Samuel Gale (17 December 1682 – 10 January 1754) 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 ...

, and a founder of the

Society of Antiquaries of London 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 Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

Early life

Samiel Gale was born in the parish of St Faith's, London, on 17 December 1682, the youngest son of Thomas Gale,

Dean of York The Dean of York is the member of the clergy who is responsible for the running of the York Minster cathedral. As well as being the head of the cathedral church of the diocese and the metropolitical church of the province, the Dean of York holds ...

, and his wife Barbara, daughter of Roger Pepys, and brother of

Roger Gale Sir Roger James Gale (born 20 August 1943) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Herne Bay and Sandwich, previously North Thanet, since 1983. He had a career in journalism and broadcasti ...

. He was baptised on 20 December, his cousin

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

being one of his godfathers. He was educated at

St Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent day school (with limited boarding school, boarding) for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by Rive ...

, where his father was High Master, but did not attend university.

Career

Around 1702 Gale obtained a post in the

Custom House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

, London. At the time of his death, he was one of the land surveyors of the customs, and searcher of the books and curiosities imported into England. Gale was one of the founders of the revived Society of Antiquaries, and was elected its first treasurer in January 1718. He resigned the treasurership in 1740. He was also a member of the

Spalding Gentlemen's Society The Spalding Gentlemen's Society is a learned society based in Spalding, Lincolnshire, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, concerned with cultural, scientific and antiquarian subjects. It is Britain's oldest such provincial body, founded in 1710 by ...

, and of the Brazennose Literary Society at Stamford (founded 1745). Gale went on archaeological excursions through England. For many years he and his friend

Andrew Ducarel Andrew Coltée Ducarel (9 June 1713 – 29 May 1785) was a French-English antiquary, librarian, and archivist. He was also a lawyer practising civil law (a "civilian"), and a member of the College of Civilians. Early life and education Ducar ...

used to travel incognito in August, journeying about fifteen miles a day. They took up their quarters at an inn, exploring the country for three or four miles round. They had with them

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates la ...

's ''Britannia'' and a set of maps. In 1705 Gale visited

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 ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...

, and wrote descriptive accounts. On 29 August 1744 he made a pilgrimage with

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 ...

Croyland Abbey Crowland Abbey (historically often spelled Croyland Abbey; Latin: ) is a Church of England parish church, formerly part of a Benedictine abbey church, in Crowland in the English county of Lincolnshire. It is a Grade I listed building. History A ...

. On 16 May 1747 he visited

Cannons A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during t ...

, the mansion of the

Duke of Chandos The Dukedom of Chandos was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, named for a fief in Normandy. The Chandos peerage was first created as a barony by Edward III in 1337; its second creation in 1554 was due to the Brydges family's service to Mar ...

, and, lamenting its impending demolition, went into the chapel, and preached an appropriate sermon, while his two companions sang an anthem and psalms.

Death and personal life

Gale died of a fever on 10 January 1754 at his lodgings, the Chicken-house,

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

. He was buried by Stukeley on 14 January in the burial ground of St George's, Queen Square, London, near the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

. He was unmarried.

Legacy

A portrait of Gale was painted by his close friend,

Isaac Whood Isaac Whood (1689 – 24 February 1752) was an English painter, who was known for being a great imitator of the painting styles of Godfrey Kneller. Biography Born 1689, Whood practised for many years as a portrait-painter in Lincoln's Inn Fiel ...

. His collection of prints by

Wenceslaus Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as (). He is partic ...

Jacques Callot Jacques Callot (; – 1635) was a baroque printmaker and drawing, draftsman from the Duchy of Lorraine. He is an important person in the development of the old master print. He made more than 1,400 etchings that chronicled the life of his peri ...

, and others was sold by auction in 1754 by

Abraham Langford Abraham Langford (1711–1774) was an English auctioneer and playwright. Life He was born in the parish of St Paul, Covent Garden. As a young man he wrote for the stage, and was responsible, according to the '' Biographia Dramatica'', for an ...

. Most of his books were bought by Osborn.

Works

The only writings published by Gale in his lifetime were ''A History of Winchester Cathedral'' (1715; a work begun by

Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon, PC (2 June 163831 October 1709) was an English aristocrat and politician. He held high office at the beginning of the reign of his brother-in-law, King James II. Early life He was the eldest son of Edward Hyde ...

), and two papers – "Ulphus' Horn at York" and "Cæsar's passage over the Thames" – in '' Archaeologia'', vol. 1. He gave some material to

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

for his ''Eboracum'', and probably furnished Thomas Hearne with readings of John Leland's ''Itinerary''.

George Vertue George Vertue (1684 – 24 July 1756) was an English engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period. Life Vertue was born in 1684 in St Martin-in-the-Fields ...

's prints of the old chapel under

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

were designed under his patronage. After his death, Gale's unpublished manuscripts became the property of his only sister Elizabeth, and came into the hands of her husband, Stukeley; from whom they passed to Ducarel, and were then bought by

Richard Gough Charles Richard Gough (born 5 April 1962) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Gough played in the successful Dundee United team of the early 1980s, winning the Scottish league title in 1982–83 and reach ...

. John Nichols printed many of them in the ''Reliquiæ Galeanæ'' (1781, &c.), including the "Tour through several parts of England" in 1705 (revised by Gale, 1730); "A Dissertation on Celts"; "Account of some Antiquities at Glastonbury", 1711; and "Observations on Kingsbury, Middlesex", 1751.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, Samuel 1682 births 1754 deaths 18th-century English antiquarians Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London