John Aubrey: My Own Life (70 page)

JA dines with, 233

JA deposits notes with, 254, 292

makes list of books on magic in Boevey’s library, 269

Evelyn goes to see library and collection of, 277

loses some collections in fire, 279

donates collections to Oxford University, 282

and building of Ashmolean Museum, xi, 7, 282

takes lease on Tradescant house and garden, 283

JA works on manuscripts with, 323–4

Dr Plot dedicates treatise to, 339

and Wood’s failure to hand over JA’s papers to museum, 356, 362

offers advice to JA about his papers, 362

illness, 362

in Bath, 376

has concerns about pictures in museum, 384

death, 387

JA visits grave of, 388

blamed by Hearne for distracting JA into astrology, 425

brief references, 8, 209, 247, 248, 369, 401, 411 413, 420

Ashmole, Elizabeth, 376

Ashmolean Museum

Ashmole’s role in foundation of, 7, 282

Dr Plot suggested as first Keeper of, 282

foundation stone laid, 282

opens to the publice, 7, 329

Ashmole’s collection sent to, 329

description of, 347–8

JA’s donations and deposits, 7, 10, 355–6, 362, 377, 379, 384, 404, 407, 408–9, 411, 417, 421, 428

Lhwyd takes over as Keeper of, 378

robbery at, 383

inscription over entrance, 388

JA intends to dedicate his collection of correspondence to, 393

successful preservation of JA’s collections at, 431

brief references, 366, 425, 426

Aspeden Hall, 399

Astrop, 380, 415

Athelstan, King, 54, 167, 219, 370

Atkins, Sir Edward, 305

Aubrey (
née
Lyte), Deborah (JA’s mother)

gives birth to JA, 17

tells JA about Bacon’s visits to Sir John Danvers, 31

gives birth to William, 55

gives birth to Thomas, 65

sees portent, 72

anxious about her husband, 75

breaks her arm, 83

hinders JA’s plans to travel abroad, 3, 118

husband leaves money for, 195

sick with fever, 251, 252

reaches age of seventy, 288

falls ill, and requires cure for sore eyes, 322

reaches age of seventy three, 328

and gift of berries from Holy Thorn, 339

JA plans to move her back to Broad Chalke, 344

death, 349

brief references, x, 20, 66

Aubrey, Hopkin (JA’s ancestor), 303

Aubrey, Joane, 262, 303

Aubrey, John

achievement as England’s collector, 1–10

as a subject for biography, 10–13

1634–1641
:

birth, 17

childhood, 17–35

comments on his family, 17–18, 21, 25–6

house at Easton Pierse, 18

observations in childhood, 18, 19

interested in people’s stories and memories, 18–19, 22

learns to read, 19–20

at school in church at Yatton Keynell, 20

and manuscripts, 20

attends Mr Latimer’s school, 20–1, 22–3

falls from horse, 21, 34

illness, 21–2

childhood encounter with Hobbes, 22–3

and witches, 23

childhood visits to Stonehenge, 23–4

death of his teacher, 24

loves music, 24

sees Sir Philip Sidney’s funeral procession on moving screen, 24–5

early love of drawing, 25

interested in ancient stones at Stanton Drew, 26

at Broad Chalke, 26, 30

childhood impressions of Wilton House, 26–30

education at Blandford School, 31–2

visits glass painter’s workshop, 32

comments on Raleigh, 32–3

meets a German man, 33–4

and problems between King and Parliament, 34–5

1642–1643
:

as student at Trinity College, Oxford, 39–46

love of books, 39–40

goes to village celebrations in Woodstock, 42

and events of Civil War, 43, 45, 46, 48–9, 50–1, 51–2, 53, 54, 55

visits Rosamund’s Bower, 43–4

and Trinity College chapel, 45

visits Abingdon, 45

returns from Oxford to Broad Chalke, 46

makes frequent visits to Salisbury, 46

and Captain Thomas Stumpe, 46–7

interested in Potter’s ideas about numbers, 47–8

meets and becomes friend of Edward Davenant, 48

returns to Oxford, 48

interested in Osney Abbey, 49, 52

describes his appearance, 50

watches the King dine, 50

comments on the wives of courtiers, 50–1

sees Harvey in Oxford, 51, 52

commissions a drawing of Osney Abbey, 52

falls ill with smallpox, 53

entertained by his friend Radford, 53

comments on smallpox, 54

and his kinsman Major Morgan, 55

and birth of his brother William, 55

1643–1649
:

