John Trussell (c. 1575 – 1648) was an English historical writer.

Life

The elder of the two sons of Henry Trussell by his wife Sarah Kettlewood, he was baptised in London in 1575); his family's background was at Billesley,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

. He was in business in

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, and took part in municipal politics. He became alderman of the city, and served as mayor in 1624 and again in 1633.

Works

In 1636 Trussell published ''A Continuation of the Collection of the History of England'', extending the history of

Samuel Daniel Samuel Daniel (1562–1619) was an English poet, playwright and historian in the late-Elizabethan and early- Jacobean eras. He was an innovator in a wide range of literary genres. His best-known works are the sonnet cycle ''Delia'', the epic ...

to fill the gap from Edward III to Henry VII. Unlike typical chroniclers, he gave little space to ceremonies, wonders and floods. Working on the history of Winchester, Trussell completed in 1642 a manuscript ''Touchstone of Tradition, whereby the certaintie of occurrences in this kingdom and elsewhere, before characters or letters were invented, is found out''. The work consists of five books, the second of which is dedicated to

Walter Curll Walter Curle (or Curll; 1575 – 1647) was an English bishop, a close supporter of William Laud. Born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, he was educated at St Albans School and at Christ's College, Cambridge (matriculated c. 1592), transferring ...

bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' the offic ...

, and the fourth to

Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, KG ( ; 10 March 1607 – 16 May 1667), styled Lord Wriothesley before 1624, was an English statesman, a staunch supporter of King Charles II who after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 ...

; it contains lists of the notables of Winchester, and accounts of local occurrences and antiquities. but it was largely used in ''A Description of Winchester'' (1750) and the ''History and Antiquities of Winchester'' (1773). The manuscript was among those in the library of

Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet (26 April 1704 – 1758), of Mostyn, Flintshire, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1734 and 1758. Early life Mostyn was the eldest son of Sir Roger Mostyn, 3rd Baro ...

by 1744, and was purchased by Winchester city council in 1974. Trussell also contributed, with

Michael Drayton Michael Drayton ( – ) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era, continuing to write through the reign of James I and into the reign of Charles I. Many of his works consisted of historical poetry. He was also the fir ...

and others, to the ''Annalia Dubrensia'' (1636) edited by Robert Dover.

Family

Trussell married Elizabeth Collis, widow of Gratian Patten, and left three daughters.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Trussell, John 1570s births 1648 deaths Businesspeople from Winchester English antiquarians Writers from Winchester Mayors of Winchester 17th-century mayors