Alexander Gordon (antiquary)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Gordon was a Scottish antiquary
and singer. His survey of Roman sites, the Itinerarium, was considered an essential reference by all Roman antiquaries of his time.
with Sir George Byng
(afterwards Viscount Torrington) "they sav'd the fine amphitheatre there, the 3rd in the world, which the Germans were going to pull down to repair the fortifications, by speaking to the governor & viceroy at Naples." He studied music in Italy, and when in London he occasionally sang in opera, and among his countrymen was known as "Singing Sandie." At one time he appears to have been an itinerant teacher of music, more especially while collecting the materials for his Itinerarium, some time before 1720.
In 1720 Stukeley, in his Account of a Roman Temple [Arthur's Oon] and other antiquities near Graham's Dike in Scotland, expressed his wonder that no Scotsman had hitherto investigated the Roman antiquities of the country. "This," says Gordon, "was sufficient excitement for me to proceed still more vigorously in collecting what I had begun." During three successive years he visited different parts of Scotland
and Northumberland
, exploring, drawing, and measuring ancient remains, at much cost and
some hardship. Liberal patrons, however, were not wanting, such as the Duke of Queensberry
, to whom the work was subsequently dedicated, the Earl of Pembroke
, the Earl of Findlater, the Earl of Hertford, and Viscount Bateman
, whose cabinet of curiosities
he was often enabled to enrich during his travels at home and abroad, Edward Chandler
, then bishop of Lichfield
, and Duncan Forbes of Culloden, at that time lord advocate. His great patron was Sir John Clerk of Penicuik
, Edinburghshire. He was a frequent guest at Old Penicuik
House, where he had access to a splendid museum of antiquities, and was accompanied by Clerk in his Northumbria
n explorations, as well as in others nearer home. The work, which had been largely subscribed for, appeared as Itinerarium Septentrionale; or, a Journey thro' most of the Counties of Scotland, and those in the North of England. . . . Part 1. Containing an Account of all the Monuments of Roman Antiquity. . . . Part 2. An Account of the Danish Invasions on Scotland . . . With sixty-six copperplates [and an appendix]. In this laborious work Gordon proved himself an honest, painstaking antiquary. Though his theories have long since been exploded, he has preserved records of earthworks, inscriptions, and relics of various kinds, of which but for him all knowledge would have been lost. The appendix derived its chief
value from a learned correspondence concerning ancient sepulchral rites in Britain between Sir John Clerk and Roger Gale
which Gordon here made public, greatly to their annoyance. He apologises for the inelegant illustrations of his Itinerarium. On page 188 of the Itinerarium Gordon announced his intention of issuing in a few days proposals for engraving by subscription A Compleat View of the Roman Walls in Britain. It is much to be regretted that for want of the necessary funds this survey, with drawings of all the inscriptions and altars discovered, should not have appeared.
between the Firth of Clyde
and the Firth of Forth
. The scheme, however, was not new to the government, who considered that the profits would not answer the charge. Gordon's circumstances, always narrow, were not improved by the prosecution of projects which never repaid him. According to John Whiston, the London bookseller, he was for some time in partnership with John Wilcox, a bookseller in the Strand
, "but his education, temper, and manners did not suit him for a trade. . . .Poverty tempted him to dishonesty," or perhaps want of business habits may have rendered him careless in regard to money transactions. His next publication was The Lives of Pope Alexander VI
and his son Cæsar Borgia
; comprehending the Wars in the Reigns of Charles VIII
and Lewis XII
, Kings of France, and the chief Transactions and Revolutions in Italy from . . . 1492 to ... 1506. With an Appendix of original Pieces referred to in the book. The volume contains portraits of Alexander VI and of Cæsar Borgia, the former probably etched by the author. In 1751 a French version appeared at Amsterdam. A solitary dramatic attempt, Lupone, or the Inquisitor: a comedy, was deemed by the managers to be too classical for representation. He was more successful with a translation of the De Amphitheatro of Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei
, published as A Compleat History of the Ancient Amphitheatres, more peculiarly regarding the Architecture of these Buildings, and in particular that of Verona. . . . Adorned with Sculptures [25 plates]; also, some Account of this learned Work. In 1731-1732 Gordon had made some additions to his Itinerarium Septentrionale, of which a Latin edition was being prepared in Holland. This never appeared, but Gordon printed the supplement he had prepared for it in a separate form, entitled Additions and Corrections by way of Supplement to the Itinerarium Septentrionale, containing several dissertations on, and descriptions of, Roman Antiquities discovered in Scotland since the publishing the said Itinerary. Together with Observations on other Ancient Monuments found in the North of England. Never before publish'd. In 1736 Gordon was appointed secretary to the Society for the Encouragement of Learning, with an annual salary of £50. In the same year he succeeded Stukeley as secretary to the Society of Antiquaries
, of which he had been elected a fellow on 17 February 1725. It was probably through Stukeley's influence that he also obtained the secretaryship of the Egyptian Society, of which Stukeley was one of the founders, and thus had a new bent given to his researches. Gordon published two very learned treatises wherein he undertook to solve the mysteries of hieroglyphics and to illustrate "all the Egyptian mummies in England." Their titles are An Essay towards explaining the Hieroglyphical Figures on the Coffin of the Ancient Mummy belonging to Capt. William Lethieullier. (An Essay towards explaining the antient Hieroglyphical Figures on the Egyptian Mummy in the Museum of Doctor Mead). The letterpress is explanatory of three only of the twenty-five plates, and the remainder never appeared. The manuscript, along with the drawings, was apparently in the sale of Sir Charles Frederick
's library in July 1786. In the second essay the author mentions another work, as "nearly ready," An Essay towards illustrating the History, Chronology, and Mythology of the Ancient Egyptians, from the earliest ages on record, till the Dissolution of their Empire, near the Times of Alexander. It was not, however, completed until 6 July 1741. By that time Gordon had resigned his secretaryships. He was married, and no doubt found his income insufficient. Whiston says that Gordon having been found deficient in his accounts was dismissed from the Society for the Encouragement of Learning, and his effects seized on.
