ASHMOLE, ELIASL 



ASHMUN, JEIIUDI. 



living painter*. He held the office of trustee of both the National 

 Gull, ry and British Museum. 



(GmtUman'i Magutmefor 1848.) 



ASHMOLE, ELIAS, an eminent antiquary and herald, WM born 

 at Lichfield, May 2Srd, 1017. and wai placed at in early ago a 

 chorister in the cathedral of Lichfield. He wai afterward* taken into 

 the family of Jamei Paget, Esq., one of the puiino baroni of the 

 Exchequer, who had married hu mother'* lister. At the age of 10 

 he commenced the study of the law ; and in 1638 he married Kleanor, 

 daughter of Peter Hainwaring, of Suiallwood in Cheshire, about which 

 time he wai admitted to practice ai a solicitor iu Chancery. In 

 February 1641 he was sworn an attorney of the Common Plea*. He 

 lost his wife on the 6th of December the same year. A royalist in 

 principle, he became in 1645 one of the gentlemen of the ordnance 

 in the garrison at Oxford, whence he removed to Worcester, where he 

 was first a commissioner, and afterwards receiver and registrar of the 

 excise. He became soon after a captain in Lord Ashley's regiment, 

 and comptroller of the ordnance. In the midst of these employments 

 he entered himself of Brssenose College, Oxford, where he applied 

 himself with great vigour to the study of natural philosophy, mathe- 

 matics, and astronomy, and where his acquaintance with Mr. (after- 

 wards Sir George) Wliarton led him to devote himself to the mysteries 

 of astrology. 



In July 1646 Mr. Ashmole withdrew again for a few months to 

 Cheshire; but, coming to London, he fell in with Mr. (afterwards Sir 

 Jonas) Moore, Mr. William Lilly, and Mr. John Booker, esteemed the 

 greatest astrologers of their time, and was by them caressed, instructed, 

 and admitted into their fraternity. In 1649 he married his second 

 wife, the Lady Mainwaring (widow of Sir Thomas Main waring, Knight, 

 recorder of Reading), whose second son by a former husband, Mr. 

 Humphrey Stafford, made great opposition to the match. The large 

 fortune which he obtained with this lady (he was her fourth husband, 

 and much her junior in years) enabled him to open his house to the 

 learned and scientific persons, and especially to the many astrologers 

 who flourished in that time. In 1650 he published in 12mo a treatise 

 written by Dr. Arthur Dee upon the philosopher's Btone, under the 

 title of 'Fasciculus Chemicus; whereunto is added, the Arcanum, 

 or Grand Secret of Hermetick Philosophy. Both made English by 

 James Haaolle, Esq.,' in which name the letters of bis own will be 

 found transposed. He at the same time undertook to make a complete 

 collection of the works of such English chemiste as had till then 

 remained in manuscript He likewise employed a part of his time 

 in acquiring certain manual arts, such as engraving seals, casting 

 in sand, and the craft of a goldsmith. In 1652, believing that a com- 

 petent knowledge of Hebrew was necessary for understanding and 

 explaining such authors as had written on the hermetic science, he 

 applied himself to the study of that language. At length, towards 

 the close of 1652, hi* ' Theatrum Chymicum Britannicum ' appeared, 

 a quarto volume, containing many pieces of our old hermetic philoso- 

 pher*. This work gained him a high reputation, and among other 

 scholars to whom it extended his acquaintance was the celebrated 

 John Selden, with whom he lived in intimate friendship till bis death. 

 Ashmole'i marriage with the Lady Mainwaring, exclusive of mere 

 family opposition, involved him in several lawsuits, and at last in one 

 in Chancery with the lady herself. October 8th, 1657, he says, " The 

 cause between me and my wife was heard, when Mr. Serjeant Maynanl 

 observed to the court that there were 800 sheets of depositions on 

 my wife's part, and not one word proved against me of using her ill, 

 nor ever giving her a bad or provoking word." The lady's suit was 

 dismissed, and, notwithstanding the 800 sheets of depositions, Aehmole 

 and his wits continued thenceforward to live together with all the 

 usual appearances of harmony. 



Ajhmole now devoted himself to the study of antiquity and records. 

 This recommended him to Mr. (afterwards Sir William) Dugilale, 

 whom be accompanied about this time when making his survey of the 

 Fens. In 1658 he published a treatise on the philosopher's stone, 

 entitled ' The Way to Bliss ; in three books,' 4to ; a work iu which be 

 took leave of his friends the astrologers and alchemists. He had 

 throughout life been a diligent collector of rarities, and somehow 

 induced the younger Tradcecaut and bis wife in 1059 to make over to 

 him, by deed of gift, the remarkable museum of curiosities at South 

 Lambeth, which the two TradescauU, father and son, bad been long 

 accumulating. The deed remained in Mrs. Tradescant'a hands, and 

 after her him baud's death Ashmole instituted a unit in Chancery to 

 compel the widow to transfer the collection to him. Mrs. Tradeaoant 

 replied to the bill, denying that such a conveyance had ever been 

 executed, and cited her husband's will, of a later date than the alleged 

 conveyance, in which the collection of rarities is left to her during 

 life, with power to bequeath it to Oxford or Cambridge university. 

 The lord chancellor (Clarendon) however gave judgment in favour of 

 Asbmole, and the widow wai of course compelled to submit. 



Upon the Restoration, King Charles II. bestowed upon him 

 (Jon* 18, 1660) the place of Windsor herald, and a few days after 

 appointed him to make a description of the royal collection of medals. 

