(1694-1733)
Curate of All-Hallows, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In 1725 he compiled and published the book Antiquitates Vulgares, or The Antiquities of the Common People, in which his purpose was to warn people against popish and heathen rituals which, masquerading as traditional customs, led to ‘uncleanness and debauchery’, and ‘rioting, gaming, and drunkenness’. In so doing, he provided much information for the future folklorist, although his work might have remained unknown but for another Newcastle clergyman, John Brand, who used it as a basis for his Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britain in 1777 and numerous subsequent editions.
Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.
- Dorson, 1968: 10-15