in August 1741, as secretary to James Glen, F.S.A., the newly appointed governor of that province. There he eventually prospered. From the recorded copy of a deed still extant at Charleston
it appears that one Hamerton, the registrar of the province, farmed out his office to Gordon, and by this deed appointed him his attorney to transact all the business and receive all the fees of the office. There is also among the recorded conveyances one of a large lot of land in Charleston to him, dated 28 March 1746; and in his will he devised to his son and daughter a lot of land in Ansonborough, South Carolina, and all the houses erected thereon. He still kept up a desultory correspondence with Sir John Clerk, to whom he confessed himself "vastly weary" of colonial life. To the Royal Society
he sent an elaborate description of the natural history of South Carolina, which was not read until 25 May 1758. Nor was it printed in the Philosophical Transactions. On 22 August 1754 Gordon, "being sick and weak of body," made his will at Charleston. To his son, Alexander, an attorney of Charleston, he bequeathed his own portrait, painted by himself, together with other of his paintings. He also strictly enjoined him to publish his manuscript Essay towards illustrating the History of ... the Ancient Egyptians. The essay was never printed, and is preserved in the British Museum, having been purchased in March 1831. Gordon's wife is not mentioned in his will. He died before 23 July 1755, when the devisees under his will executed a conveyance of land in South Carolina. His daughter, Frances Charlotte Gordon, appears to have been married, on 30 May 1763 to John Troup, a Charleston attorney. None of his descendants are now known to survive in South Carolina. The traditions of the Penicuick family represent Gordon as a grave man, of formal habits, tall, lean, and usually taciturn. Beaupré Bell
made a bust of him after an original given by Gordon to Sir Andrew Fountaine
's niece.
The Itinerarium, the essential handbook
of all Roman antiquaries of that day, was a favourite with Sir Walter Scott
, who has immortalised it in The Antiquary
as that prized folio which Jonathan Oldbuck undid from its brown paper wrapper in the Hawes fly or Queensferry diligence.
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and singer. His survey of Roman sites, the Itinerarium, was considered an essential reference by all Roman antiquaries of his time.
Early life and education
Gordon was born at Aberdeen, Scotland not later than 1692. After earning an M.A. at the university of Aberdeen, where he distinguished himself by his classical attainments, he resided for a time in the city, eking out a living as a teacher of languages and music. He also painted portraits in oil. He afterwards visited the continent, at first probably as a tutor, and returned home an excellent French and Italian scholar, and with a good knowledge of art and antiquities. He told Stukeley that when at CapuaCapua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
with Sir George Byng
George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington
Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, KB PC was a British naval officer and statesman of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His career included service as First Lord of the Admiralty during the reign of King George II.-Naval career:Byng was born at Wrotham, Kent, England...
(afterwards Viscount Torrington) "they sav'd the fine amphitheatre there, the 3rd in the world, which the Germans were going to pull down to repair the fortifications, by speaking to the governor & viceroy at Naples." He studied music in Italy, and when in London he occasionally sang in opera, and among his countrymen was known as "Singing Sandie." At one time he appears to have been an itinerant teacher of music, more especially while collecting the materials for his Itinerarium, some time before 1720.
Survey of Roman ruins
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, exploring, drawing, and measuring ancient remains, at much cost and
some hardship. Liberal patrons, however, were not wanting, such as the Duke of Queensberry
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry PC also 3rd Earl of Queensberry and 1st Marquess of Queensberry was a Scottish politician....
