John Rivers 1579-1651
Sir John RIVERS, 1st baronet 1579-1651
Biographical Note
Son of Sir George Rivers of Chafford, Kent. Matriculated at St Mary Hall, Oxford 1596, but did not graduate; admitted at the Inner Temple, 1600. He was created a baronet in 1621 and inherited his father's estates in 1630.
Books
Numerous books with Rivers's armorial stamp survive, now widely dispersed. It has been suggested that examples of Italian books may reflect his having travelled in Europe as part of his education. The extent and disposition of his library is not known; the fact that a number of his books were acquired by John Moore (and are now in Cambridge University Library) suggests that it began to be dispersed within a few deacdes of Rivers's death. Examples: British Library 520.f.15; Cambridge University Library O.7.35, L.7.22, N.1.25; Durham University Library Bamburgh H.V.40; Maggs Bros catalogues 1075 (1987)/19, 1121 (1990)/14, 1324 (2002)/83.
Characteristic Markings
Rivers's books are typically bound in calfskin with the gilt armorial stamp on the covers, but are not otherwise inscribed or annotated by him.
Sources
- British Armorial Bindings.
- Foster, J., Alumni Oxonienses, Oxford, 1891.
- Rivers baronets, Wikipedia.