Biography

Matthew Holbeche Bloxam (1805-88), antiquary, was born on 12 May 1805 in a boarding-house at the corner of Lawrence Sheriff Street and Sheep Street, Rugby, opposite Rugby School, where his father was an assistant master. In 1827 he travelled to London to be admitted to practice in the courts of law and equity. During his subsequent long career as a solicitor in Rugby, Bloxam held several local offices: he was clerk of the Rugby petty sessions from 1831 to 1871, sometimes officiated as deputy registrar of the county court, was a member of the local board from 1855 to 1863, and audited the Rugby Union accounts from 1836 until the appointment of district auditors. His first book, The Principles of Gothic Architecture, was published in 1829. In 1834 A glimpse at the monumental architecture and sculpture of Great Britain, from the earliest period to the eighteenth century was published. A member of the Oxford Architectural Society, and honorary member of the Ecclesiological Society, Bloxam was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1863, and belonged to many regional associations.

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