William Camden
William Camden was an influential English historian and antiquarian, born on May 2, 1551, in London. He faced financial struggles throughout his life, stemming from his relatively poor family background despite his mother's connections. Camden’s education began at Christ's Hospital, later continuing at St. Paul's School, where he developed a strong interest in humanism and antiquities. Although he enrolled at Oxford University, he encountered challenges securing a position there and ultimately left without a degree in 1575 to become second master at Westminster School.
Camden's most significant work, *Britannia*, published in scholarly Latin, detailed the history and antiquities of Britain, becoming a seminal text in contemporary scholarship. The book integrated documentary and non-documentary evidence, although modern perspectives may critique its treatment of legendary narratives. Alongside his historical writings, Camden held various academic positions, including headmaster at Westminster and a role in the College of Arms, allowing him to focus on his scholarly pursuits. His legacy includes contributions to the understanding of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign and the trials of the Gunpowder plotters. Camden passed away on November 9, 1623, and is interred in Westminster Abbey, leaving behind a notable impact on English historiography.
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William Camden
Antiquarian
- Born: May 2, 1551
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: November 9, 1623
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
William Camden was born on May 2, 1551, in London, the son of stainer and painter Sampson Camden and Elizabeth Curwen Camden. Although his mother’s family was well connected in northern England, the family was relatively poor and his life became a continual struggle to obtain patronage. He began his education at Christ’s Hospital but moved to St. Paul’s School in 1563 after a brush with the plague. At St. Paul’s he was strongly influenced by the humanism of philosopher John Colet, and he also developed his interest in antiquities. Camden entered Oxford University as a chorister at Magdalen, but found it extremely difficult to obtain a secure position there, suffering several rebuffs.
Eventually, Camden gave up on Oxford, leaving, without a degree, in 1575 to take up the post of second master at Westminster School. However, he continued to zealously devote his spare time to scholarly work. He traveled widely throughout England to examine various ancient sites, eventually publishing the results of his enquiries in a definitive history of Britain, Britannia, written in scholarly Latin. He continued to augment the book until it reached its sixth and final edition in 1607, after which it was translated into English by Philemon Holland in 1610. Britannia became a key model of contemporary scholarship by virtue of its reference to virtually all the available documentary evidence of life in the islands before the Roman occupation. In addition, the book carefully attempted to synthesis this documentary evidence with nondocumentary evidence, such as material about coinage. However, the book’s account of ancient British history now seems far too credulous in its treatment of legendary material. The English translation went through many subsequent editions and was further augmented by Richard Gough in editions of 1789 and 1806. It excited the fervent enmity of Ralph Brooke, who may have been offended by the book’s treatment of his family, and who published two volumes of Britannia’s supposed errors.
Camden was appointed headmaster of Westminster in 1593, but left his post in 1597 to take up an appointment in the College of Arms, a sinecure that liberated him to pursue his scholarly pursuits. He continued to write in Latin rather than the vernacular, compiling an account of the monuments and inscriptions of Westminster Abbey and a collection of the works of English historians. At the direction of King James I, Camden wrote an account of the trials of the Gunpowder plotters. He also compiled a detailed account of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, whose complimentary tendencies influenced many later English historians, although the book annoyed Scots who thought their Queen Mary was badly served by it. A second volume of the Elizabethan annals was published posthumously in 1625.
By way of illuminating the harsh treatment he had received at Oxford and securing a permanent reminder of the college’s rude neglect of a great scholar, Camden founded and endowed a chair in history at the university. He died in London on November 9, 1623, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.