John Pointer (1668–1754) was an English cleric and antiquary.

Life

Born at Alkerton, Oxfordshire, on 19 May 1668, he was son of John Pointer, rector there from 1663 till his death in 1710, and Elizabeth (d. 1709), daughter of John Hobel, a London merchant. He was educated at Banbury grammar school, and then at Preston Deanery school,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. He matriculated at Merton College, Oxford, on 24 January 1687, graduating B.A. 1691, and M.A. 1694. Pointer took holy orders, being ordained deacon on 24 December 1693, and priest on 23 September 1694, and from 1693 until he resigned the office in 1732 he was chaplain to his college. According to Thomas Hearne, Pointer was removed for

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sod ...

. Instituted in September 1694 to the rectory of Slapton, Northamptonshire, Pointer retained the post for life. He was lord of the manor of Keresley in Warwickshire, and in December 1722 he came into other property in the parish. He died on 16 January 1754 in the house of his niece, Mrs. Bradborne of Chesterton in

Worfield Worfield is a village and civil parish in Shropshire in the West Midlands, England. It is northwest of London and west of Wolverhampton. It is north of Bridgnorth and southeast of Telford. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Chesterton, i ...

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 ...

, and was buried in the chancel of Worfield parish church on 19 January. A tablet was erected to his memory.

Works

Pointer was author of: * ''An Account of a Roman pavement lately found at Stunsfield, Oxfordshire'', 1713; dedicated to John Holland, Warden of Merton College. In reply to criticism, Pointer created an advertisement containing praise from

White Kennett White Kennett (10 August 166019 December 1728) was an English bishop and antiquarian. He was educated at Westminster School and at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where, while an undergraduate, he published several translations of Latin works, including ...

, William Musgrave, and others. * ''Chronological History of England'', 1714, 2 vols. Rather complete in description of events occurring after 1660. It was intended that the narrative should end with the

peace of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...

(1713), but the second volume was not published until after the death of Queen Anne, when the history was brought down to her death. Six supplements, each containing the incidents of a year, and the last two with the name of "Mr. Brockwel" on the title-page, carried it on to the close of July 1720. Pointer was paid by Bernard Lintot for his work on it. * ''Miscellanea in usum juventutis Academicæ'', 1718. It contained characters, chronology, and a catalogue of the classical authors with notes for reading them. * ''A Rational Account of the Weather'', 1723; 2nd ed. corrected and enlarged, 1738. It was pointed out 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' ...

'', 1748 (pp. 255–6), that this volume supplied the groundwork of ''The Shepherd of Banbury's Rules to judge of the Weather'', by "John Claridge the shepherd" (which is usually attributed to John Campbell). * ''Britannia Romana, or Roman antiquities in Britain, viz., coins, camps, and public roads'', 1724. * ''Britannia Triumphans, or an Historical Account of some of the most signal Naval Victories obtained by the English over the Spaniards'',’ 1743. * ''Oxoniensis Academia, or the Antiquities and Curiosities of the University of Oxford'', 1749.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Pointer, John 1668 births 1754 deaths 18th-century English Anglican priests English antiquarians Alumni of Merton College, Oxford