, to whom the work was subsequently dedicated, the Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke, 2nd Earl of Montgomery , succeeded to the titles in 1649 on the death of his father, also called Philip Herbert....
, the Earl of Findlater, the Earl of Hertford, and Viscount Bateman
Viscount Bateman
Viscount Bateman was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 July 1725 for William Bateman, previously Member of Parliament for Leominster and the son of Sir James Bateman, Lord Mayor of London from 1716 to 1717. He was made Baron Culmore, in the County of Londonderry, at the same...
, whose cabinet of curiosities
Cabinet of curiosities
A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined. They were also known by various names such as Cabinet of Wonder, and in German Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer...
he was often enabled to enrich during his travels at home and abroad, Edward Chandler
Edward Chandler (bishop)
Edward Chandler was an English bishop.-Life:He graduated M.A. from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1693. He became Bishop of Lichfield in 1717, and was Bishop of Durham from 1730 to 1750....
, then bishop of Lichfield
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
, and Duncan Forbes of Culloden, at that time lord advocate. His great patron was Sir John Clerk of Penicuik
Penicuik
Penicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005....
, Edinburghshire. He was a frequent guest at Old Penicuik
Penicuik
Penicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005....
House, where he had access to a splendid museum of antiquities, and was accompanied by Clerk in his Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
n explorations, as well as in others nearer home. The work, which had been largely subscribed for, appeared as Itinerarium Septentrionale; or, a Journey thro' most of the Counties of Scotland, and those in the North of England. . . . Part 1. Containing an Account of all the Monuments of Roman Antiquity. . . . Part 2. An Account of the Danish Invasions on Scotland . . . With sixty-six copperplates [and an appendix]. In this laborious work Gordon proved himself an honest, painstaking antiquary. Though his theories have long since been exploded, he has preserved records of earthworks, inscriptions, and relics of various kinds, of which but for him all knowledge would have been lost. The appendix derived its chief
value from a learned correspondence concerning ancient sepulchral rites in Britain between Sir John Clerk and Roger Gale
Roger Gale (antiquary)
Roger Gale was an English scholar and antiquary as well as a Member of Parliament for Northallerton. His father was an ecclesiastic and professor at Cambridge, which the younger Gale also attended. After his graduation, Gale briefly served as a diplomat in France, as well as holding a position as...
which Gordon here made public, greatly to their annoyance. He apologises for the inelegant illustrations of his Itinerarium. On page 188 of the Itinerarium Gordon announced his intention of issuing in a few days proposals for engraving by subscription A Compleat View of the Roman Walls in Britain. It is much to be regretted that for want of the necessary funds this survey, with drawings of all the inscriptions and altars discovered, should not have appeared.
Later life in Scotland and England
Gordon now attempted to give practical effect to a project for cutting a navigable canalCanal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
between the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...
and the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
. The scheme, however, was not new to the government, who considered that the profits would not answer the charge. Gordon's circumstances, always narrow, were not improved by the prosecution of projects which never repaid him. According to John Whiston, the London bookseller, he was for some time in partnership with John Wilcox, a bookseller in the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
, "but his education, temper, and manners did not suit him for a trade. . . .Poverty tempted him to dishonesty," or perhaps want of business habits may have rendered him careless in regard to money transactions. His next publication was The Lives of Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
and his son Cæsar Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia , Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. He was the son of Pope Alexander VI and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was the brother of Lucrezia Borgia; Giovanni Borgia , Duke of Gandia; and Gioffre Borgia , Prince of Squillace...
; comprehending the Wars in the Reigns of Charles VIII
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
and Lewis XII
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
, Kings of France, and the chief Transactions and Revolutions in Italy from . . . 1492 to ... 1506. With an Appendix of original Pieces referred to in the book. The volume contains portraits of Alexander VI and of Cæsar Borgia, the former probably etched by the author. In 1751 a French version appeared at Amsterdam. A solitary dramatic attempt, Lupone, or the Inquisitor: a comedy, was deemed by the managers to be too classical for representation. He was more successful with a translation of the De Amphitheatro of Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei
Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei
Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei was an Italian writer and art critic, author of many articles and plays. An antiquarian with a humanist education whose publications on Etruscan antiquities stand as incunabula of Etruscology, he engaged in running skirmishes in print with his rival in the...
