William Camden

William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.

Early years[link]

Camden was born in London. His father, Sampson Camden, was a member of The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. He attended Christ's Hospital and St Paul's School, and in 1566 entered Oxford (Magdalen College, Broadgates Hall, and finally Christ Church). At Christ Church, he became acquainted with Philip Sidney, who encouraged Camden's antiquarian interests. He returned to London in 1571 without a degree. In 1575, he became Usher of Westminster School, a position that gave him the freedom to travel and pursue his antiquarian researches during school vacations.

[edit] Britannia

In 1577, with the encouragement of Abraham Ortelius, Camden began his great work Britannia, a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland. His stated intention was "to restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britaine to its antiquity." The first edition was published in 1586. The work, which was written in Latin, was very popular, going into seven editions by 1607, each considerably enlarged from its predecessor. The 1607 edition included for the first time a full set of English county maps, based on the surveys of Christopher Saxton and John Norden, and engraved by William Kip and William Hole (who also engraved the fine title page). The first English language edition, again expanded, translated by Philemon Holland (probably in collaboration with Camden), appeared in 1610.

Britannia is a county-by-county description of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a work of chorography: a study that relates landscape, geography, antiquarianism, and history. Rather than write a history, Camden wanted to describe in detail the Great Britain of the present, and to show how the traces of the past could be discerned in the existing landscape. By this method, he produced the first coherent picture of Roman Britain.

Camden as Clarenceux King of Arms in the funeral procession of Elizabeth I, 1603.

He continued to collect materials and to revise and expand Britannia throughout his life. He drew on the published and unpublished work of John Leland and William Lambarde, among others, and received the assistance of a large network of correspondents with similar interests. He also travelled throughout Great Britain to view documents, sites, and artefacts for himself: he is known to have visited East Anglia in 1578, Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1582, Devon in 1589, Wales in 1590, Salisbury, Wells and Oxford in 1596, and Carlisle and Hadrian's Wall in 1599.^[1] His fieldwork and firsthand research set new standards for the time. He even learned Welsh and Old English for the task. (Camden's tutor in Old English was Laurence Nowell.) The resulting work is one of the great achievements of sixteenth century scholarship.

In 1593, Camden became Headmaster of Westminster School. He held the post for four years, but left when he was appointed Clarenceux King of Arms. By this time, he was a well-known and revered figure, and the appointment was meant to free him from the labour of teaching and to facilitate his research. The College of Arms at that time was not only a centre of genealogical and heraldic study, but a centre of antiquarian study as well. The appointment, however, roused the jealousy of the herald Ralph Brooke, who, in retaliation, published an attack on Britannia, charging Camden with inaccuracy and plagiarism. Camden successfully defended himself against the charges in subsequent editions of the work.

[edit] Annales

Frontispiece from a 1675 edition of the Annales

In 1597, Lord Burghley suggested that Camden write a history of Queen Elizabeth's reign. The degree of Burghley's influence on the work is unclear, though; Camden only specifically mentions Sir John Fortescue, Elizabeth's last Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Henry Cuffe, the Earl of Essex's secretary, as sources.^[2] Camden began his work in 1607. The first part of the Annales Rerum Gestarum Angliae et Hiberniae Regnate Elizabetha, covering the reign up to 1597, appeared in 1615. The second part was completed in 1617, but was not published until 1625 (Leiden), and 1627 (London), following Camden's death. The first translation into English appeared in 1625.^[3]

The Annales were not written in a continuous narrative, but in the style of earlier annals, giving the events of each year in a separate entry. Sometimes criticised as being too favourably disposed towards Elizabeth and James I, the Annales are one of the great works of English historiography and had a great impact on the later image of the Elizabethan age. Hugh Trevor-Roper said about them: "It is thanks to Camden that we ascribe to Queen Elizabeth a consistent policy of via media rather than an inconsequent series of unresolved conflicts and paralysed indecisions."^[3]

Final years[link]

Camden (by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, 1609)

In 1609, Camden moved to Chislehurst in Kent. Though often in ill health, he continued to work diligently. In 1622, he founded an endowed lectureship in History at Oxford - the first in the world - which continues to this day as the Camden Chair in Ancient History. That same year, he was struck with paralysis. He died in Chislehurst on 9 November 1623, and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

Camden left his library to his closest friend, Sir Robert Bruce Cotton. His circle of friends and acquaintances included Lord Burghley, Fulke Greville, Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, John Stow, John Dee, Jacques de Thou and Ben Jonson, who was Camden's student at Westminster and who dedicated an early edition of Every Man in His Humour to him.

