Alfred John Dunkin
Encyclopedia
Alfred John Dunkin was a Scottish antiquary and historian
.
by his wife Anne, daughter of William Chapman
, civil engineer, was born at Islington, London, on 9 August 1812.
He received his education at the Military College, Vendôme.
In 1831, he entered his father's printing and stationery business at Bromley, Kent, removed with him in 1837 to a new establishment at Dartford, and a little later took charge of a branch business at Gravesend.
Some years after his father's death, in December 1846, he opened a London branch at 140 Queen Victoria Street
.
Dunkin belonged to numerous archæological societies, English and foreign. As an original member of the British Archæological Association, he edited and printed the report of the first general meeting, held at Canterbury in September 1844 (one hundred and fifty copies, octavo, London, Gravesend, printed in 1845), and that of the special general meeting of 5 March 1845 (one hundred and fifty copies, octavo, London, Gravesend, printed in 1845). Again, in 1851 he saw through the press the report of the fifth general meeting, held at Worcester in August 1848.
He also edited The Archæological Mine, a collection of Antiquarian Nuggets relating to the County of Kent … including the Laws of Kent during the Saxon epoch, vols. 1–3, octavo, London, 1855 [53–63].
In the belief that he was the original editor, he printed (octavo, Noviomago, 1856) twenty-five copies of the works of Radulphus, abbot of Coggeshall, to which he appended an English translation.
An imperfect copy of this unlucky undertaking, with some severe remarks by Sir F. Madden, is in the British Museum
.
While travelling in the severe winter of 1878–9, he was seized with bronchitis at Newbury, Berkshire, but managed to get up to London to the house of an old nurse at 110 Stamford Street
, Blackfriars Road
.
There he died after a few days' illness, 30 January 1879.
He was buried in Dartford cemetery, 4 February.
He was never married.
.
On failure of such conditions the collections are to be presented to the trustees of the British Museum; and that the family monuments at Dartford and Bromley may be maintained and renewed when necessary, he left to the lord mayor, the vicars of Dartford
and Bromley, and the principal librarian of the British Museum
freehold estates at Stone
, Erith
, and Bromley
; ten guineas annually to be spent in a visitation dinner to examine the tombs and memorials (Printing Times and Lithographer, 15 April 1879, page 89).
The lighter essays which he contributed to periodicals, and of which he afterwards reprinted a few copies, are simply inane.
The following is probably an incomplete list:
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Life
He was the only son of John DunkinJohn Dunkin
-Life:He was the son of John Dunkin of Bicester, Oxfordshire, by his wife, Elizabeth, widow of John Telford, and daughter of Thomas and Johanna Timms, was born at Bicester on 16 May 1782....
by his wife Anne, daughter of William Chapman
William Chapman
George William Albert Chapman, né George William Alphred , was a Canadian poet.Chapman was born at Saint-François-de-Beauce, Quebec , and was educated at Levis College. He studied law, afterward engaged in commercial pursuits, and later entered the civil service of the Province of Quebec...
, civil engineer, was born at Islington, London, on 9 August 1812.
He received his education at the Military College, Vendôme.
In 1831, he entered his father's printing and stationery business at Bromley, Kent, removed with him in 1837 to a new establishment at Dartford, and a little later took charge of a branch business at Gravesend.
Some years after his father's death, in December 1846, he opened a London branch at 140 Queen Victoria Street
Queen Victoria Street
Queen Victoria Street may refer to one of the following:*Queen Victoria Street, Fremantle*Queen Victoria Street, Hong Kong*Queen Victoria Street, Leeds*Queen Victoria Street, London*Queen Victoria Street, Reading...
.
Dunkin belonged to numerous archæological societies, English and foreign. As an original member of the British Archæological Association, he edited and printed the report of the first general meeting, held at Canterbury in September 1844 (one hundred and fifty copies, octavo, London, Gravesend, printed in 1845), and that of the special general meeting of 5 March 1845 (one hundred and fifty copies, octavo, London, Gravesend, printed in 1845). Again, in 1851 he saw through the press the report of the fifth general meeting, held at Worcester in August 1848.
