Samuel Norris ca. 1673-1753

Samuel NORRIS ca.1673-1753

Biographical Note

Samuel Norris held the office of Auditor at Canterbury Cathedral. The Gentleman's Magazine records that he was 'one of the proctors of the ecclesiastical courts at Canterbury, auditor to the dean and chapter, and deputy register of the archdeacon's court'. He was also an advocate at Doctors' Commons in London. In about 1735 he prepared a catalogue of Canterbury Cathedral's medieval charters.

He made additions to David Wilkins's catalogue of the printed books in the Chapter Library at Canterbury and later produced a new catalogue of the Library in collaboration with the Revd Dr Robert Eyre which was printed in 1743.

Books

In 1708 and 1714 he subscribed to the two volumes of Jeremy Collier's Ecclesiastical History of Great Britain as ‘Mr. Samuel Norris, of Doctors' Commons’. There are two books with his inscription in Canterbury Cathedral Library. The Sion College collection at Lambeth Palace Library has a book with Norris's signature. His will does not mention books; the extent and disposition of his library is not known.

Sources

• David Shaw's Canterbury Cathedral Provenance site
• Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 22, p. 44.
• Sion College provenances