John Disney
Encyclopedia
John Disney was an English
barrister
and archaeologist. Born at Flintham Hall, Flintham
, Nottinghamshire
, he was the eldest son of John Disney
, a former Anglican clergyman who became one of the founders of the Episcopal Unitarian Church
, and from a long line of English Dissenters
going back to Disney's great-great grandfather John Disney (rector) and earlier.
Disney was educated
at home until the age of 16, when he went to Peterhouse, Cambridge
. In 1798 he was admitted to the Inner Temple
, and was called to the Bar
in 1803. Subsequently he was appointed Recorder
of Bridport
in 1807 and Sheriff
of Dorset
in 1818. He left the post of Recorder in 1823 and at some point afterwards moved to Essex.
In 1816 his father died and Disney inherited a collection of antiquities
that had been collected by his family. He began to catalogue these antiquities, and to add to the collection
. The collection was further enlarged by gifts from Charles Callis Western and James Christie
. His catalogue was eventually published in 1846 as Museum Disneianum, closely followed by a second edition and supplements.
Disney presented most of the sculptures in his collection to the Fitzwilliam Museum
, Cambridge in 1850. In 1851 he endowed with £
1,000 the Disney Professorship of Archaeology
at the University of Cambridge
. Upon his death in 1857 an additional £3,500 were bequested to support the Disney Professorship, and what remained of his private collection was sold by Christie's
auction
house.
Disney was married to Sophia Disney-Ffytche in 1802. They had three children; two sons and a daughter. Disney was elected Fellow of the Royal Society
in 1832 and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
in 1839.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and archaeologist. Born at Flintham Hall, Flintham
Flintham
Flintham is a village in Nottinghamshire within a few miles of Newark, opposite RAF Syerston on the A46. It has a population of circa 650 and a school, village hall, church and cricket pavilion. It has one pub, the on . It also has a community shop run by volunteers called Flintham Community Shop,...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, he was the eldest son of John Disney
John Disney (Unitarian)
John Disney was an English Unitarian minister and biographical writer, initially an Anglican clergyman active against subscription to the Thirty Nine Articles.-Life:...
, a former Anglican clergyman who became one of the founders of the Episcopal Unitarian Church
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
, and from a long line of English Dissenters
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
going back to Disney's great-great grandfather John Disney (rector) and earlier.
Disney was educated
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
at home until the age of 16, when he went to Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
. In 1798 he was admitted to the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, and was called to the Bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1803. Subsequently he was appointed Recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
of Bridport
Bridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...
in 1807 and Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in 1818. He left the post of Recorder in 1823 and at some point afterwards moved to Essex.
In 1816 his father died and Disney inherited a collection of antiquities
Antiquities
Antiquities, nearly always used in the plural in this sense, is a term for objects from Antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures...
that had been collected by his family. He began to catalogue these antiquities, and to add to the collection
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
. The collection was further enlarged by gifts from Charles Callis Western and James Christie
James Christie (auctioneer)
James Christie was the founder of auction house Christie's. Born in Perth in 1730, Christie went on to found Christie's auctioneers in December 5, 1766...
. His catalogue was eventually published in 1846 as Museum Disneianum, closely followed by a second edition and supplements.
Disney presented most of the sculptures in his collection to the Fitzwilliam Museum
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge, located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge, England. It receives around 300,000 visitors annually. Admission is free....
, Cambridge in 1850. In 1851 he endowed with £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1,000 the Disney Professorship of Archaeology
Disney Professorship of Archaeology
The Disney Professorship of Archaeology, also known as the Disney Chair, is a professorship in the University of Cambridge. It was endowed with a donation of £1,000 by John Disney in 1851, followed by a further £3,500 in a bequest at his death...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. Upon his death in 1857 an additional £3,500 were bequested to support the Disney Professorship, and what remained of his private collection was sold by Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
house.
Disney was married to Sophia Disney-Ffytche in 1802. They had three children; two sons and a daughter. Disney was elected Fellow of 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"...
in 1832 and Fellow of 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...
in 1839.