Michael Lort
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Michael Lort (1725–1790) was a Welsh clergyman, academic and antiquary.


Life

The descendant of a
Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
family living at Prickeston, he was eldest son of Roger Lort, major of the
Royal Welsh Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...
, who married Anne, only child of Edward Jenkins, vicar of
Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufac ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
. His father died at
Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...
, 11 May 1745, aged 51, from wounds received at the
battle of Fontenoy The Battle of Fontenoy took place on 11 May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession, near Tournai, then in the Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Maurice, comte de Saxe, Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Ar ...
; his mother died in 1767, aged 69, and in 1778 he erected a monument to their memory, now on the east wall of the chapel of St. Ann in Tenby Church. He entered
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 ...
, on 13 June 1743, when he was described as aged 18 and as coming from
Tenby Tenby () is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies within Carmarthen Bay. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, the 13th-century Tenby Town Walls, me ...
school. William Cole adds that he was at
Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...
. His degrees at Cambridge were, B.A. 1746, M.A. 1750, B.D. 1761, and D.D. 1780. He was incorporated at Oxford 7 July 1759. His college offices were: scholar 20 April 1744, sub-fellow 2 Oct. 1749, full fellow 4 July 1750, senior fellow 1768, sublector primus 1753, Latin reader 1754, lector primarius 1755, and Greek reader 1756. On graduating in 1746, Lort acted as librarian to
Richard Mead Richard Mead, FRSFRCP (11 August 1673 – 16 February 1754) was an English physician. His work, ''A Short Discourse concerning Pestilential Contagion, and the Method to be used to prevent it'' (1720), was of historic importance in advancing t ...
until 1754. His preferments were numerous, but for many years not very lucrative. From 1759 to 1771 he held the post of Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge, and in 1768 he applied for the professorship of modern history, when
Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, and classics, classical scholar at Cambridge University, being a fellow first of Peterhouse then of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College. He is widely ...
was given the chair. In 1761 he was appointed chaplain to
Richard Terrick Richard Terrick (baptised 20 July 1710 – 31 March 1777) was a Church of England clergyman who served as Bishop of Peterborough 1757–1764 and Bishop of London 1764–1777. Life Terrick was born in York, the eldest son of Samuel Terrick, rec ...
,
bishop of Peterborough The Bishop of Peterborough is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of Northamptonshire (including the Soke of Peterborough) and Rutland. The see is in ...
, and about that date he served the vicarage of
Bottisham Bottisham is a village and civil parish in the East Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, about east of Cambridge, halfway to Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,983, including Ch ...
, near Cambridge. From 1779 to 1783 he lived at
Lambeth Palace Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament of the United King ...
as domestic chaplain to Archbishop
Frederick Cornwallis Frederick Cornwallis (5 March 1713 – 19 March 1783) was a British clergy member who served as Archbishop of Canterbury after a career in the Church of England. He was born the seventh son of an aristocratic family. Early life and education C ...
. He was promoted to be librarian at Lambeth in 1785, and he is said to have been librarian to the
Duke of Devonshire Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has b ...
. In January 1771 he became rector of St. Matthew, Friday Street, London. On 11 April 1780 he was collated to the prebendal stall of Tottenhall in
St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
(which caused him to vacate his fellowship at Trinity College on Lady day 1781); he obtained in 1789 the rectory of St. Michael, Mile End, adjoining
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...
; and Bishop
Beilby Porteus Beilby Porteus (or Porteous; 8 May 1731 – 13 May 1809), successively Bishop of Chester and of Bishop of London, London, was a Church of England reform movement, reformer and a leading Abolitionism#Great Britain, abolitionist in England. He w ...
gave him in April 1789 the sinecure rectory of
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. Lort was elected
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a registered charity. It is based at Burlington House in Pi ...
in 1755, remaining a vice-president until 1788, and became
Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1766. While driving down North Hill, Colchester, in August 1790, Lort was thrown out of his carriage, and he died from the effects of the accident at 6
Savile Row Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
, London, 5 November 1790. He had married, in May 1783, Susannah Norfolk one of the two daughters of Alderman Norfolk of Cambridge. She died on 5 February 1792, aged 50, and was buried in the same vault with her husband in the church of Friday Street, a white marble tablet being placed on its north wall. On the demolition of the building the remains were removed in 1883 to the City of London cemetery at Ilford.


