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Thomas Lister Parker

FRS FSA
Thomas Lister Parker Northcote.jpg
Portrait of Thomas Lister Parker by James Northcote
Born (1779-09-27)27 September 1779
Browsholme Hall, Yorkshire
Died 2 March 1858(1858-03-02) (aged 78)
Nationality British
Education Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Relatives John Parker (father)
John W. R. Parker (cousin)

Thomas Lister Parker (27 September 1779 – 2 March 1858) was an English expert in old things, a landowner, and held special roles like "Trumpeter to the Queen." He was also the Honorary Bowbearer of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire.

Early Life and Family Home

Browsholme Hall - geograph.org.uk - 829290
Browsholme Hall, Thomas Lister Parker's family home.

Thomas Lister Parker was born on 27 September 1779 at Browsholme Hall. This grand family home was in Yorkshire, England, which is now part of Lancashire. He was the oldest of eight sons born to John Parker and Beatrix. His mother's family, the Listers, were also important landowners.

Thomas went to school at the Clitheroe Royal Grammar School. He studied there under a teacher named Thomas Wilson.

When his father passed away in 1797, Thomas inherited the Browsholme estate. This meant he became the owner of the family home and lands.

Making Browsholme Hall Special

Thomas loved to improve his family home. Between 1804 and 1805, he made changes to Browsholme Hall. This building was very old, dating back to the 1500s! He rebuilt one part of the house and added more sections later. He even worked with a famous architect, Sir Jeffrey Wyatville, on some of these additions.

Thomas also had a passion for designing gardens. From 1797 to 1810, he spent a lot of money and effort making the grounds around his home beautiful.

Inside Browsholme Hall, Thomas displayed his amazing collections. He loved old things and art. He had many drawings and prints that he bought during a trip to Europe in 1800 and 1801. He visited places like Moscow, Venice, and Paris. He also owned a large collection of drawings of castles and manor houses by John Chessell Buckler. Thomas was an artist himself and had many of his own drawings too. His art collection included paintings from the Flemish school and works by famous artists like James Northcote and Thomas Gainsborough.

Special Roles and Interests

Thomas Lister Parker was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1801. This means he was recognized as an expert in studying old things and history. Later, he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very important group for scientists and thinkers.

In 1804, he held the important position of High Sheriff of Lancashire. This role involved being the chief law enforcement officer in the county.

He also had a special job called "Trumpeter to the Queen." This was an honorary position, meaning it was a title rather than a job with daily duties. Thomas also claimed the title of "Bowbearer of the Forest of Bowland." This was a role that had been passed down in his family for many generations.

Later Life and Legacy

Thomas Lister Parker was very generous in supporting artists. However, his spending caused him some financial difficulties later in his life. In 1820, he sold his family home, Browsholme estate, to his cousin, Thomas Parker. His cousin later left the estate to his nephew.

Thomas Lister Parker then lived a quieter life. He lived at the Star Inn in Deansgate, Manchester. He passed away there on 2 March 1858. He was never married. He was buried in his family's chapel at Waddington Church in Yorkshire.

His Published Work

In 1815, Thomas Lister Parker published a book called Description of Browsholme Hall … and of the Parish of Waddington. This book described his family home and the local area. It also included old letters from the time of King Charles I, King Charles II, and King James II. These letters were printed from the original documents kept at Browsholme. The book even had a picture of the outside of Browsholme Hall from 1750.

Thomas also helped other writers. He paid for the pictures of Browsholme that appeared in Thomas Dunham Whitaker's book, Parish of Whalley. One of these pictures was even drawn by the famous artist J. M. W. Turner. Thomas was good friends with Whitaker and shared his historical notes and family records for Whitaker's book. He was also friends with other important people like Charles Towneley and James Northcote. Some of his letters can be found in a book about his old schoolmaster, Wilson of Clitheroe.

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