amusement, yet were his pleasures ever confined within the bounds of innocence. Without Without envy, as without guile, he was made happy by the happiness of others; nor was he ever kept back from benefiting them, when in his power, by selfish or interested motives. To various institutions in support of the cause of Religion and Virtue, he was a liberal benefactor; while, at the same time, his private benevolence flowed in many and copious channels. A friend to the distressed of every description, his head and his heart were ever disposed to relieve, and his counsel to direct them; not satisfied with the occasion of doing good as it offered, he was active to find out opportunities of assisting others; and fre quently searched, in the recesses of poverty, for objects worthy of his care, for whom his tender concern visibly shone forth in the mild sensibility of his eye and the benignity of his countenance. Nor, in this enumeration of his virtues, ought his singular discharge of the duties of filial piety to be omitted; to whose silent calls within his own heart he was ever attentive, and to whose dictates his most favourite pleasures and pursuits were subservient. To all these essential virtues he added the engaging qualities of unvariable urbanity, mildness, and goodtemper; which, as they endeared him through life to a numerous circle of friends, so have they caused him to be most sincerely and generally lamented in his death (an event which, to complete his truly Christian character, he bore with entire resignation, though called away from life at so early a period, and from the prospect of every enjoyment which life seemed capable of bestowing)—and, indeed, while goodness can command respect, benevolence can attach, and amiableness can charm, the remembrance of so much departed excellence cannot but remain indelibly fixed in the minds of all who knew him."

Strongly as the character of Mr. Jackson is here pourtrayed, a personal knowledge enables us to say it is by no means exaggerated."Seen him I have,

and

and in his social hours."-I have witnessed his attention to filial duty, his beneficence to the distressed, his unbounded benevolence; and shall point out some specimens of his poetical talents that stamp considerable celebrity on him as a Writer*. - In the "History of Fotheringay, 1787," Bibl. Top. Brit. No XL. p. 79, are some beautiful "Verses," by Mr. Jackson, "on the Removal of what has been inconsiderately supposed the Tomb of Mary Queen of Scots, but is really the Shrine of St. Tibba, from the Cathedral of Peterborough to the Dean's Garden."-In the Eighth Volume of the "Select Collection of Poems, 1782," "On the sudden but unexpected Arrival of the Messenger of Herne; inscribed to Mr. and Mrs. Duncombe," p. 31; "Skaiting, a Poem," p. 39; "Heroic Epistle from De la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, to Margaret, Queen of Henry VI." p. 99.-"Stanzas written amongst the Ruins of Canterbury Cathedral, part of which is converted into a Fives Court, a Cockpit, and a Bowling-green."

No XI. CHRISTOPHER HUNTER, M. D.

an eminent Physician at Durham, was son of Thomas Hunter, gent. of Medomsley, in the county of Durham, where he was born in 1675. He was educated at the Free-school at Houghton le-Spring, founded by the famous Bernard Gilpin and John Heath, esq.; and was admitted at St. John's College, Cambridge, in or about the year 1692, under the tuition of Mr. Thomas Brown, Author of "The . detection of the falsehood of the Nag's head consecration," and the learned Mr. Thomas Baker, whose sister Margaret married the Doctor's elder brother, John. He continued there till he took his bachelor's degree, 1698; and then settled in practice at Stockton upon Tees, having received a competent fortune

* See Verses on his death, Gent. Mag. vol. LIX. p. 448. † Ibid. p. 936.

from

from his father. He had a faculty, or licence, dated 1701, from Dr. John Brookbank, Spiritual Chancellor at Durham (who died suddenly at Cambridge, senior fellow of Trinity Hall 1724), to practise physic through the whole Diocese of Durham. In 1702 he married Elizabeth, one of the daughters and co-heiresses of John Elrington, esq. of Aspershields, Northumberland; with whom he had a good fortune.

He caused a square stone to be put over the porch leading into Houghton school, with this inscription: "Schola de Keepier, ab Eliz. Angliæ Reginâ, An. MDLXXIV fundata, ex procuratione J. Heath, Ar. et B. Gilpin, Rect. Eccl. Houghton,

C. H. M. B. Alumnus posuit, An. MDCCXXIV." After some years, he removed to Durham; and, though he published little, was always ready to assist in any literary undertaking. He is acknowledged by Mr. Horsley and Mr. Gordon to be very exact and masterly in the knowledge of antiquities. Dr. Wilkins mentions him with respect in the Preface to the first volume of his "Councils," to which he furnished some materials, and Mr. Bourne was obliged to him in compiling his "History of Newcastle."