He also edited The Archæological Mine, a collection of Antiquarian Nuggets relating to the County of Kent … including the Laws of Kent during the Saxon epoch, vols. 1–3, octavo, London, 1855 [53–63].
In the belief that he was the original editor, he printed (octavo, Noviomago, 1856) twenty-five copies of the works of Radulphus, abbot of Coggeshall, to which he appended an English translation.
An imperfect copy of this unlucky undertaking, with some severe remarks by Sir F. Madden, is in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
While travelling in the severe winter of 1878–9, he was seized with bronchitis at Newbury, Berkshire, but managed to get up to London to the house of an old nurse at 110 Stamford Street
Stamford Street
Stamford Street is a street in Lambeth and Southwark, London England, just south of the River Thames. It runs between Waterloo Road to the west and Blackfriars Road to the east. At the western end, in the middle of a large roundabout, is the British Film Institute London IMAX Cinema...
, Blackfriars Road
Blackfriars Road
Blackfriars Road is a road in Southwark, SE1. It runs between St George's Circus at the southern end and Blackfriars Bridge over the River Thames at the northern end, leading to the City of London. Halfway up on the west side is Southwark tube station, on the corner with The Cut...
.
There he died after a few days' illness, 30 January 1879.
He was buried in Dartford cemetery, 4 February.
He was never married.
Legacy
By his will he directed that after the death of his sister and residuary legatee, Miss Ellen Elizabeth Dunkin, his library and collections are to go, under certain conditions, to the Guildhall LibraryGuildhall Library
The Guildhall Library is administered by the Corporation of London, the government of the City of London, which is the historical heart of London, England. It was founded in the 1420s under the terms of the will of Lord Mayor Dick Whittington...
.
On failure of such conditions the collections are to be presented to the trustees of the British Museum; and that the family monuments at Dartford and Bromley may be maintained and renewed when necessary, he left to the lord mayor, the vicars of Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
and Bromley, and the principal librarian of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
freehold estates at Stone
STONe
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Sin-Ichi Hiromoto. Kodansha released the two bound volumes of the manga on April 23, 2002 and August 23, 2002, respectively.The manga is licensed for an English-languague released in North America be Tokyopop...
, Erith
Erith
Erith is a district of southeast London on the River Thames. Erith's town centre has undergone a series of modernisations since 1961.-Pre-medieval:...
, and Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
; ten guineas annually to be spent in a visitation dinner to examine the tombs and memorials (Printing Times and Lithographer, 15 April 1879, page 89).
Works
Dunkin had an honest love for antiquities, but his writings contain little that is valuable.The lighter essays which he contributed to periodicals, and of which he afterwards reprinted a few copies, are simply inane.
The following is probably an incomplete list:
- 1. Nundinæ Cantianæ. Some Account of the Chantry of Milton-next-Gravesend, in which is introduced a notice of Robert Pocock, the history of Dartford Market and Fair, together with remarks on the appointment of Grammar School Feoffees generally, duodecimo, Dover, 1842 (twelve copies printed).
- 2. Legendæ Cantianæ. William de Eynsford, the excommunicate; a Kentish legend, octavo, London, 1842 (twenty-five copies printed).
- 3. Nundinæ Floraliæ. Fugitive Papers. May Day, May Games, &c., octavo, Dover, 1843 (twelve copies printed).
- 4. Nundinæ Literariæ. Fugitive Papers. Christmas Eve, Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, Harvest-Time, and the Morris Dancers, duodecimo, Dover, 1843 (twelve copies printed).
- 5. The Reign of Lockrin: a poem. Remarks upon modern poetry. Second edition with additions. The History of Lockrin, &c., octavo, London, Dartford (printed, 1845).
- 6. Memoranda of Springhead and its neighbourhood during the primeval period (without author's name), octavo, London, 1848 (one hundred copies privately printed).
- 7. History of the County of Kent, 3 vols. octavo, London, 1856–58–55 [–77].