THOMAS

See also:

• TANNER, HENRY OSSAWA (1859- )
• THOMAS TANNER (1674-1735)

TANNER (1674-1735)  , English antiquary and pre-late, was born at Market Lavington in Wiltshire on the 25th of January 1674, and was educated at Queen's College, Oxford, taking holy orders in 1694 . Next year he became chaplain and then fellow of All Souls College, and a few years later private chaplain to John Moore (1646-1714), bishop of Norwich and afterwards of Ely, who appointed him chancellor of the diocese of Norwich . In 1706 he became rector of Thorpe, near Norwich, in 1713 a canon of Ely, in 1724 a canon of Christ Church, Oxford, and in 1732 bishop of St Asaph . He died in Oxford, where he had passed most of his life, on the 14th of December 1735• Tanner's chief work is his Notitia Monastica, a short account of all the religious houses in England and Wales . This was published at Oxford in 1695; it was reprinted with additions by the author's brother, John Tanner, in 1744; and was reprinted again with further additions by James Nasmith (1740-1808) in 1787 . He also wrote Bibliotheca Britannico-Hibernica, a dictionary of all the authors who flourished in England, Scotland and Ireland before the opening of the 17th century, at which he laboured for forty years . This was not published until 1748, thirteen years after the author's death . The bishop collected materials for a history of Wiltshire and worked for some time on a new edition of the works of John Leland . His valuable collection of books and manuscripts is in the Bodleian library at Oxford . Another writer of this name was THOMAS TANNER (1630-1682), the author of The Entrance of Mazzarini (Oxford, 1657-58) . Educated at St Paul's School, London, and at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, he became a barrister and later a clergyman, being vicar of Colyton, Devon, and afterwards of Winchfield, Hants .