, published as A Compleat History of the Ancient Amphitheatres, more peculiarly regarding the Architecture of these Buildings, and in particular that of Verona. . . . Adorned with Sculptures [25 plates]; also, some Account of this learned Work. In 1731-1732 Gordon had made some additions to his Itinerarium Septentrionale, of which a Latin edition was being prepared in Holland. This never appeared, but Gordon printed the supplement he had prepared for it in a separate form, entitled Additions and Corrections by way of Supplement to the Itinerarium Septentrionale, containing several dissertations on, and descriptions of, Roman Antiquities discovered in Scotland since the publishing the said Itinerary. Together with Observations on other Ancient Monuments found in the North of England. Never before publish'd. In 1736 Gordon was appointed secretary to the Society for the Encouragement of Learning, with an annual salary of £50. In the same year he succeeded Stukeley as secretary to the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, of which he had been elected a fellow on 17 February 1725. It was probably through Stukeley's influence that he also obtained the secretaryship of the Egyptian Society, of which Stukeley was one of the founders, and thus had a new bent given to his researches. Gordon published two very learned treatises wherein he undertook to solve the mysteries of hieroglyphics and to illustrate "all the Egyptian mummies in England." Their titles are An Essay towards explaining the Hieroglyphical Figures on the Coffin of the Ancient Mummy belonging to Capt. William Lethieullier. (An Essay towards explaining the antient Hieroglyphical Figures on the Egyptian Mummy in the Museum of Doctor Mead). The letterpress is explanatory of three only of the twenty-five plates, and the remainder never appeared. The manuscript, along with the drawings, was apparently in the sale of Sir Charles Frederick
Charles Frederick
Sir Charles Frederick KB was a British Member of Parliament.He was a younger son of Sir Thomas Frederick, sometime Governor of Fort St David, and a younger brother of Sir John Frederick, 4th Baronet....
's library in July 1786. In the second essay the author mentions another work, as "nearly ready," An Essay towards illustrating the History, Chronology, and Mythology of the Ancient Egyptians, from the earliest ages on record, till the Dissolution of their Empire, near the Times of Alexander. It was not, however, completed until 6 July 1741. By that time Gordon had resigned his secretaryships. He was married, and no doubt found his income insufficient. Whiston says that Gordon having been found deficient in his accounts was dismissed from the Society for the Encouragement of Learning, and his effects seized on.
Life in South Carolina
Gordon sailed for South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
in August 1741, as secretary to James Glen, F.S.A., the newly appointed governor of that province. There he eventually prospered. From the recorded copy of a deed still extant at Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
it appears that one Hamerton, the registrar of the province, farmed out his office to Gordon, and by this deed appointed him his attorney to transact all the business and receive all the fees of the office. There is also among the recorded conveyances one of a large lot of land in Charleston to him, dated 28 March 1746; and in his will he devised to his son and daughter a lot of land in Ansonborough, South Carolina, and all the houses erected thereon. He still kept up a desultory correspondence with Sir John Clerk, to whom he confessed himself "vastly weary" of colonial life. To the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
he sent an elaborate description of the natural history of South Carolina, which was not read until 25 May 1758. Nor was it printed in the Philosophical Transactions. On 22 August 1754 Gordon, "being sick and weak of body," made his will at Charleston. To his son, Alexander, an attorney of Charleston, he bequeathed his own portrait, painted by himself, together with other of his paintings. He also strictly enjoined him to publish his manuscript Essay towards illustrating the History of ... the Ancient Egyptians. The essay was never printed, and is preserved in the British Museum, having been purchased in March 1831. Gordon's wife is not mentioned in his will. He died before 23 July 1755, when the devisees under his will executed a conveyance of land in South Carolina. His daughter, Frances Charlotte Gordon, appears to have been married, on 30 May 1763 to John Troup, a Charleston attorney. None of his descendants are now known to survive in South Carolina. The traditions of the Penicuick family represent Gordon as a grave man, of formal habits, tall, lean, and usually taciturn. Beaupré Bell
Beaupre Bell
Beaupré Bell Esq. was an English antiquary, of Beaupré Hall, Norfolk.Beaupré Bell was the first son of Beaupré Bell Esq., and Margaret, the daughter of Sir Anthony Oldfield, and was a fifth generation descendant of Sir Robert Bell and his wife Dorthie, of the old family of Beaupré or De Bello...
made a bust of him after an original given by Gordon to Sir Andrew Fountaine
Andrew Fountaine (architect)
Sir Andrew Fountaine was an English antiquarian, art collector and amateur architect.-Life:...
's niece.
The Itinerarium, the essential handbook
Handbook
A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference .A handbook is sometimes referred to as a vade mecum or pocket reference that is intended to be carried at all times.Handbooks may deal with any topic, and are generally...
of all Roman antiquaries of that day, was a favourite with Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
, who has immortalised it in The Antiquary
The Antiquary
The Antiquary is a novel by Sir Walter Scott about several characters including an antiquary: an amateur historian, archaeologist and collector of items of dubious antiquity. Although he is the eponymous character, he is not necessarily the hero, as many of the characters around him undergo far...
as that prized folio which Jonathan Oldbuck undid from its brown paper wrapper in the Hawes fly or Queensferry diligence.