Samuel Seyer (1757–1831) was an English schoolmaster and cleric, known as a historian of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

Life

He was the son of Samuel Seyer (1719?–1776), master of

Bristol grammar school Bristol Grammar School (BGS) is a 4–18 mixed, independent day school in Bristol, England. It was founded in 1532 by Royal Charter for the teaching of 'good manners and literature', endowed by wealthy Bristol merchants Robert and Nicholas Thorn ...

. He matriculated at

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517, it is the 1 ...

, on 25 November 1772, and graduated B.A. in 1776 and M.A. in 1780. About 1790 Seyer succeeded John Jones at the

Royal Fort school The Royal Fort House is a historic house in Tyndalls Park, Bristol. The building currently houses the University of Bristol's Faculty of Science offices, the Brigstow Institute, Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research, the Cabot Instit ...

, where for ten years

Andrew Crosse Andrew Crosse (17 June 1784 – 6 July 1855) was a British scientist who was born and died at Fyne Court, Broomfield, Somerset. Crosse was an early pioneer and experimenter in the use of electricity. He became known after press reports of an e ...

was among his scholars, who found him narrow-minded and unjust. Other pupils were John Kenyon and

William John Broderip William John Broderip FRS (21 November 1789 – 27 February 1859) was an English lawyer and naturalist. Life Broderip, the eldest son of William Broderip, surgeon from Bristol, was born at Bristol on 21 November 1789, and, after being educat ...

. In 1813 Seyer became perpetual curate of

Horfield Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Mon ...

, and in 1824 rector of

Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church d ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. He died at Bristol on 25 August 1831.

Works

Following first William Barrett, author of the ''History and Antiquities of Bristol'', whom he knew well, Seyer published in 1812 ''Charters and Letters Patent granted to the Town and City of Bristol''. The Latin is printed under an English translation. Seyer was refused access to the originals in the Bristol council-house, and based his text on a late manuscript in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

(Rawlinson 247); he used a translation published in 1736. In 1821–3 appeared Seyer's ''Memoirs, Historical and Topographical, of Bristol and its Neighbourhood'', with plates by

Edward Blore Edward Blore (13 September 1787 – 4 September 1879) was a 19th-century English landscape and architectural artist, architect and antiquary. Early career He was born in Derby, the son of the antiquarian writer Thomas Blore. Blore's bac ...

and others (2 vols.). The work, which brings the narrative down to 1760, incorporated the archives of the Berkeley family and the Bristol calendars. Seyer's collections for a second part, on the topography of Bristol, were preserved in manuscript in the Museum Library, Bristol. Seyer published also: * ''The Principles of Christianity'', 1796, 1806. * ''The Syntax of Latin Verbs'', 1798. * ''Observations on the Causes of Clerical Non-residence, and on the Act of Parliament lately passed for its Prevention'', 1808. * ''Latium Redivivum: a Treatise on the Modern Use of the Latin Language and the Prevalence of the French; to which is added a Specimen, accommodated to Modern Use'', 1808. He translated into English verse the Latin poem of

Marco Girolamo Vida Marco Girolamo Vida or Marcus Hieronymus Vida (1485? – September 27, 1566) was an Italian humanist, bishop and poet. Life Marco was born at Cremona, the son of the consular (patrician) Guglielmo Vida, and Leona Oscasale. He had two brother ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Seyer, Samuel 1757 births 1831 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests Clergy from Bristol English antiquarians Schoolteachers from Bristol Writers from Bristol