Barak Longmate (1738 – 23 July 1793) was an English

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...

and editor, heraldic engraver and publisher.

Life and work

Longmate was born in 1738, son of Barak and Elizabeth Longmate of

St James's St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He

engraved Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an inta ...

some topographical drawings, but was more distinguished as an

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

engraver (a branch of bright cut engraving). He died on 23 July 1793 in Noel Street,

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

, and was buried on the 27th of that month in

St Marylebone Parish Church St Marylebone Parish Church is an Anglican church on the Marylebone Road in London. It was built to the designs of Thomas Hardwick in 1813–17. The present site is the third used by the parish for its church. The first was further south, near ...

's churchyard. He had a son Barak by his wife Elizabeth (d. 1781). His small but valuable library, and a large collection of heraldic manuscripts, were auctioned off at

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

on 10 March 1794, realising just over £235—considered not a great sum. The only known copy of the catalogue is preserved in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

. Longmate published an edition (the fifth) of Collins' ''Peerage'' (8 vols. 8vo, London, 1779), and a 'Supplement' in 1784. Of this work he left materials for a new edition. He also edited the 'Pocket Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland,' (12mo, London, 1788, new edition, 1790). For Sir Richard Sullivan's ''Thoughts on the Early Ages of the Irish Nation and History'', (4to, 1789), he engraved an elaborate genealogical plate, entitled 'A Genealogical History of the Family of O'Sullivan More from Duach Donn, monarch of Ireland. Anno Mundi 912.' which he regarded as his masterpiece (Martin, 'Cat. of Privately Printed Books', p. 105). William Sharp (1749–1824) and

John Swaine John Swaine (26 June 1775 – 25 November 1860), was an English draughtsman and engraver. Life and work Swaine was born at Stanwell, Middlesex, on 26 June 1775, the son of John and Margaret Swaine, and became a pupil first of Jacob Schnebb ...

(1775–1860) were both pupils of Longmate.

Barak Longmate the younger

His son, Barak Longmate (1768–1836), born in 1768, succeeded his father in his profession and as editor of the ''Pocket Peerage'', of which he issued an edition in two duodecimo volumes in 1813; but the increased success of

Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company and publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John ...

''Peerage'' badly affected sales. He was a good draughtsman, and well skilled in heraldry, and was of much assistance to John Nichols and other

antiquarian 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 si ...

s in their topographical labours. About 1801 he made notes respecting the churches in many

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

parishes, with the view of publishing a continuation of Ralph Bigland's ''History'' of that county.An original history of the city of Gloucester
Owing, however, to the fire at Nichols' printing-office in 1808, the work was abandoned, and the manuscript was deposited, instead, among the collections of Sir

Thomas Phillipps Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet (2 July 1792 – 6 February 1872), was an English antiquary and book collector who amassed the largest collection of manuscript material in the 19th century. He was an illegitimate son of a textile manufactu ...

at Middle Hill, Broadway, Worcestershire. Longmate the younger died on 25 February 1836.

References

External links

Portrait engravings by Barak Longmate
(National Portrait Gallery). {{DEFAULTSORT:Longmate, Barak 1738 births 1793 deaths 18th-century English businesspeople 18th-century English historians 18th-century English engravers 18th-century British publishers (people) English genealogists Publishers (people) from London Burials at St Marylebone Parish Church