returns home from Oxford, 59

and death of Kettell, 59

visits grotto at Enstone, 60–1

and events of Civil War, 61–4, 68, 69, 71

receives news of Oxford from William Browne, 61–2, 64, 65–6, 72

goes to see ruins of Wardour Castle, 63

and collapse of steeple at Calne church, 64

comments on churches, 65

and birth of his brother Thomas, 65

and his father’s refusal to let him return to Oxford, 66

and his father’s obligation to hand money to Parliamentarian committee, 66

visits Herefordshire, 66

on the practice of watering meadows, 67

admitted to Middle Temple, 67

dislikes behaviour of the King’s party in London, 68

hopes to make acquaintance of Harvey, 69

returns to Trinity College, 69

and the Parliamentary Visitation to Trinity, 69

visits ruins of Eynsham Abbey, 70

interested in Petty’s anatomical experiments, 70

and his friends’ visit to John Hales, 70

visits William Stumpe, 70–1

continues his studies at Middle Temple, 71

believes his mother saw a portent, 72

returns to Broad Chalke, 72

hears from his friends at Oxford, 72–3

and Parliamentarian Visit to Oxford University, 73–4

and fire at Wilton, 74

observations on Wiltshire, 74–5, 77

and his father’s illness, 75

goes hunting with friends, 75

sees Avebury for the first time, 75

meets Francis Potter, 76–7

and trial and execution of the King, 77–8

1649–1659
:

at Broad Chalke, 81

hopes to follow progress of experimental philosophy club in Oxford, 81

on the strange wind at Hullavington, 81–2

attends baptism of his godson, 82

and national events during the Commonwealth period, 82, 100, 104, 106, 114, 115, 117, 118–19

