Thomas Hearne or Hearn (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Thomas Hearnius'', July 167810 June 1735) was an English

diarist A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal d ...

and prolific antiquary, particularly remembered for his published editions of many medieval English chronicles and other important historical texts.

Life

Hearne was born at Littlefield Green in the parish of White Waltham, Berkshire, the son of George Hearn, the parish clerk. Having received his early education from his father, he showed such taste for study that a wealthy neighbour, Francis Cherry of Shottesbrooke (c. 1665–1713), a celebrated nonjuror, interested himself in the boy, and sent him to the school at Bray "on purpose to learn the

tongue". Soon Cherry took him into his own house, and his education was continued at Bray until Easter 1696 when he matriculated at

St Edmund Hall, Oxford St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any universit ...

. At the university, he attracted the attention of Dr John Mill (1645–1707), the principal of St Edmund Hall, who employed him to compare manuscripts and in other ways. Having taken the degree of B.A. in 1699 he was made assistant keeper of the Bodleian Library, where he worked on the catalogue of books, and in 1712 he was appointed second keeper. In 1715 Hearne was elected Architypographus and Esquire Bedell in civil law in the university, but objection having been made to his holding this office together with that of second librarian, he resigned it in the same year. A nonjuror himself, he refused to take the oaths of allegiance to King George I, and early in 1716 he was deprived of his librarianship, and "he was, in fact, locked out of the library". However, he continued to reside in Oxford, and occupied himself in editing the English chroniclers. Hearne refused several important academic positions, including the librarianship of the Bodleian and the

Camden professorship of ancient history The Camden Professorship of Ancient History at the University of Oxford was established in 1622 by English antiquary and historian William Camden, Clarenceux King of Arms, and endowed with the income of the manor of Bexley, becoming the first and ...

, rather than take the oaths. He died on 10 June 1735. The readers of Hearne's works were devoted to them because of the depth of scholarship. He corresponded, for example, with Dr

Henry Levett Dr Henry Levett (c.1668 – 2 July 1725) was an English physician who wrote a pioneering tract on the treatment of smallpox and served as chief physician at the Charterhouse, London. Early life Henry Levett was born in about 1668, the son of W ...

, an early English physician and medical doctor at

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey Londo ...

, London. In November 1715, indicating the devotion of Hearne's readers, he reminded Dr

Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, no ...

that "you formerly desired to be a subscriber for every Thing I published. I have accordingly put you down for one copy of Acts of the Ap. in Capitals".

Works

Hearne's most important work was done as editor of many of the English chronicles, and until the appearance of the

Rolls Series ''The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages'' ( la, Rerum Britannicarum medii aevi scriptores), widely known as the is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources publish ...

his editions were in some cases the only ones existent. Some have praised them for being well prepared and sourced. Among the most important of a long list are: *Benedict of Peterborough's (

Benedictus Abbas Benedict, sometimes known as Benedictus Abbas (Latin for "Benedict the Abbot"; died 29 September 1193), was abbot of Peterborough. His name was formerly erroneously associated with the ''Gesta Henrici Regis Secundi'' and ''Gesta Regis Ricardi'', Eng ...

) ''De vita et gestis Henrici II. et Ricardi I.'' (1735) *

John of Fordun John of Fordun (before 1360 – c. 1384) was a Scottish chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. It is certain that he was a secular priest, and that he composed his history in the latter part of the 14th ce ...

's '' Scotichronicon'' (1722) *the monk of Evesham's ''Historia vitae et regni Ricardi II'' (1729) *

Robert Mannyng Robert Mannyng (or Robert de Brunne; 1275 – c. 1338) was an English chronicler and Gilbertine monk. Mannyng provides a surprising amount of information about himself in his two known works, '' Handlyng Synne'' and '' Mannyng's Chronicle''. In ...