Among Camden's other works are a Greek grammar, which remained a standard school textbook for many years; Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine (1605), a more popular English-language companion to Britannia, comprising a collection of themed historical essays; the official account of the trial of the Gunpowder Plotters; and a catalogue of the epitaphs at Westminster Abbey.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: William Camden

• Camden Society

Notes[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Adams, Simon (2002): Leicester and the Court: Essays in Elizabethan Politics Manchester UP ISBN 0-7190-5325-0
• Boon, G.C. (1987). "Camden and the Britannia". Archaeologia Cambrensis 136: 1–19. 
• Collinson, Patrick (1998). "One of us? William Camden and the making of history". Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 6th ser. 8: 139–63. 
• Copley, Gordon J. (1977): "Introduction" in Camden's Britannia: Surrey and Sussex. London: Hutchinson & Co.
• DeMolen, R.L. (1984). "The Library of William Camden". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 128: 326–409. 
• Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911 ed., s.v. "Camden, William"
• Hepple, Leslie W. (1999). "Sir Robert Cotton, Camden’s Britannia, and the early history of Roman Wall studies". Archaeologia Aeliana. 5th ser. 27: 1–19. 
• Herendeen, Wyman H. (2007). William Camden: a life in context. Woodbridge. 
• Jones, H. Stuart (1943): "The Foundation and History of the Camden Chair", Oxoniensa, viii, ix p. 175. Available online.
• Kenyon, John (1983): The History Men: The Historical Profession in England since the Renaissance Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 0-297-78254-1
• Kunst, Christiane (1995). "William Camden’s Britannia: history and historiography", in M.H. Crawford and C.R. Ligota (eds), Ancient History and the Antiquarian: essays in memory of Arnaldo Momigliano, Warburg Institute Colloquia 2: London, pp. 117-31
• Levy, F.J. (1964). "The Making of Camden’s Britannia". Bibliothèque d’humanisme et Renaissance 26: 70–97. 
• Levy, F.J. (1967). Tudor Historical Thought. San Marino: Huntington Library. 
• Parry, Graham (1995). The Trophies of Time: English antiquarians of the seventeenth century. Oxford. 
• Piggott, Stuart (1976). Ruins in a Landscape: essays in antiquarianism. Edinburgh. , pp. 33-53, "William Camden and the Britannia"
• Richardson, R.C. (2004). "William Camden and the Re-Discovery of England". Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society 78: 108–23.  Available online.
• Rockett, William (1995). "The Structural Plan of Camden’s Britannia". Sixteenth Century Journal 26: 829–41. 
• Trevor-Roper, H.R. (1971). Queen Elizabeth's First Historian: William Camden and the beginnings of English "civil history". London. 
• Withers, Charles W. J. "A Vision of Scotland: Joan Blaeu and the Atlas novus".
• Woolf, D.R. (1990). The Idea of History in Early Stuart England. Toronto. 

External links[link]

• Jokinen, Anniina (2001): "William Camden."
• Britannia (1607) with English translation by Philemon Holland.
• The full text of Holland's translation of Britannia, on A Vision of Britain through Time, with links to places mentioned—use the site's main home page to search for places mentioned by Camden)
• Annales (1615 and 1625) with introduction and English translation.
• Thomas Smith's Life of Camden (1691) in Latin and English.
• Archival material relating to William Camden listed at the UK National Register of Archives

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Joe Flynn (UK actor). (Discuss) Proposed since March 2011.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit
Johnny Flynn by Steve Gullick, 2010
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Folk rock, folk[1]
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Transgressive Records (UK) Lost Highway Records (USA)
Associated acts	Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling, Mumford and Sons
Website	johnnyflynnmusic.co.uk
Members
Johnny Flynn The Sussex Wit: David Beauchamp Adam Beach Joe Zeitlin Lillie Flynn James Mathe Matt Edmonds

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit are an English folk rock band signed to Transgressive Records. They are fronted by Johnny Flynn (also known as Joe Flynn), an actor, poet and songwriter who cites W.B. Yeats and Shakespeare among his influences. He is a member of the 'Propeller' theatre troupe, and has acted in several plays including Twelfth Night and Richard Bean's play The Heretic at the Royal Court Theatre (2011).^[2] Johnny Flynn has most recently taken on the role of Lee in Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth’s hit play.^[3]

The group's second album Been Listening was released through Transgressive Records on 7 June 2010, and was accompanied with worldwide touring. The record followed the debut album, A Larum released in the summer of 2008, and the Sweet William EP, which was released in the winter of 2009.

