Sir Thomas Reade (1782 – 1 August 1849) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

army officer during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, known also as a collector. In 1799, at the age of sixteen, he ran away from home to enlist in the army and participate in campaigns in

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and America, as well as postings across Europe. Reade was also a scholar and antiquarian and collected a range of artefacts, much of which are held in 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 ...

today. He married Agnes Clogg on 8 September 1824. He was appointed

consul general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

on 10 May 1836, and died at his residence there on 1 August 1849. Reade was also responsible for seriously damaging the

Libyco-Punic Mausoleum of Dougga The Libyco-Punic Mausoleum of Dougga (Mausoleum of Atban) is an ancient mausoleum located in Dougga, Tunisia. It is one of three examples of the royal Berber architecture, architecture of Numidia, which is in a good state of preservation and dates ...

in 1842 for the purposes of stealing the monument's Libyco-Punic inscription. The team commissioned to remove the inscription did it in such a maladroit way that the two upper floors of the mausoleum collapsed as a result. He is buried (or has a memorial) in Congleton Parish Church with a tomb sculpted by Thomas Gaffin.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.160

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reade, Thomas 1782 births 1849 deaths British Army officers People from Congleton