this cheery "brother of the angle" advocated the use of salmon-roe bait, a pernicious doctrine unknown, or at least unpublished, before his time." The ''Art of Angling'' met with good success, and passed through several editions. In the edition of 1657, and in later editions, the title is "Barker's Delight, or the Art of Angling".

Notes

References

Attribution *; Endnotes: **Westwood and Satchell's '' Bibliotheca Piscatoria'', 1883, pages 21–23, where a full bibliography of the book will be found **Add. manuscript 30501, ''The Art of Angling Augmented'' (1664), is catalogued by the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

authorities as the "Second Part" of Barker's Art of Angling. It is merely a book of extracts from Walton and Barker. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Thomas Year of birth missing Year of death missing English male writers Angling writers 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers