Robert Talbot

was very much esteemed in his time, and after, for his singular knowledge in the antiquities of England, and for his care in preserving and collecting antient Books and Monuments decayed by time. His cronie John Leland is full (b)(b) In [〈…〉] & [〈…〉] Angl.—Lond. 1589. p. 75. & alibi. of his praises; and not a little are Joh. (c)(c) In lib. Descript cent. 9. nu 49. Baleus, Joh. (d)(d) In lib. 2. Antiq. Cant. Cajus, Abr. (e)(e) In Synon. G [••] gr. in Sessoriac [•] m. Ortelius, Camden and others; the last of which stiles (f)(f) In Br [•] an. in l [••] nis. See also in [〈◊〉] Lambards Perambu [•] ation of Kent, in [〈◊〉] , and elsewhere. him Vir antiquitatis bene peritus, & in hac Angliae parte (meaning in the Iceni, i. e. Norfolk, Suffolk, &c.) versatissimus. He the said Talbot was born at Thorpe in Northamptonshire, but whether at Thorpe Mandevil or Thorpe Longa. I know not, and seems to be of the same Family with the Talbots of Grafton. He was educated in Grammaticals in Wykeham’s School near to Winchester, in Logicals and Philosophicals in New Coll. of which he became Fellow (after he had served two Years of probation) an. 1523. and left it 5 Years after, being then only Bach. of Arts, supplicated for the Degree of Master 1529, but not admitted, as I can find in the Register of that time. However, that he was written Master and Doctor afterwards, it doth manifestly appear in various writings, so that I presume he took those Degrees elsewhere. On the 23. Jun. 1541 he was admitted to a Prebendship in the Church of Wells, called Wedmer secunda, and on the 9. Apr. 1. Ed. 6. Dom. 1547. the Dean and Chapter of Norwych did by their Letters Pat. confer a Prebendship, or office of Treasurer of their Church on him, void by the death of one Will. Herydans. On the 27. Aug. 5. and 6. of Phil. and Mary, Dom. 1558. he gave to John Harpesfeild Dean, and to the said Chapter of the Cath. of Norwych three Acres of Land in Lakenham, and soon after died, as I shall tell you afterwards. But that which is chiefly to be noted is, that during his abode at Norwych, he wrot a Book thus intit.

Roberti Talboti Annotationes in eam partem Itinerarii Antonini quae ad Britanniam pertinent. The beginning of which is, Itinera hic sunt in Britanniâ numero xv. &c. It endeth at the word Luguvallo, at the end of the fifth Itinerary, and goeth no farther. Which Book the learned Camden in his Britannia, and Will. Burton in his Commentary on Antoninus his Itinerary, and others, did much use. It is not Printed, but remains in MS. in obscure places: And for ought I know there are but three Copies of it in being, viz. one in the Library of Bennet Coll. in Cambridge, another in that of Sir Joh. Cotton at Westminster (which, if I mistake not, did sometimes belong to Mr. Tho. Allen of Glouc. Hall, got out of his hands by Rich. James of C. C. C. for the said Library) and a third in Bodlyes Vatican. Our Author Talbot hath also written a Book called,

Aurum ex stercore, vel de Aenigmaticis & propheticis. MS collected from old Books of verses and rimes, that have been long since lost. The beginning of which is, Certe non est rarum, &c. In this Book are verses called Magistrates, every one of which was worth an ordinary Groat. Mr. Allen before mention’d, had a Copy of, valued, it much and would often repeat verses thence at times of refection, but where that Copy is now, I know not. Sure I am, that one written in qu. in the archives of C. C. C. bound with the observations from humanity Authors made by John Twyne, was given thereunto by Brian his Grandson. Our Author Talbot hath also made choice Collections

De Chartis quibusdam Regum Britannorum. MS. in the Library of Bennet Coll. in Cambridge. What else he hath written I know not, nor any thing more of him, only that he took his last farewell of this World a little after the 27. 1558 Aug. in Fifteen hundred fifty and eight, and was buried in the Cathedral Church there, as I have been instructed from the researches of Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Hump. Prideaux Prebendary of that Church, made from several Registers and Charters belonging thereunto. By Rob. Talbot’s (g)(g) In Offic. praerog. Cant. in reg. Lostes Qu. 6. Will dated 20. Aug. 1558, which is almost three Months before Qu. Mary died, he left the best and rerest of his MSS. to New Coll. in Oxon. Which MSS. did then lye at Thorpe and Cranesley; and maintenance also for an Anniversary to be kept at Thorpe for himself, Father, Mother, his Brother John, and for his Unkle Sir Rich. Whitryns. Which Anniversary was to be performed for the present by Sir Christopher his Priest at Thorpe before-mention’d. But this last, I presume, was never performed. The Reader is to know, now I am got into the name of Talbot, that after Rob. Talbots time lived one Tho. Talbot commonly called Limping Talbot, from a lameness in one of his legs, Son of John Talbot of Salebury in Lancashire Esq; (who died 30. Aug. 1551.) which Thomas heing promoted to the Clerkship of the Records in the Tower of London, did at length, by the help of a good memory, become a most excellent Genealogist, and a Man of singular skill in our antiquities. Camden in his Britannia (h)(h) In fine cap. intit. Law courts of England. doth acknowledg his help in the succession of the Earls of each County since the Norman conquest, and Tho. Abingdon the sometimes Antiquary of Worcestershire, in his MS. History of the Bishops of Worcester saith thus of him,—But these first (meaning the first Bishops of Worcester) I had out of the Collections of an excellent Antiquary Mr. Thomas Talbot, who gathered the same out of a Leiger of the Priory of Worcester, which I think is now perished. He left choice Collections behind him, some of which coming into the hands of Sir Rob. Cotton, he put them into his (i)(i) Sub Effig. Vespasia [•] D. 21. Library as choice Monuments, and being bound in one Volume in fol are thus intit. by a (k)(k) Sir Will. Dugdale, late hand. Analecta quamplurima diversi generis, viz. ex quibusdam chronicis, cartis, aliisque autenticis registris. Epitaphia, Gencalogiae & alia ad rem historicam spectantia, besides several Collections of Antiquities in Yorkshire. I have seen also in the Sheldonian (l)(l) Col. MS. nu 72 & 222. Library, now reposed in the Heralds Office, divers of his Collections, viz. among them is a thin fol. intit. Escaetorum inquisitiones de tempore Reg. Ed. 4. &c. Now whether this Tho. Talbot, who was living, an. 1580, and for ought that I know, was living ten Years after, was of kin to Robert before-mentioned, I know not, nor can I safely believe that he is the same Thomas Talbot, who was admitted Bach. of Arts of Oxon. in July 1533. I find another Tho. Talbot to have been born in the said County of Lancaster, and entred into the Society of Jesus an. 1598. aged 26. who, after he had wrot several Books, died in 1652, but this Person was not, as I can yet learn, originally bred among us.