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Thomas Madox

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Thomas Madox(1666 – 13 January 1727) was a legalantiquaryand historian, known for his publication and discussion of medieval records and charters; and in particular for hisHistory of theExchequer,tracing the administration and records of that branch of the state from theNorman Conquestto the time ofEdward II.It became a standard work for the study of English medieval history. He held the office ofhistoriographer royalfrom 1708 until his death.

Life

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Madox was born in 1666. He applied himself at an early age to the study of the common law, and was admitted to theMiddle Temple,though he was nevercalled to the bar.[1]He became a sworn clerk in theLord Treasurer's remembrance office (i.e. official archives), and afterwards joint clerk in theAugmentation Office,which administered the crown estates; first with Charles Batteley, who died in May 1722, and afterwards with John Batteley.[1][2]

There he pursued his historical researches under the patronage ofLord Somers.He made his first appearance as an author with the publication ofFormulare Anglicanumin 1702, concerning ancient charters, which Madox introduced with a learned dissertation on the subject. The principal materials for this work were obtained from the archives of thecourt of augmentations.It is "justly" (according to theDictionary of National Biography) described by BishopWilliam Nicolsonas "of unspeakable service to our students in law and antiquities".[3]On the motion ofPeter Le Neve,Madox was elected a member of theSociety of Antiquariesin January 1708.[1][4]

In 1711 he published hisHistory of the Exchequer,with a dedication to the Queen and a long prefatory epistle to Lord Somers, giving an account of his researches among the public records to gather the materials for the work. Madox was subsequently sworn in and admitted to the office ofhistoriographer royal,in succession toThomas Rymer,on 12 July 1714,[5]with an attached salary of £200 a year.[1]

The last of his works Madox saw printed in his lifetime wasFirma Burgi,on early records concerning English towns and boroughs, dedicated to George I, published in 1723. Madox died on 13 January 1727, and was buried atArlesey,Bedfordshire.[6]He was succeeded in the office of historiographer royal by Robert Stephens.

A posthumous work,Baronia Anglica,on the history and records of thefeudal barons,appeared in 1736. A collection of further transcripts was bequeathed by his widow to theBritish Museum,as an addition to theSloane Library.It ran to ninety-four volumes,[7]folio and quarto, consisting chiefly of extracts of records from the Exchequer, thePatentandClose Rollsin the Tower, theCottonian Library,the archives of Canterbury and Westminster, and the library ofCorpus Christi College, Cambridge;all that Madox had transcribed himself, intending them as materials for aFeudal History of Englandfrom the earliest times.[1][8]

Personal life

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Madox married Catharine, the daughter of Vigarus Edwards. He had no issue.[1]

Works

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  • Formulare Anglicanum, or a Collection of Antique Charters and Instruments of divers kinds, taken from the Originals, placed under several Heads, and deduced (in a Series according to the Order of Time) from the Norman Conquest to the End of the Reign of King Henry VIII.London, 1702, 441 pp.[1][9]
  • History and Antiquities of the Exchequer of the Kings of England... from the Norman Conquest to the End of the Reign of... Edward II,London, 1711, 752 pp. plus annexes. An index was printed inBaronia Anglica,and a second edition, in 2 vols., with the index, was published in London in 1769. (vol. 1,vol. 2)[1][9]
    Appended was a copy of theDialogue concerning the Exchequer(De Scaccario), erroneously ascribed toGervase of Tilbury,now believed to be byRichard FitzNeal;also a Latin dissertation by Madox on theGreat Roll of the Exchequer(thePipe rolls). An English translation of these appendices, made by "a Gentleman of the Inner Temple", appeared at London in 1758.[1][9]
  • An account of all the gold and silver coins ever used in England: particularly of their value, fineness, and allay, and the standards of gold and silver in all the respective reigns for the last six hundred years: likewise of it's plenty and scarcity,London, 1718, 23pp.[9]
  • Firma Burgi, or an Historical Essay concerning the Cities, Towns, and Boroughs of England, taken from Records,London, 1723, and again 1726, 297 pp.[1][9]
  • Baronia Anglica; an History of Land-honours and Baronies, and of Tenure incapiteVerified by Records,London, 1736, 292pp.; reissued in 1741.[1][9]

Notes

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  1. ^abcdefghijk"Madox, Thomas".Dictionary of National Biography.London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  2. ^DNB cites Birch MS 4223, fol. 1.
  3. ^DNB citesEnglish Historical Library(1776), pp. 168-9.
  4. ^DNB cites Nichols,Literary Anecdotes,vol. 6, pp. 147, 148.
  5. ^DNB cites British Library,Add MS4572, fol. 108.
  6. ^DNB citesHistorical Register(1727), Chron. Diary, p. 6.
  7. ^DNB cites British Library,Add MSS4479–4572.
  8. ^DNB cites Nichols,Literary Anecdotes,vol. 9, p. 645.
  9. ^abcdef"National Library of Australia – Catalogue".Retrieved2 November2009.

References

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Further reading

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Preceded by EnglishHistoriographer Royal
1714–1727 		Succeeded by
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