He published a new edition of "The Ancient Rites and Monuments of the Church of Durham, 1733," without his name; and "An Illustration of Mr. Daniel Neale's History of the Puritans, in the article of Peter Smart, A. M.; from Original Papers; with Remarks, 1736," 8vo; both printed at Durham, by Isaac Ross.-In April 1743, he published Proposals for printing by subscription, in two volumes quarto, "Antiquitates Parochiales Dioc. Dunelmen. hucusque ineditæ, &c." collected from the Archives of the Church, the Chancery Rolls there, and from the Consistory Court:" but no further

* The accident of a bottle of ink being spilt over the original of Magna Charta at Durham, mentioned by Mr. Justice Blackstone, whereby it was in some degree obliterated and defaced, was, I am sorry to say, owing to the Doctor's carelessness; for which he was ever after exeluded the Library.

progress

progress was made towards publishing that work.

In 1757, he retired from Durham, with his family, to Unthank, an estate of his wife's, in Shotley parish, Northumberland; where he died in the night between the 12th and 13th of July following; and was buried in Shotley church, with this epitaph: "Here lye the remains of Christopher Hunter, M. D.

a learned and judicious Antiquary and Physician. He was the only child of Thomas Hunter, of Medomsley, Gent. by Margaret his second wife. He married Elizabeth one of the daughters and co-heiressess of John Elrington of Aspershields, esq. by whom he had two sons and a daughter. He died 13th of July, An. Dom. 1757, in the 83d year of his age."

Though, by his father's bounty and his wife's fortune, Dr. Hunter was possessed of a sufficiency, his remarkable moderation in respect of fees, and contempt of riches, joined to a want of œconomy, greatly impaired his fortune. His wife, to whom he had been married 54 years, survived him; as did Thomas his eldest son. John, the youngest son, and Anne the only daughter, died long before him.

The Doctor was in his person slender and wellmade, above the middle size, very temperate in his diet, and drinking only water at his meals, to the use of which he restrained himself after a fall from his horse, in consequence of free drinking while at College about 1708 or 1709, by which he received so violent a shock as greatly endangered his life, and for a long time affected his intellects. To supply the disuse of fermented liquors, he had recourse to coffee, of which he would drink frequently twentyfour common cups in a day. To the immoderate use of this liquor were probably owing the short fits, like epileptic ones, to which he was subject, which went off in two or three minutes, and left him as well as ever. Till within a few years of his death, he was able to walk eight or ten miles together.

He was well skilled in Books and Medals; and much the greatest part of his large and valuable Li

brary

brary was sold, in 1748, to John Richardson, Bookseller, of Durham, for about 350l. His Medals and MSS. consisting of many volumes of Collections for a History of the County, written in a very fair and curious hand*, were purchased by the Dean and Chapter for 40l. and deposited in their Library.

James Mickleton, of Gray's Inn, esq. possessed many valuable papers, mostly collected by his grandfather, who held a public office at Durham.

Similar Collections had also been made by Mr. Spearman§, Under-sheriff of the County of Durham,

* All his books, printed or MS. had a border of red lines. † By a letter from R. Sare to H. Wanley, dated Dec. 3, 1719, (Harl. MSS. 3792, 217,) this gentleman seems to have come to an "unfortunate death: being in bad circumstances, he took to drinking; his estate in the Bishopric was mortgaged; and upon his death there were many claims on his effects, till the arrival of his brother, a merchant at Newcastle. Mr. Spearman, an intimate friend of his, delighting in such curiosities as he had, would probably endeavour to purchase them." What became of them afterwards, does not appear. Mr. Gyll had a few; particularly an edition of Guillim with many marginal notes. Le Neve purchased of his executors Faithorne's Plate of Sir Henry Spelman in Stuk. Itin. I. xv. and four of Hollar in the Aspilogia. Mr. Allan had his Pedigree of the Talbots. Davis addresses his "Rites of Durham" to him, 1671. He died 1693, aged 56, and was buried in the Minster-yard, Durham, where on a very large altar-tomb of blue marble, (now scarcely legible) is this inscription :

"CHRISTOPHORUS MICKLETONUS, in Villa de Mickleton `in Agro Eboracensi natus, nuper Hospitii Cliffordiensis London, alumnus, et Attornatus admodum exercitatus, peritus, et fidelis, hic requiescit in Domino. Obiit 26° die Augusti, Anno Domini 1669, ætatis suæ 56. Ac etiam IACOEI MICKLETON, Ar. J. C. filii primogeniti præfat. CHRISTOPHORI еx prima uxore sua, qui obiit 5o die Augusti Anno Domini 1693, ætatis suæ 56."

James Mickleton married a daughter of Sir Robert Eden, the first Baronet of the family; but left no issue, so that the family is extinct. He owned Cookhall, near Durham.

They consisted of Registers, Charters, Church Antiquities, and other original papers, in about 20 folios. Mr. Rudd communicated some extracts out of them to Bp. Gibson, who inserted them in his "Britannia."

§ Mr. John Spearman, who was Under-sheriff of the County twenty-eight years, and Register of the Court of Chancery here forty years, drew up, in 1697, an Abstract of the antient state of the County, from Records, at the request of Bp. Nicolson.

After