Philip Morant FSA (6 October 1700 – 25 November 1770) was an English clergyman, author and historian.[1] He is best known for his History and Antiquities of Colchester (1748) and his county history, The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex (1763–1768).
Philip Morant | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Print of Philip Morant held at Abingdon School | |
| Born | 6 October 1700 |
| Died | 25 November 1770 (aged 70) Battersea, London, England |
Education
editHe was educated at John Roysse's Free School in Abingdon (now Abingdon School)[2] and Pembroke College, Oxford,[3] eventually taking his master's degree at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1729.
Career
editOrdained in 1722, he began his association with the county of Essex with a curacy at Great Waltham near Chelmsford in 1722.[4] He was the Chaplain of the English Episcopal Church in Amsterdam from 1732 to 1734. In 1737 he became both the Rector of St Mary-at-the-Walls, Colchester as well as Rector of Aldham in Essex.[5] During his time in Colchester, Morant wrote The History and Antiquities of Colchester, published in 1748; and his county history, The History and Antiquities of the County of Essex, published in two volumes between 1763 and 1768. He also conducted a number of excavations of Roman sites in and around the town. He married Anne Stebbing in 1739 and they had a daughter, Anna Maria. In 1755, Philip Morant was elected to the Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
After the death of his wife, he moved to his son-in-law's house in Battersea and was employed in the House of Lords, although he retained the living of both his parishes. He died in 1770 and is buried at Aldham.[6]
Legacy
edit
There is a contemporary memorial to Morant and a window of 1855 in his memory in the new church at Aldham (the memorial was moved in 1854). There is also a wooden plaque at St Mary-at-the-Walls, Colchester, dated 1966.
His silhouette appears on the village sign at Aldham.
The Morant Club was formed in Colchester in 1909 to investigate local archaeology, but was dissolved in 1925.[7]
In 1965, The Norman Way Secondary School in Prettygate, Colchester was renamed Philip Morant School and College in his honour.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Griffey Clark, Benjamin. "Memorial of the parishes of Greensted-Budworth". Bearded Dwarf. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ Richardson, William H (1905). List of Some Distinguished Persons Educated at Abingdon School 1563-1855. Hughes Market Place (Abingdon). p. 10.
- ^ "Philip Morant (MRNT730P)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ Martin, G. H. (2006) [2004]. "Morant, Philip (1700–1770)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/19159. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Church History". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "The Right Reverend Philip Morant". Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Social and cultural institutions | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
External links
editGoodwin, Gordon (1894). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 38. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Genealogical information retrieved from the papers of Thomas Astle (1735-1803), Keeper of the records. Droet Morant or Drouet Mourant
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