Thomas Madox 1666-1727

Thomas MADOX 1666-1727

Biographical Note

A historian and antiquary whose origins are obscure; he was admitted at the Middle Temple but not called to the bar, and served for some time as a clerk in the augmentations office. He became a skilled editor of medieval sources and published Formulare Anglicanum, a large collection of medieval charters, in 1702. He went on to publish his History and antiquities of the Exchequer in 1711, Firma burgi in 1723, and Baronia Anglica, issued posthumously in 1736. He became a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1708 and was appointed historiographer royal in 1714.

Books

In his will, Madox bequeathed all his goods and estate to his wife Catherine. His library was auctioned in London in 1728 and some of his manuscripts are now in the British Library.

Sources

• Will of Thomas Madox, the National Archives PROB 11/614/146.
• Alston, R. C., Inventory of sale catalogues ... 1676-1800, St Philip, 2010.
• A catalogue of the entire library of Thomas Madox, [London, 1728], ESTC t62509.
• Woolf, D. R. "Madox, Thomas (1666–1727), antiquary and historian." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Madox Collections, the British Library.