Richard Astry facts for kids

Richard Astry (born around 1632, died 1714) was an English antiquary. An antiquary is someone who studies old things, like history, old documents, and ancient objects. Astry was known for collecting information about the history and families of his home county.

Richard Astry's Early Life and Career

Richard Astry was born in a place called Huntingdonshire, England, around the year 1632. When he was about 15 years old, he started studying at Queens' College, Cambridge University in 1647. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in 1651. He also tried to get a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in 1654, but it's not officially recorded that he received it.

After finishing his studies, Astry became an alderman in the town of Huntingdon. An alderman was an important local official who helped govern the town. He lived a long life and was buried in St. Mary's church in Huntingdon on August 11, 1714, when he was 83 years old.

Richard Astry's Historical Writings

Richard Astry was a dedicated collector of historical information. He created several important works that helped people learn about the past.

Collections on Huntingdonshire

One of his main works was a large book of collections about Huntingdonshire. This book included:

• Heraldic information: This means he collected details about family crests and coats of arms. These symbols were used to identify families and their history.
• Topographical information: This refers to details about the geography and places in Huntingdonshire. He wrote about the land, towns, and important landmarks.

This special book is now kept in a collection called the Lansdowne MS. 921. Some people also think that another famous historian, Sir Robert Bruce Cotton, might have worked on this manuscript too. Later, another historian named Thomas Baker copied many parts of Astry's work into his own collection of manuscripts. These copies are now stored at the University Library, Cambridge.

Alphabetical Catalogues of Surnames

Astry also put together three large books called Alphabetical Catalogues of English Surnames. In these books, he listed English family names in alphabetical order. For each name, he included:

• The family's arms: This means their unique heraldic symbols.
• The times when the people with those names lived: This helped to show the history of different families over time.

These three volumes were once owned by a Reverend Henry Freeman, who lived in a place called Norman Cross.