Joseph Thornton (28 September 1808 – 2 June 1891) was a

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The foundi ...

who founded Thornton's Bookshop in 1835 in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England, the oldest university bookshop in the city. Joseph Thornton was born in

Billericay Billericay ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Basildon in Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, east of the City of London. The town was founded in the 13th century by the Stratford Langthorne Abbey, Abbot of West Ham, ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

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 John Thornton (1776–1841) and Mary (nee Mabbs, 1777–1852). Thornton's first bookshop was in

Magdalen Street Magdalen Street is a short shopping street in central Oxford, England, just north of the original north gate in the city walls. Traditionally, the name of the street is pronounced and not as the name of the Magdalen College, Oxford, Magdale ...

, and opened in 1835. He then moved to 51

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

in 1840. He moved back to Magdalen Street in 1853 and to 10 Broad Street in 1863. In 1870, he moved to 11 Broad Street, where the shop remained as a family firm for many years, finally closing in 2002, at the time Oxford's oldest bookshop. Joseph Thornton died in Oxford and is buried there in

St Sepulchre's Cemetery __NOTOC__ St Sepulchre's Cemetery is a historic cemetery located on Walton Street, Oxford, Walton Street, Jericho, Oxford, Jericho, central Oxford, England. The cemetery was opened in 1848 as a cemetery for the Oxford parishes of St Giles, St ...

, with his second wife and daughter. His son John Henry Thornton (1845–1924) is buried in the same cemetery with his wife and sister-in-law. His other son was James Thornton 1848 – 1894, publisher in High street. After James' death the 2 firms merged. Thornton's Bookshop was a family concern for several generations after Joseph Thornton's death.

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Thorton's: Joseph Thornton
(photograph) 1808 births 1891 deaths People from Billericay Businesspeople from Oxford English booksellers 19th-century English businesspeople Burials at St Sepulchre's Cemetery {{UK-business-bio-1800s-stub