correspondence with Lydall, 83, 87, 88, 90–1, 97, 99, 108

and books, 83, 88, 89, 91–2, 97, 100, 101, 103, 108, 109, 110, 114

and his mother’s accident, 83

pays suit to Jane Codrington, 83

and hunting, 83–4

visits Verulam House, 84–6

visits Gorhambery, 86–7

and the case of Nan Green, 87–8

helps Potter in his experiment to move blood between chickens, 88

and Potter’s visit to Broad Chalke, 88–9

describes house of Sir John Danvers, 89

discussions with Potter, 89–90

in love with Mary Wiseman, 90, 102, 112

and marriage of Ettrick, 91

sees beheading of Christopher Love, 91

interested in ideas of Hobbes, 91–2, 103

meets Harvey, 92

meets Harrington, 92–3

visits Hobbes, 93

on opening of first coffee house, 93

on the practice of drinking coffee, 93–4

on Petty’s appointment as surveyor of Ireland, 94

on death of Cavendish, 94

and his father’s death, 94–5

letters from Potter, 95, 99, 102, 109–10

and John Denham, 95

finds lodgings in Fleet Street, 95

visits Hartlib, 95–6

visits Eynsham Abbey again, 96

and his inheritance from his father, 97, 98

visits Oxford, 97

receives letter from Hartlib, 97

wants to go to Italy, 97, 98

hears from Ettrick about a witch trial, 98–9

observes round stones in Wiltshire, 100

on religion in Wiltshire, 100

and finds of Roman remains, 100, 101

stays with his cousin in Llantrithyd, 101

visits Roman baths in Caerleon, 101

hears from Hartlib, 101

intends to go on Grand Tour, and drafts a will, 102

attends Selden’s funeral, 103

visits John Hales at Eton, 104

and death of John Danvers and Ned Wood, 105

and ideas about Stonehenge, 105

becomes well-acquainted with Avebury, 105

conversation with Harvey, 106

breaks a rib in a fall, 107

becomes interested in mineral waters, 107, 109

and imprisonment of his friend Nicholas Tufton, 107

visits Sherborne House, 107–8

sees Katherine Ryves as a possible wife, 108

obtains trees for Easton Pierse, 108

visits Sir James Long, 108–9

goes to see a loom, 110

begins to collect natural remarks for Wiltshire, 110

draws Verulam House, 110–11

portrait commissioned by Charles Seymour, 111

on the opening of a second coffee house, 111

lawsuit over properties in Wales, 111

invited to stay with Rumsey, 111–12

observations in Wales, 112

begins to pay suit to Katherine Ryves, 112

suffers from venereal disease, 113

attends Harvey’s funeral, 113

and death of Lydall, 113

and death of Katherine Ryves, 113–14

hears Oliver Cromwell’s remark, 114

interested in work of William Burton, 114

and death of his grandfather, 115

becomes involved in project to survey antiquities of Wiltshire, 115–16

becomes churchwarden at Broad Chalke, 116

visits Ely, 116

visits Hobbes’s birthplace, 116–17

and Hobbes’s horoscope, 117

intends to go to Italy, 117

urged to join Tyndale abroad, 118

forbidden to travel abroad by his mother, 118

sells manor of Stretford, 118

takes lessons with Mercator, 118

shares lodgings with Mariett, and sees correspondence with Prince Charles, 118–19

attends Rota Club meetings, 119–20

1660–1664
:

and national events, 123–4, 125, 126–7, 128, 129, 131, 136

and last meeting of Rota Club, 125

and books, 125, 130, 131–2, 135, 136, 141

borrows money from Captain Stumpe, 125

and his turquoise ring, 125, 128, 129, 130

advises Hobbes to return to London, 127

pleased at meeting between Hobbes and the King, 128

and proposal for Royal Society, 129

and death of his grandmother, 130

visits Old Sarum, 130

Hoskyns writes to, 130–1, 131–2, 135–6

and Hollar’s move to new lodgings, 131

visits Ireland, 132–3

returns to Wiltshire, 133

letters from Tyndale, 133, 136

pleased with portrait of Hobbes that he commissioned, 133

assessment of his life so far, 133

Hollar engraves one of his drawings of Osney Abbey, 133–5

and Harrington’s imprisonment, 135

and death of Hartlib, 135

elected and admitted to Royal Society, 137

and meetings of Royal Society, 137–8, 138–9, 140, 144, 145–6

concerned about breaking of stones at Avebury, 138

observation at Dundery Hill, 139–40

continues his observations on water, 140, 141

requested by Royal Society to investigate possibility of digging at Avebury, 140

finds location for free school Hobbes intends to establish, and finds him a house in London, 140

and discussions of Charleton and Brouncker with the King about Avebury, 141

disagrees with Charleton’s views about Stonehenge, 141

meets the King, 142

shows Avebury to the King, 142

climbs Silbury Hill with the King, 142

commanded to write description of Avebury, 143

wishes he could have visited Cassiano del Pozzo, 145

lovesick, 145

elected to Royal Society’s Georgical Committee, 145

Tufton’s kindness as patron to, 146

1664–1671
:

visits France, 149–50

encourages Hobbes to write about law, 151

and books, 151, 154, 159, 170, 171, 185

Ent finds servant for, 151

makes a survey of Avebury, 151–4

further thoughts about Charleton’s ideas on Stonehenge, 154

returns to Stanton Drew to see stone monument, 155

and Devil’s Coytes, 155

visits Bushell in Lambeth, 155

sees Glastonbury Thorn, 156

damages testicle, 156

observes a nubecula, 156

has opportunity to buy paintings by Dobson, 157

and national events, 157, 161, 166

visits Lord Rochester in prison, 157

and plague, 157, 158, 159

Hollar engraves portrait of Hobbes lent by, 158

and astrology, 158, 183, 187

hopes to marry Joan Sumner, 158

discovers qualities of water at Seend, 158–9, 166

and story recounted by Joan Sumner, 159

transcribes Pell’s
Idea of Mathematics
, 159

continues observations of his turquoise ring, 159

takes out licence for marriage to Joan Sumner, 160

portrait drawn by Faithorne, 160

lets Boyle borrow his turquoise ring for observation, 160

Joan Sumner turns against, 160–1

and Fire of London, 161

and meetings of Royal Society, 161–2, 163–4, 166, 168–9, 170–1, 176

on coffins and bodies, 162–3

chosen to serve on committee to audit Royal Society accounts, 163

turquoise ring broken, 164

presentation of report as examiner of accounts, 164

on Lady Denham and John Denham, 165

letter from Edward Davenant, 165

on the London ruins after the Fire, 165