THOMAS

See also:

• THOMAS CARTE (1686-1754)

CARTE (1686-1754)  , English historian, was born at Dusmoon, near Clifton . He was educated at Oxford, and was first brought into notice by his controversy with Dr Henry Chandler regarding the Irish massacre, in which he defended Charles I . His attachment to the Stuarts also caused him to remain a non-juror, and on the discovery of the plot of Atterbury, whose secretary he was, he was forced to flee to France . There he collected materials for an English edition of De Thou and Rigault, which were purchased and published by Dr Mead . Being recalled to England through the influence of Queen Caroline, he published, in 1738, A General Account of the Necessary Materials for a History of England . The first volume of his General History of England, which is only of value for its vast and careful collection of facts, was published in 1747 . By the insertion in it of the statement that the king's evil had been cured by the Pretender, Carte forfeited the favour of most of his patrons . He, however, continued to publish; and the 2nd volume appeared in 1750, the 3rd in 1752, the 4th in 1755 . He published also a Life of James, duke of Ormond, containing a collection of letters, &c . (3 vols., 1735-1736; new ed., in 6 vols., Oxford, 1851), and a History of the Revolutions of Portugal, with letters of Sir R . Southwell during his embassy there (London, 1740) . His papers became the property of the university of Oxford, and were deposited in the Bodleian library .