Thomas Combe
Thomas Combe | |
|---|---|
 Thomas Combe, byW Holman Hunt | |
| Born | 1797 |
| Died | 30 June 1872 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Book publisher |
| Known for | Oxford University Press; St Barnabas Church, Oxford |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Combe,m.1840-1872, his death. |
Thomas Combe(1796 – 30 June 1872) was a British printer, publisher and patron of the arts. He was 'Printer to theUniversity' atOxford University Press,and was also a founder and benefactor ofSt Barnabas Church,near the Press inJerichoand close toOxford Canal.[1]
Life
[edit]Combe was the son of Thomas Combe senior (died 1836?), a printer, stationer, bookseller and newspaper proprietor inLeicester.[1] After working with his father and, between around 1824 and 1826 withJoseph Parkerin Oxford, he was freed by theStationers' Companyand went into business in his own right.
In 1826, he was briefly in partnership withMichael Angelo Nattaliin London, but before the end of the year he had returned to Leicester to join the family business (which was styled T. Combe and Son between 1826 and 1835). After his father's death he moved to Oxford, and joined the University Press (or Clarendon Press) in 1837 at its then new (1830) building inWalton Street. By 1838, he was superintendent of the 'learned side' of the press, and soon acquired shares in the business. By 1851, he was senior partner in the Press.[2] As a result, he amassed a considerable fortune.
He and his wifeMartha(1806–1893) were keen patrons of the arts and particularly of thePre-Raphaelites.In 1849, he metJohn Everett Millaisin Oxford, who painted portraits of Combe's family.[3]They were also devotees of the Tractarian orOxford Movement.[4]
He died on 30 June 1872.[4] Combe is buried inSt Sepulchre's Cemetery,off Walton Street, near the University Press. His widow retained and expanded his collection of Pre-Raphaelite art. On her death in 1893, the bulk of the collection was bequeathed to the university and is now in theAshmolean Museum.
Ablue plaqueon the outside wall of St Barnabas Church installed by theOxfordshire Blue Plaques Boardnow commemorates Thomas Combe and his wife Martha as founders of the church.[5]
References
[edit]- ^abHibbert, Christopher,ed. (1988). "St Barnabas, Church of".The Encyclopaedia of Oxford.Macmillan.pp. 378–379.ISBN0-333-39917-X.
- ^St Barnabas Church: HistoryArchived27 September 2007 at theWayback Machine
- ^Tate.John Everett Millais 1829–1896.
- ^abRigg 1887.
- ^Warr, Elizabeth Jean (2011).The Oxford Plaque Guide.Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. pp. 39–41.ISBN978-0-7524-5687-4.
External links
[edit]- Rigg, James McMullen (1887)..InStephen, Leslie(ed.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 11. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 430.
- "Thomas Combe".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.Oxford University Press. 2004.
- Blue plaque to Thomas & Martha Combe on St Barnabas' Church, Oxford
- Thomas & Martha Combe's grave at St Sepulchre's Cemetery, Oxford, with biography
- Photo of Thomas Combe
