| Authorised form of name | Thoresby; Ralph (1658 - 1725); antiquary and topographer |
| Dates | 1658 - 1725 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Date of birth | 16 August 1658 |
| Date of death | 16 October 1725 |
| Dates and places | Burial:
In the chancel of St Peter's, the parish church, Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Antiquary |
| Research field | Botany |
| Antiquities |
| Activity | Education:
Leeds Grammar School; in the household of his relative, John Dickenson, Merchant of London
Career:
Travelled to Rotterdam (1678); carried on the family business after the death of his father (1679); Member of the Incorporated Society of Merchant Adventurers trading to Hamburg (1684); a Nonconformist as a young man, he conformed to the Church of England (1699); retired from business (1705); assembled a 'Museum of Rarities' which, with his library, was sold at auction after the death of his son, Ralph |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 30/11/1697 |
| Age at election | 39 |
| Royal Society activity | Thoresby was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on the strength of an account of some Roman antiquities he had discovered in Yorkshire, communicated to the society by his correspondents Martin Lister and Dr Gale. Following his election, at least thirty of his communications to the society were published in the Philosophical Transactions. These deal with Roman and Saxon monuments in the north of England, with inscriptions on coins, or with accounts of uncommon accidents. Thoresby expanded his correspondence to include the prominent antiquarians and collectors within the Royal Society of the day, including Sir Hans Sloane. |
| Relationships | Parents: John Thoresby, Wool and Cloth Merchant, of Leeds and Ruth, daughter of Ralph Idle of Bulmer, Yorkshire
Spouse: Anna, daughter of Richard Sykes of Leeds
Children: 10 children |
| Published works | RCN R64902
RCN R66153
RCN R66150 |
| General context | Known for his work the Ducatus Leodiensis, or, The Topography of Leedes (1715).
There is a Thoresby Society in Leeds. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
References:
W H G Armytage, 'Sir Godfrey Copley, FRS (1653-1709). Some Tercentenary Glimpses through Letters to his Friends' in NR 1954-55 vol 11 pp 54-74
P Fontes da Costa, 'The Culture of Curiosity at The Royal Society in the first half of the eighteenth century', NR 2002 vo l56 pp 147-166 |
| Royal Society code | NA4383 |
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| RBO/11/9 | 'Some Amendments and Additions to the Account of things found underground in Lincolnshire in the Transactions of May and June Anno Domini 1702 no 279' by Ralph Thoresby | 1723 |
| RBO/7/49 | 'An Account of the Roman Pottery' by Ralph Thoresby sent to Martin Lister | nd |
| LBO/11B/79 | Copy of part of a letter from Ralph Thoresby, Leeds, to Martin Lister | 10 July 1697 |
| RBO/8/39 | 'An account of a Young Man Slain with Thunder and Lightning December 22 1698' from Ralph Thoresby to Martin Lister | 1698 |
| EL/T/64 | Extract of a letter, from Ralph Thoresby to John Chamberlayne, dated at Leeds | 5 February 1715 |
| EL/T/54 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to Thomas Gale, dated at Leeds | 6 November 1697 |
| EL/H3/88 | Letter, from Thomas Hearne to Ralph Thoresby, dated at Oxford | 3 January 1710 |
| EL/T/62 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to John Chamberlayne, dated at Leeds | 6 December 1712 |
| EL/T/55 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to Martin Lister | 22 December 1698 |
| EL/T/52 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to Martin Lister, dated at Leeds | 11 November 1696 |
| EL/T/58 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to John Evelyn, dated at Leeds | 24 June 1699 |
| EL/T/56 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to John Evelyn, dated at Leeds | 15 February 1699 |
| EL/T/60 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to Hans Sloane, dated at Leeds | 3 November 1711 |
| EL/T/53 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to Martin Lister, dated at Leeds | 30 October 1697 |
| EL/T/63 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to Hans Sloane, dated at Leeds | 25 February 1713 |
| EL/T/61 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to John Chamberlayne, dated at London | 22 August 1712 |
| CLP/16/29 | Figures, bases of columns for a Roman altar by Ralph Thoresby | [1694-1697] |
| EL/T/59 | Letter, from Ralph Thoresby to Abraham Hill, dated at Leeds | 29 June 1700 |