In 1715 Ralph Thoresby published the first history of Leeds. To celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of its publication the Thoresby Society decided to produce two volumes, A Celebration of Ralph Thoresby and Ralph Thoresby’s Review of his Life.

Volume One

A Celebration of Ralph Thoresby

This volume contains a series of articles about Ralph Thoresby himself. Some have previously been published but are ones which we felt many of our members may not have seen. Other articles have been newly commissioned.

‘The First Medievalist in Leeds: Ralph Thoresby, FRS, 1658-1725’ by G. C. F. Forster, first appeared in I. Wood and G. A. Loud’s, Church and Chronicle in the Middle Ages; Essays Presented to John Taylor. Elspeth’s Jajdelska’s article ‘Ralph Thoresby the Diarist: The Late Seventeenth-Century Pious Diary and its Demise’ was first published in The Seventeenth Century. Peter Brears has contributed two articles, ‘An Historical Reconstruction of Ralph Thoresby’s Home’ from The Historian and ‘Ralph Thoresby a Museum Visitor in Stuart England’ from the Journal of the History of Collections whilst Peter Morrish’s ‘Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725) of Leeds, Books and Libraries’ was originally in Library History.

New material has been written by Steven Burt who contributed ‘Ralph Thoresby and the Compilation of the Ducatus Leodiensis. Reflecting on the existing objects from Thoresby’s museum which are now on view at Burton Constable, David Connell has provided, Important pieces from Ralph Thoresby’s collection discovered at Burton Constable in East Yorkshire. Peter Meredith has written two articles, ‘From Grand Design to Scribbled Note: Ralph Thoresby’s presence in the Society’s Library’ and ‘Ralph Thoresby and “Cosen” Susy’. An Appendix complied by Peter Meredith and David Thornton contains lists of articles on Ralph Thoresby which have appeared in the Publications of the Thoresby Society over the years, a list of repositories where Thoresby material is lodged, and a list of references to Ralph Thoresby in the press.

ISBN   978 0 900741 76 0

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Ralph Thoresby and the Compilation of the Ducatus Leodiensis	S.Burt	5
The First Medievalist in Leeds: Ralph Thoresby FRS, 1658-1725	G.C.F.Forster	45
Ralph Thoresby the Diarist: The late 17th Century Pious Diary and its Demise	E.Jajdelska	67
An Historical Reconstruction of Ralph Thoresby's Home	P.Brears	93
Ralph Thoresby: a Museum Visitor in Stuart England	P.Brears	95
Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725) of Leeds, Books and Libraries	P.Morrish	117
Important Pieces from Ralph Thoresby's Collection discovered at Burton Constable in East Yorkshire	D.Connell	133
From Grand Design to Scribbled Note: Ralph Thoresby's presence in the Society's library	P.Meredith	151
Ralph Thoresby and 'Cosen' Susy	P.Meredith	183
APPENDIX	P.Meredith & D.Thornton
Articles on Ralph Thoresby in the Publications of the Thoresby Society		201
Archives - Local		204
Archives - National International		214
Portraits		214
References to Ralph Thoresby in the Press		215
Sundry		221

Errata :
‘From Grand Designs …’ article
p.153, l.14 for ‘Pews’ read ‘Pewes’ and delete ‘the’ at the end of the line
p.160, l.15 for ‘SD 3’ read ‘SD 9’
p.164, caption l.2 for ‘Box SD I’ read ‘Box SD XIV’
p.166, caption l.2 for 'Box SD’ read ‘Box SD I’
p.169, l.17 for ‘Box SD 2’ read ‘Box SD 9’