Thomas Dunham Whitaker (1759–1821) was an English clergyman and topographer.
Life
Born at
Raynham, Norfolk, on 8 June 1759, he was the son of William Whitaker (1730–1782), curate of Raynham,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...
, and his wife Lucy, daughter of Robert Dunham, and widow of Ambrose Allen. In 1760 his father moved to his ancestral house at
Holme, in the township of
Cliviger,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
, and the boy was in November 1766 placed under the care of the Rev. John Shaw of
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. In November 1774, after spending a short time with the Rev. William Sheepshanks of
Grassington
Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharfedale, ...
in
Craven
Craven may refer to:
* Craven in the Domesday Book, an area of Yorkshire, England, larger area than the district
** Craven District, a local government district of North Yorkshire formed in 1974
Places
* Craven, New South Wales, Australia, see ...
, he was admitted to
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. Th ...
, and went into residence in October 1775. He took the degree of LL.B. in November 1781. His intention to enter the legal profession changed on the death of his father in the following year, when he settled at Holme.
He was ordained in 1785, but remained without pastoral charge until 1797, when he was licensed to the
perpetual curacy
Perpetual curate was a class of resident parish priest or incumbent curate within the United Church of England and Ireland (name of the combined Anglican churches of England and Ireland from 1800 to 1871). The term is found in common use mainly d ...
of
Holme Chapel, where he had rebuilt the chapel at his own cost in 1788. He completed his degree of LL.D. in 1801. In 1809 he became vicar of the extensive parish of
Whalley, Lancashire. The rectory of
Heysham, near
Lancaster, was presented to him in January 1813. He resigned it in 1819. On 7 November 1818 he became vicar of
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and nort ...
, a benefice he retained, together with Whalley, until his death.
When settled at Holme he instituted a local literary club. He had influence with the people of his parishes, and on several occasions exerted it to quell disturbances, particularly at
Blackburn
Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and nort ...
in 1817. For his 'patriotic services' he was presented with a public testimonial in April 1821. He was also very interested in topography and forestry, writing books on the subjects. In 1818 he was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematic ...
as "a Gentleman well versed in various Branches of Natural Knowledge being desirous of becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society"
He died at Blackburn vicarage on 18 December 1821, and was interred at Holme. He married, 13 January 1783, Lucy, daughter of Thomas Thoresby of Leeds, and left several children, of whom one, Robert Nowell Whitaker, also became vicar of Whalley. A monument raised by public subscription was placed in the
Church of St Mary and All Saints, Whalley
The Church of St Mary and All Saints is an Anglican church in the village of Whalley, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn. A church probably existed on the site in Anglo-Saxon times and the current bu ...
in 1842. His library was sold at
Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
in 1823, and his coins and antiquities, with the exception of his Roman altars and inscriptions, which he bequeathed to St John's College, Cambridge, were dispersed in 1824.
Works
His published works were:
* ''History of the Original Parish of Whalley and Honour of Clitheroe, in the Counties of Lancaster and York'', 1801; 2nd edition 1806, 3rd edition 1818; 4th edition (enlarged by
John Gough Nichols and Ponsonby A. Lyons), 1872-6, 2 volumes This work used manuscripts of
Thomas Lister Parker
Thomas Lister Parker (27 September 1779 – 2 March 1858) was an English antiquary, landowner, Trumpeter to the Queen and Honorary Bowbearer of the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire.
Life
Born at Browsholme Hall, Yorkshire (now in Lancashir ...
.
* ''History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven'', 1805, 2nd edition 1812; 3rd edition (by Alfred William Morant) 1878.
* ''De Motu per Britanniam Civico annis 1745 et 1746'', 1809, an account in Latin based on
John Home
Rev John Home FRSE (13 September 1722 – 4 September 1808) was a Scottish minister, soldier and author. His play '' Douglas'' was a standard Scottish school text until the Second World War, but his work is now largely neglected. In 1783 he wa ...
's 'History of the Rebellion of 1745.'
* ''Life and Original Correspondence of Sir George Radcliffe, Knt., LL.D., the Friend of the Earl of Strafford'', 1810. Concerns
George Radcliffe.
* ''The Sermons of Dr. Edwin Sandys, formerly Archbishop of York, with a Life of the Author'', 1812.
* ''
Visio Will'i de Petro Plouhman ... or the Vision of William concerning Piers Plouhman'', 1813.
* ''Pierce the Ploughman's Crede, edited from the edition of 1553'', 1814.
* ''Loidis and Elmete, or an Attempt to illustrate . . . the Lower Portions of Airedale and Wharfdale'', 1816. An appendix was published in 1821.
* ''The History of Richmondshire, in the North Riding of Yorkshire'', 1823, in 2 volumes. It has thirty-two plates, after
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...
.
Whitaker re-edited
Ralph Thoresby
Ralph Thoresby (16 August 1658 – 16 October 1725) was an antiquarian, who was born in Leeds and is widely credited with being the first historian of that city. Besides being a merchant, he was a nonconformist, fellow of the Royal Society, d ...
's ''Ducatus Leodiensis'' (2nd edition, with notes and additions, 1816). He also planned, but did not finish, several other works. He published ten occasional sermons and a political speech, and wrote dozens of articles for the ''
Quarterly Review
The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967. It was referred to as ''The London Quarterly Review'', as reprinted by Leonard Scott, f ...
'' between 1809 and 1818.
References
*
Turner and Dr. Whitaker Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museums, Burnley, 1982.
Notes
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Thomas Dunham
1759 births
1821 deaths
People from Raynham, Norfolk
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
18th-century English Anglican priests
19th-century English Anglican priests
English antiquarians
Fellows of the Royal Society
Historians of Yorkshire