Thomas Levett
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Thomas Levett (1594 – ca. 1655), was an Oxford-educated
Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...
barrister, judge of the
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for the Northern Counties and
High Sheriff of Rutland This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Rutland. The high sheriff, sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown: there has been a Sheriff of Rutland since 1129. Formerly the sheriff was the principal law enf ...
. But Levett's chief accomplishment was as antiquarian, preserving a centuries-old chartulary kept by Cluniac monks at their
Pontefract Pontefract is a historic market town in the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district in West Yorkshire, England. It lies to the east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the ...
, Yorkshire abbey, and then turning it over to Yorkshire medieval scholar
Roger Dodsworth Roger Dodsworth (1585–1654) was an English antiquary. Life He was born at Newton Grange, Oswaldkirk, near Helmsley, Yorkshire, in the house of his maternal grandfather, Ralph Sandwith. He devoted himself early to antiquarian research, in whi ...
for publication.


Early life

Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of ...
was born in High Melton, Yorkshire, son of Thomas Levett. He was married to Margaret Lindley, daughter of John Lindley of
Leathley Leathley is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, the parish includes the townships of both Castley and Leathley. It is near the border with West Yorkshire and the River Wharfe, 1 mile north-east of Otley. The B6 ...
, Yorkshire. Through his marriage,
Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of ...
was related to Sir Guy Palmes, MP for Rutland from 1621–22 and
High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...
in 1622–23. (Palmes was eventually heavily fined by
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
and pardoned for his
Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
sympathies.) In spite of his familial relationship with Palmes, Levett apparently favoured the Parliamentary cause against the King. In June 1647 he contributed towards the Parliament's "Ordinance for the raising of Moneyes to be towards the maintenance of Forces within this Kingdome, under the Command of Sir
Thomas Fairfax Sir Thomas Fairfax (17 January 1612 – 12 November 1671) was an English army officer and politician who commanded the New Model Army from 1645 to 1650 during the English Civil War. Because of his dark hair, he was known as "Black Tom" to his l ...
Knight," as documents from Parliament put it, as well as "for the speedy transporting of, and paying the Forces for the carrying on the Warre of Ireland."


Antiquarian studies

Interested in antiquarian pursuits, Levett's lasting contribution was to the study of early Yorkshire history. Levett came into possession of the Chartulary of St. John of Pontefract Abbey, a collection of early documents of Yorkshire kept by the
Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...
abbey founded in 1090. The Chartulary was later published by the
Yorkshire Archaeological Society The Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society (YAHS), formerly known as the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, is a learned society and registered charity founded in 1863. It is dedicated to the study of the archaeology, history and people of ...
, a publication which allowed historians a rare glimpse into medieval Yorkshire. In 1626–27 Levett gave the document to the well-known Yorkshire historian
Roger Dodsworth Roger Dodsworth (1585–1654) was an English antiquary. Life He was born at Newton Grange, Oswaldkirk, near Helmsley, Yorkshire, in the house of his maternal grandfather, Ralph Sandwith. He devoted himself early to antiquarian research, in whi ...
, according to Dodsworth. As Joseph Hunter noted in his "Deanery of Doncaster," Dodsworth "was intimate with Levett of Tixover, who gave him a Chartulary of the Cluniacs of Pontefract." Within the Chartulary, Dodsworth wrote in his own handwriting to commemorate the fact that Levett had given him the manuscripts: "ex dono Tomae Levett de High Melton, in anno 1626–27." How Levett came into possession of the Chartulary is uncertain, but the Levetts of High Melton and Normanton had been prominent in Yorkshire for centuries and had once controlled
Roche Abbey Roche Abbey is a now-ruined abbey in the civil parish of Maltby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is in the valley of Maltby Dyke, known locally as Maltby Beck, and is administered by English Heritage. It is a scheduled monument and Gra ...
. In the ''Monasticon Anglicanum'' published by the antiquarian
Sir William Dugdale Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject. Life Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Colesh ...
in 1655 is the abstract of a deed from Roche Abbey which Levett gave to Dugdale. Dugdale's caption: "ex autographo penes Thomam Levet super de Tikesover in com. Rutland." As a descendant of the family who had controlled the Abbey at Roche centuries earlier, Thomas Levett had apparently inherited many early manuscripts associated with the Levetts of Yorkshire. Dodsworth noted that the Levetts of High Melton had come from Normanton, where they were lords of the manor of Newlands Estate, Normanton, and early members of the
Preceptory A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...
of the
Knights Hospitallers The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...
.


Private life

Thomas Levett's brother was John Levett, a well-known attorney at
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
. Both brothers were large landowners and active in property sales in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. The Cooke baronets bought much of their early estate from the Levett family, and the Copley baronets of Sprotborough also dealt extensively with the two brothers. Perhaps not surprisingly for two sibling barristers, the two Levetts often found themselves embroiled in lawsuits in connection with their property dealings. A third brother, Peter Levett, graduated BA and MA at
Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...
, and became the vicar of Cantley near
Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
. Katherine Levett, the daughter of Thomas Levett, married as her first husband Thomas Campbell, younger son of Sir Thomas Campbell,
Lord Mayor of the City of London Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
. Her second husband was John Boocher (or Booker) of London.The Visitation of London, 1633, 1634, and 1635: Anno Domino 1633, 1634, and 1635, Sir Henry St. George, Publications of the Harleian Society, London, 1880
/ref>


References


External links


Thomas Levett, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters, 1913Levett coat of arms, Sable a fesse embattled between three leopards heads erased Argent langued Gules (impaling the coat-of-arms of Barnby), St. James Church, High Melton, YorkshireLindley and Palmes, The Otley Brass, All Saints Church, Otley, YorkshireFamily of Levett of Normanton and High Melton, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Henry Fitz-Gilbert Waters, 1913
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levett, Thomas 1594 births People from the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster High sheriffs of Rutland English antiquarians Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn Year of death unknown