Mark Antony Lower
Encyclopedia
Mark Antony Lower F.S.A. M.A. (1814–1876) was a Sussex
historian who founded the Sussex Archaeological Society
and is credited with starting the "cult of the Sussex Martyrs", however he was against the excesses of the "Bonfire Boys".
, a schoolmaster, and his wife in Chiddingly
. Richard and Mary (née Oxley) gave Lower a good education. It appears he showed an early interest in heraldry as a painted coat of arms in the local church is attributed to him. He worked first at his sister's school in East Hoathly, before further extending the family's interests in local education with a school at Alfriston
under his control. Within three years however he left to establish another school in Lewes
in Sussex in 1835.
He married Mercy Holman in 1835 when his school had moved to St. Anne's House in Lewes High Street. His establishment of the Sussex Archaeological Society with J.H. Hurdis
in 1846 established Lower as a well regarded notable antiquarian. His publication of The Sussex Martyrs, their Examinations and Cruel Burnings in the time of Queen Mary... in 1851 together with an etching by James Henry Hurdis
of Richard Woodman
and nine other martyrs is credited with establishing the "cult of the Sussex Martyrs". However it is noted that his Sussex Martyrs was really a re-publication of John Foxe
's account in his Book of Martyrs. Although Lower is credited with publicising the Sussex Martyrs, he does not appear to have started the Bonfire Societies. His biography credits him with writing a note complaining of the excesses of the "Bonfire Boys", and he had himself been an active member of the Lewes New Temperance Society.
Lower said that he has published the Sussex Martyrs because their deaths had been largely forgotten and high churchmen were referring to the reformation and the deaths of these people as a mistake. Following the publications "anti-popish" demonstrations took place each year around Nov 5th. In 1868 a figure dressed as the "Bishop of Lewes" warned protestants of the Roman catholic threat and the following year an effigy of the pope was to be blown up with gunpowder.
Lower published numerous articles for the Sussex Archaeological Society and he was employed for a number of years as a secretary. He published a dictionary of British surnames of the United Kingdom in 1860 and The Worthies of Sussex in 1865. Mercy Lower died in 1867. The widower married Sarah Scrase three years later after moving to Seaford
. Lower published his important Sussex local history book, A Compendious History of Sussex was completed just a year before he left Lewes for London. He published a guide to Scandinavia in 1874 after touring there to improve his health.
Lower died on 22 March 1876 in Enfield. He was buried in St Annes Church in Lewes.
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
historian who founded the Sussex Archaeological Society
Sussex Archaeological Society
The Sussex Archaeological Society, founded in 1846, is the largest county-based archaeological society in the UK. Its headquarters are in Lewes, Sussex...
and is credited with starting the "cult of the Sussex Martyrs", however he was against the excesses of the "Bonfire Boys".
Life
Lower was born 14 January 1814 to Richard LowerRichard Lower (poet)
-Life:Lower, born at Alfriston, Sussex, 19 September 1782, was a son of John Lower, who owned the barge The Good Intent, and was the first person to navigate the little river Cuckmere from the sea to Longbridge....
, a schoolmaster, and his wife in Chiddingly
Chiddingly
Chiddingly is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, some five miles northwest of Hailsham. The parish is rural in character: it includes the village of Chiddingly and a collection of hamlets: the largest of these being Muddles Green and Thunder's Hill; others...
. Richard and Mary (née Oxley) gave Lower a good education. It appears he showed an early interest in heraldry as a painted coat of arms in the local church is attributed to him. He worked first at his sister's school in East Hoathly, before further extending the family's interests in local education with a school at Alfriston
Alfriston
Alfriston is a village and civil parish in the East Sussex district of Wealden, England. The village lies in the valley of the River Cuckmere, about four miles north-east of Seaford and south of the main A27 trunk road and part of the large area of Polegate...
under his control. Within three years however he left to establish another school in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
in Sussex in 1835.
