MEMOIR OF CAMDEff. 73 



his own use. This natural son was slain in the 

 battle of Steirling, in Scotland, and the title at length 

 reverted to the family of Alton ; Warine Vescy's 

 only daughter, Margaret, being married to Gilbert 

 de Alton. 



Thinking it may not prove unacceptable to the 

 general reader to know something of the author of 

 the " Britannia," I have drawn up a concise ac- 

 count of this learned Antiquary, and his object in 

 composing that great work. 



WILLIAM CAMDEN, the very eminent English 

 Antiquary and writer of History, was born in Lon- 

 don, in 1551. He was first educated in Christ's 

 Hospital, and thence removed to St. Paul's school, 

 in which Seminary his progress was so conspicuous, 

 that at the age of 15 he was entered as a Servitor 

 in Magdalen College, Oxford. After having com- 

 pleted his course of studies at the University, he 

 was by the interest of his friend and patron, Dean 

 Goodman, appointed second master of Westminster 

 School ; an office which he executed with great dil- 

 igence and capacity. His leisure hours were chief- 

 ly bestowed on the study of Antiquities, in which 

 he had made a commencement at Oxford. He began 

 at this time to make collections of all that ancient 

 authors had written concerning Britain, and to 

 search-all the records and repositories containing 

 matter of importance to his design of illustrating 

 K 



