Richard Topham facts for kids
Richard Topham (1671–1730) was an English landowner and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament for New Windsor from 1698 to 1713. He was also famous for collecting many interesting items.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Richard Topham was born in 1671. His father, John Topham, worked as a serjeant-at-arms for the House of Commons. This job involved keeping order and carrying out duties for Parliament. Richard's mother was Joan Stoughton.
Richard went to Eton College, a famous school. Later, in 1689, he studied at Trinity College, Oxford. After his father passed away, Richard decided not to become a lawyer. Instead, he chose to manage his family's land in New Windsor.
His Time in Politics
In 1698, Richard Topham was chosen to represent New Windsor in the House of Commons. This is part of the British Parliament where laws are made. He was part of a group called the Country Party.
As a Member of Parliament, Richard mostly focused on issues important to his local area. He also worked on special laws for individuals or small groups, called private bills. In 1707, he took over an important job as the Keeper of Records in the Tower of London. This role meant he was in charge of old, important documents. He stopped being a politician in 1713.
When he first became the Keeper of Records, some people thought he didn't have enough experience. To help with this, he asked George Holmes to be his assistant. He also brought in new ways to manage the records.
Richard Topham the Collector
Richard Topham loved books and art. He was a big collector! His personal library had about 1300 books, mostly old Latin and Greek classics. He also created a huge "paper museum." This collection included about 3000 drawings, watercolours, and prints. Among these were 53 drawings by a famous artist named Pompeo Batoni.
It's not clear if Topham ever went on a "Grand Tour." This was a long trip around Europe that many wealthy people took to learn about art and culture. Instead, he used people like John Talman to help him find and buy items for his collection.
Richard lived in a large house on Peascod Street in Windsor. At his house, he had a collection of classical statues.
His Family and Legacy
Richard Topham never got married. His mother, Joan, lived with him in his house until she passed away in 1721. For a while, a young man named Sidney Beauclerk also lived with them. He moved in around age 15, about 1718, when he started attending Eton.
Richard had a sister named Annabella. She married Thomas Reeve. When Richard Topham passed away, his collection and other belongings went to Sidney Beauclerk. This happened because Beauclerk was connected to the family through Thomas Reeve.
Richard Topham's amazing collection of prints and drawings was given to Eton College. Today, we know that this collection had a big impact on famous architects. For example, Robert Adam used drawings by Francesco Bartoli from Topham's collection. These drawings helped Adam create his ideas for neo-classical interior designs in the 1760s. Another architect, Charles Cameron, is also thought to have used these works, even though he didn't mention it.
