Thomas Talbot (antiquary)


Thomas Talbot was an English antiquary.

Life

He was the second son of John Talbot of Salesbury, Lancashire, by his second wife, Anne, daughter of Richard Banaster of Altham. Before 1580 he had become clerk of the records in the Tower of London, and may be the ‘learned’ Mr. Talbot referred to by Dr. John Dee. He was an original member of the Society of Antiquaries, and occurs in Francis Tate's list of members in 1590. William Camden wrote: ‘Not to conceal my obligations to any, I must acknowledge myself under very great ones to Thomas Talbot, a diligent examiner of records and perfect master of our antiquities’.

Works

None of Talbot's collections are known to have been published. The major ones were left in manuscript in major libraries:
Other antiquarian collections, the authorship of which has not been determined, may be by Talbot.