Oh oh! Hello there! This is indeed a happy day! I'm going to talk about a favorite character of mine. You all know, when I write, I'm happy! I hope you're also happy to read me! :) The talk about.., Elias Ashmole! I'm guessing that most of you are hearing this name for the first time. No worries... That's what The Gate is here for! To tell you about weird and beautiful things and hopefully clue you in the forbidden or rare knowdge as I like to call it. The idea came to me when I read "Papyrus" last year (I have to admit that it has become my favorite book of the last 20 years! You can find an article review of this book in the blog). To write a series of articles about people who influenced the general history of books. Well, Elias Ashmole will be the first! Let us get more acquainted with this legend! I hope you find the information as interesting as I do!
Elias Ashmole was born in Staffordshire, England, in 23 of May 1617. He came from a wealthy family although when he was born, the family's fortune has been declined. He was a student of Lichfield Grammar School (today known as King Edward VI School). In 1633 he moved to London to become a mentor of the children of his mother's relative, Paget. James Paget helped him to acquire the solicitor qualification in 1638. He was a successful silicitor and he married Eleanor Mainwaring, only to become a widower 3 years later. He was indeed very young, but he worked his way towards success and wealth. His interests included botany, history, law, numismatics, choreography as well as more debatable subjects such as astrology, alchemy and astronomy. He was an avid collector of antiquaries and all sorts of oddities and his library was consisted of all the above. Imagine what treasures were hidden there! What a fantastic journey it would be!!!
He was one of the founders of The Fellows of the Royal Society, an institution dedicated to experimental science, today known as The Royal Society of London for improving Natural Knowledge. What an interesting place it must be! It is the oldest continuesly existing scientific academy in the world! Ashmole was of course a Freemason, but we know little of his activities and rank. He also served in the military, after the outbreak of fighting in 1642, when he moved from London to Lichfield and Oxford as well as Worcester. During this time he was a member of the Freemasons as we can see from his diary's entries, which point to at least 35 years of service, making them one of the oldest references of English Freemasonry known today. But he was also a passionate Rosicrucian. In 1650 he spent much of his time to the study of alchemy, publishing "Fasciculus Chemicus" under the fake name James Hasoll. He also translated two alchemical works from latin, by dr. John Dee's son, Arthur. His most famous work in alchemy was published in 1652, titled "Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum".
It is a collection of English alchemical literature, that only existed in private manuscripts until then. Therefore, it is considered a great work as it preserved the hidden knowledge up to our days. He was however more of a student of alchemy rather than an active practitioner.
I must refer to his botanical interests as well, especially because his interest in Paracelsus and Galen's principles on therapeutic remedies, led to the writing of "The Way to Bliss" in 1658. His written advice to cure illnesses is a proper diet, sleep and normal exercise. He also used to collect plants and other botanicals from all over the known world, helping his friend and collegue John Tradescant the Younger build his catalogue of plants, since he was a botanist and a gardener. But he also sponsored his collection "The Musaeum Tradescantianum". A museum of his collection and other curiocities. A collection which he passed to Ashmole at some point. Imagine.. just imagine the "wealth" he had his hands on and especially the knowledge he acquired!!!
I could talk about him for days to be honest, but I'll restrain myself and keep it to the most important parts, acording my judgement. I mentioned that he was one of the founders of the Fellows of the Royal Society but his most frequent activity was with the College of Arms as Windsor Herald of Arms in Ordinary, where he most passionately studied the history of The order of the Garter. He also engaged in studying and writing local history, as well as heraldry and geneology, followed by publications that crowned him an expert on court protocol and ceremony.
Further on, he got his doctorate in Medicine in 1669 in the University of Oxford. He gave to the University a large part of the Tradescant collection, together with some other curiocities of his own, under the term that a proper building should be provided or built, to accomodate the collection. By 1683, the renowned Ashmolean Museum was finished and as he himself asked and wished for, it is truly a public Museum. Some clouds hang above his head, concerning the drowning of Hester, who inherited the Tradescant collection and estate, just because Ashmole merged the property with his. None can deny he was a highly ambitious man! With his death in 1692, his collection was moved to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. More than half of his library was moved to the Bodleian Library, a magical place well known to us bookdragons. I have to mention that the greatest part of the library's entries are digitalised and available to public.
Despite his will to rise on social power, wealth and fame, he is more famous as an antiquarian and he completes the term "scholar". His passion to knowledge and possession of weird and curious things, assembles one of the most famous Museums and library collections up to date. One that righteously earns the title "The cabinet of curiosities". Personally, I would love to read his diary and the notes he left to be a part of a biography one day.
Finally, I will show you a few pictures of the Ashmolean Museum and the Bodleian Library.. I know you'll be drooling all over!
I'll be with you again soon enough! Have a fantastic day ahead, weird readers of this crazy world!
Sources: Wikipedia
Armorial.library
Great article dear!! Well written as always and enlighting in some parts of Ashmole's life i didn't know about.
That's a well-written article. I enjoyed it.