| Authorised form of name | Theobald; James (1688- 1759); merchant and natural historian |
| Dates | 1688- 1759 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | London, England |
| Date of birth | 1688 |
| Place of death | London, England |
| Date of death | 20 February 1759 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism: Lambeth, London, England (21 June 1688) |
| Occupation | Merchant and natural historian |
| Research field | Antiquarianism |
| Natural history |
| Activity | Career:
Served an apprenticeship with his father as barber-surgeon (1704-1712); began working in the timber trade (1721); Co-adjutor, of the Society of Antiquaries (1728-1735); Director of the Bank of England (1744-1755); Master of the Barber-Surgeons company and governor of the Merchant seaman's corporation (1750); involved with the newly formed Society of the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce, which became the Society of Arts (1753); became Vice President (1759).
Memberships:
FSA (1726) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 04/11/1725 |
| Proposer | Sir Hans Sloane |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
Council: 1728-1730; 1739-1741; 1743 |
| Relationships | Parents: Peter Theobald |
| OtherInfo | Was in correspondence with Sir Hans Sloane FRS 1685, sending him natural history specimens, which resulted in his nomination for a Fellowship of the Royal Society.
Became an involved and influental member of the Royal Society.
His extensive collection, comprising shells, fossils, pictures, specimens of penmanship, coins and medals in gold, silver and brass, was sold in June 1768, via auction in Coven Garden. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; Printed list; Romulus 1 & 2
References:
John H Appleby, 'James Theobald, FRS (1688-1759), Merchant and Natural Historian' in NR 1996 vol 50 pp 179-189
Gentleman's Magazine 1759, p94 (obituary) |
| Code | NA539 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| L&P/1/65b/1 | Letters, 'On the comet of 1741' from Thomas Wright to James Theobald | 11 March 1742 |
| L&P/1/440 | Paper, 'An appendix to Dr C Mortimer's paper on cattle distempers' by James Theobald and others | 1745 |
| L&P/1/247 | Paper, 'An account of the gold horn found in Jutland in 1734' by James Theobald | 1743 |
| L&P/1/65b | Letters and illustrations, 'On the comet of 1741' from Thomas Wright to James Theobald | 11 March 1742 |
| L&P/2/127 | Letter, 'On inscriptions found at Tunis' from James Theobald to Martin Folkes | 10 May 1750 |
| L&P/2/243 | Letter, 'Of ginsem among the Iroquois' from Thomas Hutchinson to J[ames] Theobald | 20 September 1751 |
| L&P/3/315 | Paper, 'Of the effects of lightning at Shottesbrok, 20 July 1757' by James Theobald | 1758 |
| L&P/3/244 | Letter, 'Of one of the carved wooden images found hidden in a cavern in Jamaica and shown to the Royal Society on May 5' from James Theobald to George Parker | 8 May 1757 |
| EL/K/31 | Extract of a letter, from Peter Kinck to James Theobald, dated at Eneback | 24 May 1728 |
| EL/A/63 | Extract of a letter, from John Allen to James Theobald, dated at Bridgewater, Somerset | 15 May 1736 |
| EL/K/32 | Extract of a letter, from Peter Kinck to James Theobald, dated at Eneback in Norway | 9 June 1728 |
| EL/K/30 | Letter, from Peter Kinck to James Theobald, dated at Eneback | 1727 |
| RBO/14/5 | Extract of a Letter from Peter Kinck to James Theobald | 1728 |
| RBO/14/6 | Extract of a letter from Peter Kinck to James Theobald | 1728 |