Bryan Faussett
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Bryan Faussett (30 October 1720 – 20 February 1776) was an English
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 ...
. Faussett formed a collection that was rich in
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
objects of personal adornment, such as pendants, brooches, beads and buckles. He discovered the Kingston Brooch, the largest known Anglo-Saxon composite brooch. At the time of his death he had the world's largest collection of Anglo-Saxon items. In 1844, after his death, the collection was exhibited by the
British Archaeological Association The British Archaeological Association (BAA) was founded in 1843 and aims to inspire, support and disseminate high quality research in the fields of Western archaeology, art and architecture, primarily of the mediaeval period, through lectures, co ...
. In 1853, more than five thousand of his Roman and English coins were sold 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 ...
. In 1855 his collection was bought by Joseph Mayer, and it is now in the
World Museum World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a planetarium. Entry to the ...
in Liverpool. He has been described as pioneering because of the extensive archaeological records he kept.


Early life and education

Faussett was born on 30 October 1720, at Heppington, near
Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
, Kent, the eldest of the thirteen children of Bryan Faussett, senior, of
Staplehurst Staplehurst is a town and civil parish in the borough of Maidstone in Kent, England, south of the town of Maidstone and with a population of 5,947. The town lies on the route of a Roman road, which is now incorporated into the course of the A2 ...
, by his wife Mary, daughter of Henry Godfrey of Heppington and
Lydd Lydd is a town and electoral ward in Kent, England, lying on Romney Marsh. It is one of the larger settlements on the marsh, and the most southerly town in Kent. Lydd reached the height of its prosperity during the 13th century, when it was a ...
. He was educated at a Kentish grammar school and at
University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...
, where he was known as the "handsome commoner". At Oxford he endeavoured to organise a volunteer corps in aid of the cause of
Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...
in 1745–6, and his father convened secret meetings of the Jacobite gentry at Heppington. Faussett graduated B.A. 1742, M.A. 1745, and was elected fellow of All Souls as founder's kin to Archbishop Chichele.


Career in clergy

Faussett was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
in 1746, and from 1748 to 1750 held the living of Alberbury in Shropshire. From 1750 he lived for some time at Street End House, near Heppington, without clerical duties. Writing to his friend Andrew Ducarel in 1764, he says that he is sorry he ever took orders. Towards the close of his life Archbishop Secker gave him the rectory of
Monks Horton Monks Horton is a small civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe (District), Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England. It is located north of Hythe, Kent, Hythe. Within the civil parish are the hamlets of Horton and Broad Street. The paris ...
and the perpetual curacy of Nackington, both in Kent.


Antiquary

From about 1750 he had devoted special attention to antiquities, chiefly through the digging of
burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...
. He was also a good heraldist and genealogist, visiting about 160 parish churches in east Kent to copy monumental and armorial inscriptions. His papers were used by
Edward Hasted Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and ...
for his ''History of Kent'', who described him as "living entirely rusticated at Heppington". Faussett formed a collection of more than five thousand Roman and English coins, most of which were sold at Sotheby's on 3 December 1853. He had melted down his duplicates, to the weight of 150 lbs., into a bell inscribed ''Audi quid tecum loquitur Romana vetustas—Ex ære Romano me conflari fecit B. F. A. S. S. 1766''. He began his excavations of Kentish burial mounds, chiefly of the Anglo-Saxon period, in 1757 at Tremworth Down, Crundale. Afterwards he went to work at Gilton, where he opened 106 graves during eleven days in 1760, 1762, and 1763, and at Kingston Down, where he opened 308 graves between August 1767 and August 1773. From 1771 to 1773 he also explored 336 graves at
Bishopsbourne Bishopsbourne is a mostly rural and wooded village and civil parish in Kent, England. It has two short linear settlement, developed sections of streets at the foot of the Little Stour, Nailbourne valley south-east of Canterbury and centred ...
, Sibertswold, Barfriston Down,
Bekesbourne Bekesbourne () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bekesbourne-with-Patrixbourne, in the Canterbury district, in Kent, South-East England. In 1961 the parish had a population of 538. The village centre is east-south-ea ...
, and Chartham Down. Faussett made pecuniary sacrifices in order to excavate, and superintended the opening of barrows with "almost boyish enthusiasm". He kept a journal of his operations, minutely recording each grave's contents. This was edited by
Charles Roach Smith Charles Roach Smith (20 August 1807 – 2 August 1890), FSA, was an English antiquarian and amateur archaeologist who was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and the London Numismatic Society. He was a founding member of ...
from the original manuscript in the possession of Joseph Mayer, and published with notes and engravings in 1856 as ''Inventorium Sepulchrale''. In 1763 he was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. From the numerous antiquities found by him, Faussett formed a collection which was especially rich in Anglo-Saxon objects of personal adornment, such as fibulae (including the Kingston Brooch of gold, garnets and turquoises), pendant ornaments (e.g. gold drops set with garnets), beads, buckles, etc.


Personal life

Faussett married Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Rowland Curtois of Hainton, Lincolnshire, and had by her two sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Henry Godfrey Faussett (b. 1749), helped his father in his excavations and succeeded to the estates.


Death

During the last twenty years of his life Faussett suffered from
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
, before dying at his seat at Heppington on 20 February 1776. There is a monument to him in Nackington Church, Kent.


Legacy

At the time of Faussett's death he had the world's largest collection of Anglo-Saxon items. He has subsequently been described as pioneering because of the extensive archaeological records he kept. After his death his collection remained almost unknown until it was exhibited in 1844 at the
British Archaeological Association The British Archaeological Association (BAA) was founded in 1843 and aims to inspire, support and disseminate high quality research in the fields of Western archaeology, art and architecture, primarily of the mediaeval period, through lectures, co ...
's meeting at Canterbury by its owner, Dr Godfrey Faussett, grandson of Bryan Faussett. In August 1853 Godfrey Faussett's son Bryan offered it for sale to the
British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
, only for it to be declined by the trustees. Some outcry was raised in archaeological circles without effect.''
Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term '' ...
'', new ser. vol. 42 (1854), p. 605.
In 1855 the collection was bought by Joseph Mayer, and is now in the
World Museum, Liverpool World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a planetarium. Entry to the ...
. From 1963 to 1971, medieval archaeologist Sonia Chadwick Hawkes catalogued Faussett's collection.


References


Further reading

* Joseph Foster, ''Alumni Oxoniensis: The Members of the University of Oxford 1715–1885'', volume II, page 451 (Oxford, 1888) * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Faussett, Bryan 1720 births 1776 deaths 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers English antiquarians People from Canterbury Alumni of University College, Oxford Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford 18th-century English Anglican priests People from Staplehurst