Edward Chamberlayne 1616-1703

Edward CHAMBERLAYNE 1616-1703

Biographical Note

Born at Oddington, Gloucestershire, son of Thomas Chamberlayne. BA St Edmund Hall, Oxford 1638, MA 1641, DCL 1672. He travelled extensively in Europe during the 1640s and 50s, returning to London at the Restoration, where he became secretary to Charles Howard, Earl of Carlisle, and later tutor to Henry Fitzroy, one of Charles II's children. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1668. He is best known for his overview of national affairs, Angliae notitiae, or, the present state of England, which first appeared in 1669 and went through many updated editions thereafter, but he also published various other historical works.

Books

Chamberlayne's library was sold, together with that of his son, in London, 11.3.1724; 33 manuscripts were purchased by Harley. He reputedly had some of his books buried with him, encased in wax.

Characteristic Markings

None of Chamberlayne's books have been identified.

Sources

• Alston, R. C. Inventory of sale catalogues 1676-1800. St Philip, 2010.
• Gair, Reavley.'"Chamberlayne, Edward (1616–1703), writer."' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Wright, C. E. Fontes Harleianae. London, 1972.