John Conant 1654-1723

John CONANT 1654-1723

Biographical Note

Son of John Conant and Elizabeth Reynolds. BA Trinity College, Oxford 1673. Elected fellow of Merton College, Oxford 1676. LLD 1683. Member of Gray's Inn and advocate at Doctor's Commons. Wrote a biography of his father which was published in 1823. He left London when his health failed and was living in Kidlington, Oxfordshire when he died.

Books

In his will Conant bequeathed books to a number of his beneficiaries. To his nephews Benjamin King of Northampton and John King of Gloucester "ten pounds a piece in Books out of my study such as the shall choose... to my cousin John Travell the value of ten pounds in Books out of my study... John my Godson the same of fifty pounds and also three hundred pounds in books out of my study such as may be thought proper for him being designed for the ministry". What was (presumably) left of Conant's library after these bequests was sold by retail sale in London from 10 May 1726, alongside those of George Grimbalston. The sale was advertised in the Daily Courant and the Daily Post.

Sources

• Will of Doctor John Conant, Doctor of Laws of Kidlington , Oxfordshire, The National Archives PROB 11/593/118.
• Alston, R. C., Inventory of sale catalogues ... 1676-1800, St Philip, 2010.
• Librorum ex bibliothecis Joannis Conant LL.D. et Gulielmi Grimbaldson ... Or, a catalogue of the libraries of the eminently learned and ingenious John Conant, ... and William Grimbaldson, [London, 1726] ESTC T62846.
• Hunt, William. "Conant, John (1608–1694)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.