 On November 2, 1660, be was called to the bar in the Middle Temple 

 hall ; and in January, 1661, admitted F.R.S. Soon after this time he 

 had several new preferments bestowed upon him, and amongst them, 

 by warrant, February 9, 1061, the secretaryship of Surinam. Hit 



second wife, Lady Mainwariug. dying iu April ICiiS, Ashmole married 

 in the following November Elizabeth, the daughter of his friend Sir 

 William Dugdale. A wealthy and prosperous man, he was now 

 courted and esteemed by the greatest persons in the kingdom ; and 

 having finished bis labours upon the ' History of the Order of the 

 Garter,' presented that work to the king, May 8, 1672, who, as a mark 

 of approbation for his toil and research, presented him with a privy 

 seal for 4001. In 1675 he resigned his office of Windsor herald ; and 

 in 1677, on Sir Edward Walker's death, might have been made garter 

 king of arms, but waived the appointment in favour of his father-in- 

 law, Sir William Dugdale. On the 20th of January 1679, a fire broke 

 out in the Middle Temple, in a set of chambers next to those in which 

 Mr. Ashmole resided, by which he lost the greater part of his library, 

 a cabinet of ancient and modern coins, and a great collection of seals, 

 charters, and other antiquities. His manuscripts however, and his 

 gold medals, were fortunately preserved, by being in the house which 

 had been Tradescant's at Lambeth. 



In 1682, the University of Oxford having finished a building as a 

 repository for curiosities near the theatre, Aehmole sent thither the 

 collection of rarities which he had received from the Tradescants 

 (first however carefully removing everything that was likely to con- 

 nect their name with the museum), and with it the valuable addition* 

 he had himself made to the collection. He afterwards added the 

 donation of his manuscripts and library. This is still called the 

 Ashmolean Museum. In 1686, on the death of his father-in-law, Sir 

 William Dugdale, he declined a second time the office of garter, which 

 he would have obtained for his brother-in-law, John Dugdale, but was 

 unsuccessful He however procured for him the place of norroy king 

 of arms. This was one of the hut public acts of Aahmole's life. Ho 

 died May 18, 1692, and was interred at Lambeth. 



Besides the works already noticed, which were published during his 

 life, Ashmole left Urge collections iu manuscript Of these the two 

 following, which are the most important, hnve been published : 

 ' The Arms, Epitaphs, Feueatrol Inscriptions, with the Draughts of the 

 Tombs, 4c., in all the Churches in Berkshire,' penned in 1666, were 

 iu part published afterwards under the title of ' The Antiquities of 

 Berkshire,' 3 vola Svo, 1717, 1723, and at Reading in folio, 1736 ; and 

 the diary of his life, which was first published in 12mo. in 1717, 

 under the title of ' Memoirs of the Life of the Learned Antiquary, 

 Eliaa Ashmole, Esq., drawn up by himself by way of Diary, with an 

 Appendix of Original Letters ; ' published by Charles Burman, Eaq. ; 

 reprinted with Lilly's ' History of his Life and Times,' Svo, London, 

 1774. It is from this diary, abounding in absurd and puerile memo- 

 randa, but affording equally abundant evidence of his shrewd regard 

 to bis own interests, that the dates and facts iu the preceding memoir 

 have been principally taken. 



ASHMUN, JEHUDI, was born at Champlaiu, in the state of New 

 York, in the year 1794. He was the third of ten children of his 

 father, a farmer, who bad settled at Champlain when the neighbour- 

 hood was a comparative wilderness. He early displayed a fondness 

 for books, and at the age of fourteen commenced preparing for 

 college. Four years afterwards he became a student at Middlebury 

 College, where ho supported himself by teaching a school In the 

 interim he had acted as clerk to an attorney, or in any capacity which 

 afforded a subsistence for the moment He originally destined him- 

 self for the Christian ministry, but at different times studied both law 

 and medicine. He removed to the university of Vermont, at Burling- 

 ton, where he graduated with distinction. At the age of twenty-two 

 he became the principal of a theological seminary at Hampdcn, in the 

 state of Maine, called ' The Maine Charity-School,' and subsequently 

 acted as classical professor. Ho was married at New York on October 

 7th, 1818, to Miss Gray, but having promised marriage to another, his 

 conduct was regarded in so unfavourable a light in Maine, that he was 

 compelled to quit the state. He went to Baltimore, and after vainly 

 endeavouring to establish a superior seminary for girls, set up a 

 periodical called ' The Constellation,' which failed, leaving him deeply 

 in debt He then removed to Washington, and after a time obtained 

 the editorship of ' The Repertory,' a monthly magasine, established 

 under the auspices of the clergy of the Episcopal Church, whose com- 

 munion he joined on the occasion. In this work he wrote much iu 

 favour of the plan of the ' African Colonisation Society,' for founding 

 a settlement of liberated negroes on the west coast of Africa, and for 

 a short time his periodical was entirely devoted to the subject In 

 1821 he also published a ' Life of the Rev. Samuel Bacon,' who had 

 fallen a victim in the original attempt to set the colony on foot. This 

 publication entailed n heavy loss 011 the author, already deeply involved 

 on other accounts. The desire to set himself free by the profits of 

 commercial speculation, determined him to undertake a voyago to the 

 coast of Africa. He obtained also an appointment as one of their 

 agents from the African Colonisation Society. He landed at Capo 

 Mesurado, with a detachment of freed negroes from Baltimore, in 

 August, 1822, and finding the other agents had previously left the 

 coast, he assumed all the authority belonging to the sole representative 

 of the Society. From that moment hU life was devoted to one object, 

 the prosperity of the infant colony. 



At the time of bis arrival, the whole population, the late arrivals 

 included, amounted to 130 persons, of whom 35 only were capable of 

 bearing arms. Ashmun instantly set about building and fortifying, 



