John Noake (1816–1894) was an English journalist and

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

, known for his writings on

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

Life

The son of Thomas and Ann Noake, he was born at

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo (South Somerset), River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish include ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

on 29 November 1816. He came to

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

in 1838 to work on '' Berrow's Worcester Journal'' and lived in the city for the rest of his life. Noake later worked on the ''Worcestershire Chronicle'', and his last appointment was as sub-editor of the ''Worcester Herald''. Around 1874 he concentrated on local affairs. He was in turn sheriff (1878), mayor and alderman (1879), and magistrate (1882) for Worcester; as mayor he reopened the old Guildhall, which had been restored and enlarged. For many years he was one of the honorary secretaries of the Worcester Diocesan Architectural and Archæological Society. Noake died at Worcester on 12 September 1894 and was buried at the cemetery in Astwood Road on 15 September.

Works

All Noake's works related to Worcestershire. He found documents in a chest in the tower of St. Swithin's Church, Worcester that shed light on the history of the city. He published: * ''The Rambler in Worcestershire; or Stray Notes on Churches and Congregations'', 1848; similar volumes in 1851 and 1854. * ''Worcester in Olden Times'', 1849. * ''The Consecration of St. Mary's Church, Abberley, Worcestershire, July 27, 1852'', 1852. * ''Notes and Queries for Worcestershire'', 1856. * * ''The Monastery and Cathedral of Worcester'', 1866. * ''Guide to Worcestershire'', 1868. * ''Worcestershire Relics'', 1877. * ''Worcestershire Nuggets, by an old Digger'', 1889. Noake also contributed to the ''Transactions'' of the Worcester Architectural and Archæological Society, and of the Associated Architectural Societies.

Family

Noake married, first, Miss Woodyatt of Ashperton, Herefordshire, by whom he had a son Charles, and a daughter who became Mrs. Badham; secondly, Miss Brown of Shrewsbury; thirdly, in 1873, Mrs. Stephens (died 1893), widow of a Worcester merchant.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Noake, John 1816 births 1894 deaths English male journalists English antiquarians People from Sherborne 19th-century English journalists 19th-century English male writers Burials in Worcestershire