Edward Duke (antiquary) facts for kids

Edward Duke (born 1779, died 1852) was an English antiquary. An antiquary is someone who studies old things like ancient buildings, objects, and customs.

Life of Edward Duke

Edward Duke was born in Hungerford on September 24, 1779. His family lived at Lake House in Wiltshire, England. He went to Magdalen Hall, Oxford university. After finishing his studies, he became a priest in 1802. In 1805, he inherited the family home, Lake House, which had been in his family for a very long time.

His Work as an Antiquary

Edward Duke loved studying ancient things in his free time. He worked with a famous historian named Sir R. C. Hoare. Together, they explored ancient burial mounds, called tumuli, on his family's land. The old objects they found were kept in a museum at Lake House. Sir R. C. Hoare wrote about these discoveries in his book, Ancient Wilts.

Between 1823 and 1828, Duke wrote articles for the Gentleman's Magazine. Most of his articles were about the ancient history of Wiltshire.

His Unique Theory

In 1846, Duke published a book called Druidical Temples of the County of Wilts. In this book, he shared a very unusual idea. He believed that the early people of Wiltshire had created a giant map of the solar system on the landscape. He thought that Silbury Hill, a large man-made mound, represented the Earth. He also believed that seven ancient sites, some made of stone and some of earth, represented the sun and planets orbiting the Earth. This idea was very different from what other historians believed.

Other Contributions

Edward Duke also wrote a book called Prolusiones Historicæ. This book was about John Halle's Hall, a medieval building in Salisbury. He was also an active local judge in Wiltshire. He was a member of important groups like the Society of Antiquaries and the Linnean Society. These societies are for people who study history and nature.

Family and Death

In 1813, Edward Duke married Harriet Hinxman. They had four sons and four daughters. He passed away at Lake House on August 28, 1852, when he was 73 years old. His oldest son, also named Edward, became a priest and inherited the family estates.