William Lambarde (18 October 1536 – 19 August 1601) was an English
antiquarian, writer on legal subjects, and politician. He is particularly remembered as the author of ''A Perambulation of Kent'' (1576), the first
English county history; ''Eirenarcha'' (1581), a widely read manual on the office and role of
justice of the peace; and ''Archeion'' (completed c.1591, though not published until 1635), a discourse that sought to trace the
Anglo-Saxon roots of 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 omnipres ...
,
prerogative
In law, a prerogative is an exclusive right bestowed by a government or state and invested in an individual or group, the content of which is separate from the body of rights enjoyed under the general law. It was a common facet of feudal law. The ...
and government.
Early life, education and career
William Lambarde was born in London on 18 October 1536. His father John Lambarde was a
draper
Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher.
History
Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, ...
who served three times as Master of the
Drapers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 110 livery companies of the City of London. It has the formal name The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Dr ...
, an
alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
and a
sheriff of London. The Manor of Westcombe in Greenwich, demolished in 1725, was their family home.
[.][.]
In 1556, Lambarde was admitted to
Lincoln's Inn, where he studied Law. In 1568, with
Laurence Nowell
Laurence (or Lawrence) Nowell (1530 – c.1570) was an English antiquarian, cartographer and pioneering scholar of Anglo-Saxon language and literature.
Life
Laurence Nowell was born around 1530 in Whalley, Lancashire, the second son of Alexand ...
's encouragement, he published a collection of
Anglo-Saxon law
Anglo-Saxon law (Old English ''ǣ'', later ''lagu'' "law"; dōm "decree, judgment") is a body of written rules and customs that were in place during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, before the Norman conquest. This body of law, along with early ...
s, ''Archaionomia'', which was printed by
John Day. In the introduction he acknowledged Nowell's contribution. This publication included a woodcut map ("Lambardes map") depicting the
seven kingdoms of
Anglo-Saxon England, which is thought to be the first map of any sort to have been designed, printed and published in England, and which is very likely to have been the work of Laurence Nowell.
In 1570, while Lambarde was courting the daughter of George Multon,
he completed his ''Perambulation of
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
'', the first
English county history. Circulating in manuscript before being printed in 1576, it proved to be very popular, and was published in a second edition in 1596. Lambarde considered writing a similar work for all of Britain, but he set the idea aside when he learned that
William Camden
William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...
was already working on the same project. On 11 September 1570, at age 33, Lambarde married Jane Multon on her 17th birthday. She later died in 1573. He lived in the Manor of St. Clere in
Ightham
Ightham ( ) is a village in Kent, England, located approximately four miles east of Sevenoaks and six miles north of Tonbridge. The parish includes the hamlet of Ivy Hatch.
Ightham is famous for the nearby medieval manor of Ightham Mote ( Natio ...
.
On Laurence Nowell's death, he inherited his books and manuscripts, which may have included the manuscript of ''
Beowulf''.
Lambarde probably served as a Member of Parliament for
Aldborough in the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
of 1563–1567. He was also a
bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...
of Lincoln's Inn, and a
Justice of the Peace for Kent.
Lambarde founded an
almshouse in
East Greenwich
East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan st ...
in 1576. He was appointed
Keeper of the Rolls
''Custos rotulorum'' (; plural: ''custodes rotulorum''; Latin for "keeper of the rolls", ) is a civic post that is recognised in the United Kingdom (except Scotland) and in Jamaica.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
The ''custos rotulorum'' is t ...
by the
Lord Chancellor
The lord chancellor, formally the lord high chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland and England in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. Th ...
Sir
Thomas Egerton in 1597, and
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
made him
Keeper of the Records in the Tower in 1601. He died on 19 August that same year.
Shortly before his death he had a conversation with Elizabeth in which she commented obliquely on
Essex's Rebellion
Essex's Rebellion was an unsuccessful rebellion led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, in 1601 against Queen Elizabeth I of England and the court faction led by Sir Robert Cecil to gain further influence at court.
Background
Robert Devereux, ...
, saying "I am
Richard II knowe you not that
, and "this tragedie was fortie times plaied in open streetes & howses". Her words are often read as a reference to Shakespeare's ''
Richard II'', a performance of which was commissioned by Essex's followers shortly before the rising.
Works
Apart from the works already mentioned, Lambarde wrote ''Eirenarcha: Or of the Office of the Justices of Peace'' (1581), a manual that became the standard work on the subject. He later completed ''Archeion, or, A Discourse upon the High Courts of Justice in England'' by 1591, another important legal work. The manuscript circulated widely, and a copy was published without consent by the printer Daniel Frere in 1635. In the same year, Lambarde's grandson put out an authorized edition of the work to correct certain errors in Frere's version.
[.] There is a Lambarde archive at
Drapers' Hall
The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 110 livery companies of the City of London. It has the formal name The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Dr ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*
* .
* .
External links
Analysis of alleged Shakespeare signature in Lambarde's ''Archaionomia''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambarde, William
1536 births
1601 deaths
16th-century antiquarians
16th-century English writers
16th-century male writers
Antiquarians from London
English legal scholars
English MPs 1563–1567
Members of Lincoln's Inn
People from Ightham