Thomas Walford
Encyclopedia
Thomas Walford was an English antiquary.
Walford, born on 14 Sept. 1752, was the only son of Thomas Walford (d. 1756) of Whitley, near Birdbrook
in Essex, by his wife, Elizabeth Spurgeon (d. 1789) of Linton in Cambridgeshire.
He was an officer in the Essex militia in 1777, and was appointed deputy lieutenant of the county in 1778. In March 1797 he was nominated captain in the provisional cavalry, and in May following was gazetted major.
In February 1788 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
, in October 1797 a fellow of the Linnean Society, in 1814 a member of the Geological Society, and in 1825 a fellow. In 1818 he published The Scientific Tourist through England, Wales, and Scotland (London, 2 vols. 12mo). In this work he noticed "the principal objects of antiquity, art, science, and the picturesque" in Great Britain, under the heads of the several counties. In an introductory essay he dealt with the study of antiquities and the elements of statistics, geology, mineralogy, and botany. The work is too comprehensive to be exhaustive, and its value varies with Walford's personal knowledge of the places he describes.
Walford died at Whitley
on 6 Aug. 1833. He published several papers in antiquarian periodicals (e.g. Archæologia, xiv. 24, xvi. 145–50; Vetusta Monumenta
, iii. pt. 39; Linnean Soc. Trans. lix. 156), and left several manuscripts, including a history of Birdbrook in Essex and another of Clare in Sussex.
Walford, born on 14 Sept. 1752, was the only son of Thomas Walford (d. 1756) of Whitley, near Birdbrook
Birdbrook
Birdbrook is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. It is located approximately southeast of Haverhill, Suffolk and is 34km north from the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the district of Braintree and in the parliamentary constituency of Saffron Walden. The parish is part...
in Essex, by his wife, Elizabeth Spurgeon (d. 1789) of Linton in Cambridgeshire.
He was an officer in the Essex militia in 1777, and was appointed deputy lieutenant of the county in 1778. In March 1797 he was nominated captain in the provisional cavalry, and in May following was gazetted major.
In February 1788 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, in October 1797 a fellow of the Linnean Society, in 1814 a member of the Geological Society, and in 1825 a fellow. In 1818 he published The Scientific Tourist through England, Wales, and Scotland (London, 2 vols. 12mo). In this work he noticed "the principal objects of antiquity, art, science, and the picturesque" in Great Britain, under the heads of the several counties. In an introductory essay he dealt with the study of antiquities and the elements of statistics, geology, mineralogy, and botany. The work is too comprehensive to be exhaustive, and its value varies with Walford's personal knowledge of the places he describes.
Walford died at Whitley
Whitley
-Places:United Kingdom*Whitley Bay, town in Tyne and Wear *Whitley, Berkshire, suburb of Reading*Whitley, Cheshire, village near Warrington*Whitley, Coventry, suburb of Coventry...
on 6 Aug. 1833. He published several papers in antiquarian periodicals (e.g. Archæologia, xiv. 24, xvi. 145–50; Vetusta Monumenta
Vetusta Monumenta
Vetusta Monumenta is the title of a published series of illustrated antiquarian papers on ancient buildings, sites, and artefacts, mostly those of Britain, published at irregular intervals between 1718 and 1906 by the Society of Antiquaries of London...
, iii. pt. 39; Linnean Soc. Trans. lix. 156), and left several manuscripts, including a history of Birdbrook in Essex and another of Clare in Sussex.