Critical acclaim[link]

Flynn was chosen as one of Fricke's Picks in Rolling Stone magazine, in August, 2008. Critic David Fricke called his debut A Larum, "marvellous" and "buoyant." He has also been called "the next poster boy of the nu-folk scene",^[4] by The Times. "Kentucky Pill" was the 30 March 'Hottest Record in the World' on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show.^[5]

Albums[link]

• A Larum (2008)
• Been Listening (2010)

Singles and EPs[link]

• Ode to a Mare Trod Ditch (2007)
• "The Box" (2007)
• The Epic Tale of Tom and Sue (2007)
• Hong Kong Cemetry EP (2008)
• Napster Session [Digital-only release] (2008)
• "Brown Trout Blues" (2008)
• "Leftovers" (2008)
• "Tickle Me Pink" (2008)
• "Fee Fie Foe Fum" [Split 7" with Laura Marling] (2008)
• [Untitled 10" Vinyl] (2008)
• Sweet William EP (2009)
• "Kentucky Pill" (2010)
• "Barnacled Warship" (2010)
• "The Water" (2010)

Compilation album appearances[link]

• NME Presents: Independent Thinking - Transgressive Records (2006) - "Tickle Me Pink (Demo)"
• The Mules present "Pick Your Own" (2007) - "Hello Hello"
• NME Presents: Love Music Hate Racism (2007) - "Cold Bread (Engine Room Demo)"
• MOJO Presents: The White Album Recovered (2007) - "Rocky Racoon (The Beatles Cover)"
• Communion (2010) - "In the Honour of Industry"
• "Cider Smiles - Volume III", Hide and Seek Records (2010) "Drum"

Other[link]

In July 2009, Flynn featured in the music video for Australian singer Lisa Mitchell's single "Coin Laundry" from the album Wonder. A live performance of "Been Listening" featured on the DVD included with the special edition of Laura Marling's album, I Speak Because I Can. Flynn completed filming Lotus Eaters in London.

Flynn appeared in an episode of Black Cab Sessions. His wife Bea,^[6] whom he has known since he was a teenager, gave birth to their first child in March 2011. They were married in August 2011. Flynn has also scored Brian Crano's latest movie A Bag of Hammers.^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Interview with Fact Magazine Fact Magazine
• Interview on NPR's All Things Considered August 23, 2008
• [1] Rolling Stone
• [2] The Times
• [3] NME review
• New Album: Been Listening | Folk Radio UK
• The Independent: Feb 2009
• Sneak Peak [sic] Review of "Been Listening" | Folk Radio UK
• Johnny Flynn featuring Laura Marling - 'The Water' single review | SouthSonic
• Guardian.co.uk

William Dennis (4 March 1856 – 11 July 1920) was an Independent Conservative member of the Senate of Canada. He was born in Cornwall, UK and became an editor, journalist and publisher.

Biography[link]

The son of John Dennis and Mary Parnall, he was self-educated and came to Canada in 1873, settling in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dennis married Agnes Miller in 1873. He was a reporter for the Halifax Herald from 1875 to 1881, a news editor from 1883 to 1900, and became editor in chief and president in 1890. From 1881 to 1883, he was an editor for the Winnipeg Sun. Dennis also served on the Halifax town council.^[1]

He was appointed to the Senate for the Halifax, Nova Scotia division on 20 November 1912 following nomination by Prime Minister Robert Borden. Dennis remained a Senator until his death on 11 July 1920.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Johnson, J.K. (1968). The Canadian Directory of Parliament 1867-1967. Public Archives of Canada. 

External links[link]

• William Dennis - Parliament of Canada biography