's translation of Piers Langtoft's ''Chronicle'' (1725) *the work of Thomas Otterbourne and John Whethamstede as ''Duo rerum Anglicarum scriptores veteres'' (1732) * Robert of Gloucester's ''Chronicle'' (1724) *''Thomae Sprotti Chronica'' (1719); Hearne's title is now thought to be misleading about this work, of the end of the 14th century, too late to be by Thomas Sprott the Benedictine chronicler (fl. 1292). *the ''Vita et gesta Henrici V'', which he wrongly attributed to

Thomas Elmham Thomas Elmham (1364in or after 1427) was an English chronicler. Life Thomas Elmham was probably born at North Elmham in Norfolk. He may have been the Thomas Elmham who was a scholar at King's Hall, Cambridge from 1389 to 1394. He became a Bened ...

and which now goes under the designation Ps-Elmham (1727) *the ''Vita Henrici V'' of

Tito Livio Frulovisi Tito Livio Frulovisi ( 1430s–1440s) was a humanist scholar and author, who is best known for his biography of King Henry V of England in Latin, the ''Vita Henrici Quinti''. Life and work Frulovisi was from Ferrara and grew up in Venice. I ...

(1716) * Walter of Hemingburgh's ''Chronicon'' (1731) *

William of Newburgh William of Newburgh or Newbury ( la, Guilelmus Neubrigensis, ''Wilhelmus Neubrigensis'', or ''Willelmus de Novoburgo''. 1136 – 1198), also known as William Parvus, was a 12th-century English historian and Augustinian canon of Anglo-Saxon de ...

's ''Historia rerum Anglicarum'' (1719). He also edited: * John Leland's ''Itinerary'' (1710–1712) and the same author's ''Collectanea'' (1715) *

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 ...

's ''Annales rerum Anglicarum et Hibernicarum regnante Elizabetha'' (1717) * Sir John Spelman's ''Life of Alfred'' (1709) * William Roper's ''Life of Sir Thomas More'' (1716). He brought out editions of: *

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

(1708) *

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

's ''Epistolae et panegyricus'' (1703) *'' Acts of the Apostles'' (1715). Among his other compilations were: *''Ductor historicus, a Short System of Universal History'' (1698, 1704, 1705, 1714, 1724) *''A Collection of Curious Discourses by Eminent Antiquaries'' (1720) *''Reliquiae Bodleianae'' (1703). Hearne left his manuscripts to William Bedford, who sold them to Dr Richard Rawlinson, who in his turn bequeathed them to the Bodleian. Two volumes of extracts from his voluminous diary were published by

Philip Bliss Philip Paul Bliss (9 July 1838 – 29 December 1876) was an American composer, conductor, writer of hymns and a bass-baritone Gospel singer. He wrote many well-known hymns, including "Hold the Fort" (1870), "Almost Persuaded" (1871); "Hallelujah, ...

(Oxford, 1857), and afterwards an enlarged edition in three volumes appeared (London, 1869). A large part of his diary entitled ''Remarks and Collections'', 1705–1714, edited by C. E. Doble and D. W. Rannie, has been published by the Oxford Historical Society (1885–1898). ''Bibliotheca Hearniana'', excerpts from the catalogue of Hearn's library, was edited by Beriah Botfield (1848). Hearne's work in publishing these old manuscripts was not appreciated by all:

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

dismisses them as unappealing and "monkish" in '' An Epistle to Burlington'' and satirises Hearne as the pedant Wormius in '' The Dunciad'', dropping into mock-

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

to do so. This in turn led Hearne in his diary to insult Pope's lack of scholarship.

Footnotes

References

*''Impartial Memorials of the Life and Writings of Thomas Hearn'' by several hands (1736) *

William Dunn Macray William Dunn Macray (1826–1916) was an English librarian, cleric and historian. Macray was ordained and graduated MA. He was a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and worked at the Bodleian Library from 1845 to 1905. He received the degree Doc ...

, ''Annals of the Bodleian Library'' (1890). *Hearne's autobiography in W. Huddesford's ''Lives of Leland, Hearne and Wood'' (Oxford, 1772) * Frederic Ouvry's ''Letters addressed to Thomas Hearn'', privately printed (London, 1874)

External links

*
Someone Dead Ruined My Life... Again.
a video by

CGP Grey CGP Grey is an American-Irish educational YouTuber, podcaster, and live streamer who creates short explanatory videos on subjects including politics, geography, economics, sociology, history, and culture. In addition to video production, Gre ...

that covers the Hearne - Pope rivalry {{DEFAULTSORT:Hearn, Thomas 1678 births 1735 deaths People from White Waltham English antiquarians Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford English diarists Fellows of St Edmund Hall, Oxford