Works

He published little, but helped others. He printed a couple of sermons (1760 and 1770), edited in 1769 ''A Projecte conteyning the State of Governmente of the University of Cambridge, in the 43d year of the raigne of Queen Elizabeth'', in 1785 had ‘a copy of the Alexandrian New Testament printed off on fine vellum,’ and in 1790 published ''A Short Commentary on the Lord's Prayer'', from which
Granville Sharp Granville Sharp (10 November 1735 – 6 July 1813) was an English scholar, philanthropist and one of the first campaigners for the Abolitionism in the United Kingdom, abolition of the slave trade in Britain. Born in Durham, England, Durham, he ...
in 1806 took the observations on the last two petitions as an appendix to his own work on that subject. John Carter the architect obtained his ‘first insight and encouragement’ from him. Some of his manuscript lives were used by
Alexander Chalmers Alexander Chalmers (; 29 March 1759 – 29 December 1834) was a Scottish writer. He was born in Aberdeen. Trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for journalism, and was for some time editor of the ''Morning Herald''. Besides editions of the w ...
in his ''Biographical Dictionary''.
James Granger James Granger (1723–1776) was an English clergyman, biographer, and print collector. He is now known as the author of the ''Biographical History of England from Egbert the Great to the Revolution'' (1769). Granger was an early advocate of ani ...
obtained his aid in his portrait-dictionary, he assisted John Nichols in the ''
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 '' ...
'' and in other undertakings, and he contributed to ''Archæologia''. Letters to and from him and Cole, Thomas Percy, and
Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...
are in Nichols's ''Literary Anecdotes'', and ''Illustrations of Literary History'', and there are some letters and notes from him in Granger's ''Letters''. Lort's English verses from the ''Gratulatio Academiæ Cantabrigiensis'', 1748, on the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, are reprinted in Nichols's ''Collection of Poems'', and another English poem by him is in
Thomas Zouch Thomas Zouch (12 September 1737, Sandal Magna near Wakefield – 17 December 1815, Sandal Magna), was an English clergyman and antiquary, best known as a student of the works and life of Izaak Walton. Life Thomas Zouch, who claimed to be relate ...
's ''Works''. The Greek verses in four collections of the University of Cambridge (1760–63) which bear Lort's name are reprinted in Zouch's ''Works'' (by whom it appears that they were written). His notes on the authorship of the ''
Whole Duty of Man ''The Whole Duty of Man'' is an English 'Protestant' Christian devotional literature, devotional work, first published anonymously in 1658, with an introduction by Henry Hammond (1605–1660). Quasi-Arminianism, Arminian in message, it was both ...
'' are in Nichols's ''Literary Anecdotes'', and his vindication of
Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...
with respect to
Thomas Chatterton Thomas Chatterton (20 November 1752 – 24 August 1770) was an English poet whose precocious talents ended in suicide at age 17. He was an influence on Romantic artists of the period such as Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Alth ...
is in the ''Illustrations of Literary History''. His books were sold from 5 April to 14 May 1791, and produced £1,269, and his prints, which were disposed of on 26 May and six following days, fetched £401.


References

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Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Lort, Michael 1725 births 1790 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British sermon writers Anglican writers Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal Society People from Pembrokeshire 18th-century Welsh Anglican priests 18th-century Welsh antiquarians 18th-century Welsh poets 18th-century Welsh theologians 18th-century Welsh historians Regius Professors of Greek (Cambridge)