Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bt | |
|---|---|
 Sir Thomas Phillipps, ca. 1860 | |
| Born | 2 July 1792 Manchester |
| Died | 6 February 1872 (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Church of St Eadburgha, Broadway, Worcestershire |
| Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
| Occupation(s) | antiquarian, book collector |
| Spouse(s) | Henrietta Elizabeth Molyneux (1819–1832); Elizabeth Harriet Anne Mansel (1848–1872) |
| Children | Henrietta (born 1819), Sophia (born 1821), and Katharine (born 1829) |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Phillipps and Hannah Walton (illegitimate)[1] |
Sir Thomas Phillipps, 1st Baronet (2 July 1792 – 6 February 1872), was an English antiquary and book collector[2] who amassed the largest collection of manuscript material in the 19th century. He was an illegitimate son of a textile manufacturer and inherited a substantial estate, which he spent almost entirely on vellum manuscripts and, when out of funds, borrowed heavily to buy manuscripts, thereby putting his family deep into debt. Phillipps recorded in an early catalogue that his collection was instigated by reading various accounts of the destruction of valuable manuscripts.[3] Such was his devotion that he acquired some 40,000 printed books and 60,000 manuscripts, arguably the largest collection a single individual has created, and coined the term "vello-maniac"[4] to describe his obsession, which is more commonly termed bibliomania.
- ^ "Sir Thomas Phillipps, antiquary: collections relating to Gloucestershire". Gloucestershire Archives: Online Catalogue. Gloucestershire City Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 45. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 192–195.
- ^ N. A. Basbanes: A Gentle Madness, p. 120
- ^ Basbanes, op. cit. p. 121