Francis Peck (1692–1743) was an English priest of the Church of England 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 ...

, best known for his ''Desiderata Curiosa'' (1732–1735).

Life

He was born in

Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the son of Robert, merchant, and baptised 4 May 1692. He may have attended

Stamford School Stamford School is a co-educational independent school (UK), independent school in Stamford, Lincolnshire in the English Public School (United Kingdom), public school tradition. Founded in 1532, it has been a member of the Headmasters' and Hea ...

before attending

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

, from where he was admitted to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

in 1709. Some have confused him with another Francis Peck, who was admitted to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

in 1706. He was ordained as priest, 27 May 1716. After a curacy at

King's Cliffe King's Cliffe (variously spelt Kings Cliffe, King's Cliff, Kings Cliff, Kingscliffe) is a village and civil parish on Willow Brook, a tributary of the River Nene, about northeast of Corby in North Northamptonshire. The parish adjoins the coun ...

, Northamptonshire, he served as Rector of

Goadby Marwood Goadby Marwood is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Eaton, in the Melton district, in the north of the English county of Leicestershire. It is about north of Melton Mowbray and a few miles from the Vale of Belvoir. In 1 ...

, Leicestershire, from 1723 until his death. He became a

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

of Lincoln in 1738. He wrote several books on history. In 1727 he published a history of Stamford called ''Academia Tertia Anglicana'' (Latin for 'the third English university' - a reference to the short-lived 14th-century institution in the town). He was elected to the Society of Antiquarians in 1732 and corresponded with many of the leading antiquaries and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

s of the age; including Thomas Hearne,

Browne Willis Browne Willis (16 September 1682 – 5 February 1760) was an antiquary, author, numismatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708. Early life Willis was born at Blandford St Mary, Dorset, the eldest son of Thomas Wi ...

Roger Roger is a masculine given name, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages">Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") ...

and

Samuel Gale Samuel Gale (17 December 1682 – 10 January 1754) was an English antiquary, and a founder of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Early life Samiel Gale was born in the parish of St Faith's, London, on 17 December 1682, the youngest son of Th ...

, and

William Stukeley William Stukeley (7 November 1687 – 3 March 1765) was an English antiquarian, physician and Anglican clergyman. A significant influence on the later development of archaeology, he pioneered the scholarly investigation of the prehistoric ...

''Desiderata Curiosa''

His major publication is the ''Desiderata Curiosa'', a two-volume

miscellany A miscellany (, ) is a collection of various pieces of writing by different authors. Meaning a mixture, medley, or assortment, a miscellany can include pieces on many subjects and in a variety of different forms. In contrast to anthologies, w ...

(published 1732–1735). There is an

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 ...

frontispiece Frontispiece may refer to: * Frontispiece (books), a decorative illustration facing a book's title page * Frontispiece (architecture) In architecture, the term frontispiece is used to describe the Façade, principal face of the building, usually ...

portrait of Peck (by R. Collins, from life) in volume I, and nine other plates, as well as integral engravings in the text; Stukeley presented the plate of the memorial of Henry Wykes, vicar of

All Saints' Church, Stamford All Saints' Church, Stamford is a parish church in the Church of England, situated in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The church is on the north side of Red Lion Square which was part of the route of the A1 unt ...

(1479-1508). The work contains a major biography of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley,

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

Lord High Treasurer The Lord High Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in England, below the Lord H ...

and chief advisor for much of her reign. Peck, Francis, ''Desiderata Curiosa''. ''"Volume the First. Containing, I. The complete Statesman, exemplified in the Life and Action of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Lord High Treasurer of England in Queen Elizabeth’s Time; largely setting forth both his public and private Conduct. With many Notes from his own MS. Diary, and other Authors ogether with 29 other tracts named on the title-pages andmany other Memoirs, Letters, Wills, and Epitaphs; amounting in all to above 150 curious Articles; all now published from original MSS. communicated by eminent Persons … Adorned with Cuts. London: Printed 1732"'' ''Volume the Second'', printed 1735, contains a further 150 "curious Articles". Some copies of the

first edition The bibliographical definition of an edition is all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants. First edition According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a book pr ...

have a cancel

title page The title page of a book, thesis or other written work is the page at or near the front which displays its title (publishing), title, subtitle, author, publisher, and edition, often artistically decorated. (A half title, by contrast, displays onl ...

for Volume I (as called for in the "Directions to the

Binder Binder may refer to: Businesses * Binder FBM, a former German jewelry manufactory * Binder Dijker Otte & Co., the expansion of "BDO" in BDO International Computing * Binder Project, package and share interactive, reproducible environments * Fil ...

" in Volume II). The cancelland is sometimes retained as the "general title-page".

References

External links

Description of First edition of ''Desiderata Curiosa''
(from Bibliopoly - Rare and Antiquarian Books (accessed 4 October 2005)) {{DEFAULTSORT:Peck, Francis 1692 births 1743 deaths 18th-century English antiquarians People educated at Charterhouse School Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People educated at Stamford School People from Stamford, Lincolnshire Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge