Joseph Ritson | |
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Born | Stockton-on-Tees, England | 2 October 1752
Died | 23 September 1803 Hoxton, London, England | (aged 50)
Occupation(s) | Antiquarian, writer |
Joseph Ritson (2 October 1752 – 23 September 1803) was an English antiquary known for editing the first scholarly collection of Robin Hood ballads (1795). After a visit to France in 1791,[1] he became a staunch supporter of the ideals of the French Revolution.[2][3] He was also an influential vegetarianism activist.[4] Ritson is also known for his collections of English nursery rhymes, such as "Roses Are Red" and "Little Bo-Peep", in Gammer Gurton's Garland or The Nursery Parnassus, published in London by Joseph Johnson.[5]