He married Mercy Holman in 1835 when his school had moved to St. Anne's House in Lewes High Street. His establishment of the Sussex Archaeological Society with J.H. Hurdis
James Henry Hurdis
James Henry Hurdis was an amateur artist and the elder son of James Hurdis, a renowned professor of poetry. He is known for his many portraits of notable Sussex people...
in 1846 established Lower as a well regarded notable antiquarian. His publication of The Sussex Martyrs, their Examinations and Cruel Burnings in the time of Queen Mary... in 1851 together with an etching by James Henry Hurdis
James Henry Hurdis
James Henry Hurdis was an amateur artist and the elder son of James Hurdis, a renowned professor of poetry. He is known for his many portraits of notable Sussex people...
of Richard Woodman
Richard Woodman (martyr)
Richard Woodman was a Protestant martyr, who was born in Buxted and lived in nearby Warbleton in East Sussex. He was burnt during the Marian Persecutions in 1557 in Lewes...
and nine other martyrs is credited with establishing the "cult of the Sussex Martyrs". However it is noted that his Sussex Martyrs was really a re-publication of John Foxe
John Foxe
John Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
's account in his Book of Martyrs. Although Lower is credited with publicising the Sussex Martyrs, he does not appear to have started the Bonfire Societies. His biography credits him with writing a note complaining of the excesses of the "Bonfire Boys", and he had himself been an active member of the Lewes New Temperance Society.
Lower said that he has published the Sussex Martyrs because their deaths had been largely forgotten and high churchmen were referring to the reformation and the deaths of these people as a mistake. Following the publications "anti-popish" demonstrations took place each year around Nov 5th. In 1868 a figure dressed as the "Bishop of Lewes" warned protestants of the Roman catholic threat and the following year an effigy of the pope was to be blown up with gunpowder.
Lower published numerous articles for the Sussex Archaeological Society and he was employed for a number of years as a secretary. He published a dictionary of British surnames of the United Kingdom in 1860 and The Worthies of Sussex in 1865. Mercy Lower died in 1867. The widower married Sarah Scrase three years later after moving to Seaford
Seaford, East Sussex
Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....
. Lower published his important Sussex local history book, A Compendious History of Sussex was completed just a year before he left Lewes for London. He published a guide to Scandinavia in 1874 after touring there to improve his health.
Lower died on 22 March 1876 in Enfield. He was buried in St Annes Church in Lewes.
Works
- English surnames, 1842
- The Curiosities of Heraldry
- Chronicles of Pevensey, 1846
- Sussex Archaeological Society, various publications, 1846-
- The Sussex Martyrs, their Examinations and Cruel Burnings in the time of Queen Mary, comprising the interesting personal narrative of Richard Woodman, &c. &c., 1852
- Patronymica Britannica, 1860 (A dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom)
- The Song of Solomon in the dialect of Sussex; from the authorised English version, 1860
- Parochial history of Chiddingly, 1862
- The Worthies of Sussex, 1865
- A Compendious History of Sussex,1870
- Historical and genealogical notices of the Pelham family, 1873
- The Chronicle of Battel Abbey, 1851
Further reading
- http://books.google.com/books?id=GBxAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22mark+antony+lower%22&source=bl&ots=tGQ25tvxQh&sig=AY1ZTzyFBWYD-Kug2mBYP8qWsjg&hl=en&ei=W5DVS6axJoj-tQOPtOn6Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CB8Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=falsePatronymica Britannica: A Dictionary of the Family Names of the United Kingdom, Mark Antony Lower, Published by John Russell Smith, London, 1860]
- The Chronicle of Battel Abbey, from 1066 to 1176, Mark Antony Lower, Printed by John Russell Smith, London, 1851
- A Compendious History of Sussex, Topographical, Archaeological & Anecdotal, Mark Antony Lower, Published by George P. Bacon, Lewes, 1870
- http://books.google.com/books?id=fZA3AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22mark+antony+lower%22&source=bl&ots=3dbSAktzJT&sig=mxYK7M6vxGSzyii28_N6l5dsvjA&hl=en&ei=W5DVS6axJoj-tQOPtOn6Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CBcQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=falseEnglish Surnames: An Essay on Family Nomenclature, Historical, Etymological and Humorous, Mark Antony Lower, Published by John Russell Smith, London, 1875]