LELAND, JOHN, a celebrated English antiquary, was born in London about the year 1507. Having lost his parents when a child, he had the good fortune to find a friend and patron in one Mr Thomas Miles, who placed him in St Paul's school, of which the grammarian Lilye was master. From that school he was sent to Christ's college, Cambridge; whence, after some years residence, he removed to All Souls, Oxford. From Oxford he went to Paris, chiefly with a design to study the Greek language, which at that time was but little understood in this kingdom. On his return to England he took orders, and was soon appointed chaplain to King Henry VIII. who also gave him the rectory of Poppeling, in the marshes of Calais, appointed him his librarian, and in 1533 granted to him by commission under the great seal, the office of king's antiquary; an office never borne by any other person before or since. By this commission he was empowered to search for ancient writings in all the libraries of colleges, abbeys, priories, &c. in his majesty's dominions. We are told by his
last biographer, that he renounced Popery soon after his return to England; but he quotes no authority. Be this as it may, in 1536 he obtained a dispensation to keep a curate at Poppeling, and set out on his journey in search of antiquities. In this employment he spent six years, during which time he visited every part of England where monuments of antiquity were to be expected. After his return, in the year 1542, he was presented by the king to the rich rectory of Haleley in Oxfordshire; and in the following year he gave him a prebend of King's college, now Christ's church, in Oxford, besides that of East and West Knowle, in the cathedral of Salisbury. Being thus amply provided for, he retired to a house of his own in the parish of St Michael le Querne in London, where he spent six years more in digesting the materials which he had collected. King Henry VIII. died in 1547; and in a short time after, poor Leland lost his fief. He was at first seized with a deep melancholy, which was succeeded by a total deprivation of his reason. In this dreadful state he continued till the beginning of the year 1552, when he was happily released by death. He was buried in the church of St Michael le Querne, which was destroyed by the fire in 1666. Mr Leland is remembered as a man of great learning, an universal linguist, an excellent Latin poet, and a most indefatigable and skilful antiquary. On his death, King Edward VI. gave all his papers to Sir John Checke, his tutor and Latin secretary of state. The king dying, and Sir John being obliged to leave the kingdom, he gave four folio volumes of Leland's collections to Humphrey Purefoy, Esq. which in 1612, were by his son given to William Burton, author of the history of Leicester-shire. This gentleman also became possessed of the Itinerary in 8 vols. folio, which, in 1632, he deposited in the Bodleian library. Many other of Leland's manuscripts, after the death of Sir John Checke, fell into the hands of Lord Paget, Sir William Cecil, and others, which at last fortunately came into the possession of Sir John Cotton. These manuscripts were of great use to all our subsequent antiquarians, particularly Camden, Sir William Dugdale, Stowe, Lambard, Dr Batteley, Ant. Wood, &c. His Itinerary throughout most parts of England and Wales, was published by Mr Hearne, 9 vols. 8vo, in 1710-11; as was also his Collectanea de rebus Britannicis, 6 vols. 8vo, in 1715.