Britton, John, 1771-1857 (antiquary and topographer)
Biography
John Britton (1771-1857), antiquary and topographer, was born on 7 July 1771 at Kington St Michael, near Chippenham, Wiltshire. It was in a Clerkenwell bookshop in 1789 that he first met Edward Wedlake Brayley and from this encounter stemmed a topographical partnership lasting sixty-five years; its first fruits were The Beauties of Wiltshire (2 vols., 1801). Britton was the first to attempt a complete survey of English cathedrals since Browne Willis (1727-42). During the last twelve years of his life Britton published little apart from his rambling two-volume Autobiography (1850, 1857); this included an exhaustive list of works compiled by his secretary T. E. Jones. John Britton died of bronchitis at his home, 17 Burton Street, St Pancras, London, on 2 January 1857.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
Collections of John Britton (1771-1857) for 'A Memoir of the Public Life and Private Character of Margaret, Countess of Richmond and Derby, mother of King Henry the Seventh, with incidental remarks on the Literature, Arts, Manners, &c., of her Age and Times; also, some account of Portraits of the Countess, and of the beautiful monument erected to her memory in Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster', Nineteenth century
A portion of this memoir is written out fairly for the press. There are letters from various persons on the subject, and transcripts of letters to and from the Countess, with facsimiles of autographs.
John Britton: Letter to Edward Blore and account, 1822
Artificial collection of single item or small collection accessions. Mainly correspondence but includes other papers.
John Dunkin: Letter to John Britton, 1837
Artificial collection of single item or small collection accessions. Mainly correspondence but includes other papers.