Person:James Medhurst (1)

Origins

James Medhurst was baptised on 29th March 1796 at Maresfield in Sussex, son of a Tunbridge ware turner named Thomas Medhurst and his wife Sarah. James's father is also known to have worked in the spa town of Tunbridge Wells, where he employed an apprentice in 1803, and then the adjoining parish of Frant where he took on another apprentice in 1808. Young James later claimed to be from Tunbridge Wells. As he was probably quite young when the family moved to the Tunbridge Wells area it is entirely possible that he genuinely believed this to be true. Alternatively, as he followed his father's trade and became a Tunbridge ware turner himself it may have helped his business for him to claim to be a native of Tunbridge Wells itself.

Marriage to Sarah Pollington

On 8th November 1812, when James was only sixteen and a half years old, he was married at Tonbridge in Kent to Sarah Pollington. The following year they had a daughter, Sarah, baptised at Frant in Sussex. At that time the town of Tunbridge Wells straddled the parishes of Tonbridge and Frant. Young Sarah's baptism records James's occupation as being a turner. Some time between 1813 and 1815 the family left the Tunbridge Wells area and moved to Brighton, where they had another two children in 1815 and 1819, although their daughter Sarah appears to have died aged four in 1817 and was buried in Speldhurst, adjoining Tunbridge Wells, implying a degree of ongoing movement. By 1821 they were living in Sompting, between Brighton and Worthing, where they had five children born between 1821 and 1832. Most of the children were baptised on the same day in August 1830 at Sompting, when James's occupation was described as a manufacturer of Tunbridge ware.

James is known to have discovered Roman remains at Lancing Down in 1828, which he excavated and for a time ran tours of the site. After the landowner reclaimed the land, James moved his museum of finds to his house at Sompting, before moving to Worthing.

Relationship with Phoebe Hammond

James's next confirmed sighting is in the 1841 census, by which time he appears to have left his wife and children; they were living in Worthing, but James had moved to Weymouth in Dorset and set up home with a young woman named Phoebe Hammond, with whom he had a baby daughter, Emma.

In 1843, whilst walking in the fields around Weymouth James noticed a large quantity of Roman pottery and coins. He carried out various researches and excavations and discovered that there had been a Roman temple at Jordan Hill, just east of Weymouth along the coast. He set up a small private museum in Weymouth, mirroring what he had done at Lancing.

By 1849 James was advertising in the local Post Office directory at Maiden Street in Weymouth, described as a "Tunbridge Warehouse". The 1851 census finds James, Phoebe and their daughter Emma visiting an inn at East Lulworth, a little way along the coast from Weymouth. In 1852 James is recorded as having voted in the general election for the Whig candidate in the Weymouth and Melcombe Regis constituency. By 1855 James was listed in directories at 9 Chesterfield Place, on the esplanade facing the main beach. James and Phoebe had a son, John Hammond Medhurst, born at 9 Chesterfield Place in 1856, some sixteen years after their other daughter. By this time James was sixty years old.

Later life and relationship with Eliza

By 1861 James and Phoebe appear to have separated. She was still living at 9 Chesterfield Place in Weymouth with their son John, but James had set up home in Cheltenham, living with a lady named Eliza from Chichester, who was described as his wife. As Eliza's surname is not given it is hard to be certain as to her identity. In 1863 James was advertising the opening of a new shop at 1 High Street in Worcester, apparently complementing another shop he was already running in Weston-super-Mare. The Worcester shop does not seem to have lasted long, and James had established his business in Great Malvern by 1872. James has not been found in the 1871 census, but it is worth noting that Phoebe seems to have followed his business - she was living at Weston-super-Mare in 1871 and by 1881 had moved to Malvern.

Back in Sussex, James's wife Sarah died in 1871. James must have stayed in touch with his children in Worthing despite having been separated from their mother for many years; when James died in Malvern on 4th November 1877 there was only a fifteen day gap between his death and his son George from Worthing securing a grant of administration of James's estate. George specifically described James as a widower, perhaps to make the point that neither of the women with whom he had been living more recently was his wife. James was about 81 when he died.

After James's death his collection of Roman artefacts from Jordan Hill in Weymouth was auctioned, with many of them becoming part of the Pitt Rivers collection. The 1881 census finds Phoebe living in Malvern with her niece, Eliza Edwards from Pagham, near Chichester. It is perhaps worth noting that Phoebe's niece Eliza has not been found in either the 1861 or 1871 censuses, raising the possibility that perhaps she was the Eliza who claimed to be James's wife in the 1861 census (and presumably in 1871 was wherever James was, as he has not been found that year). If so, this would mean James left his mistress for her niece, and that after his death both his mistresses ended up living together.

1. ↑ Maresfield, Sussex, England. Sussex Family History Group.

   ch. 29 Mar 1796, Maresfield, Sussex: James son of Thomas and Sarah Medhurst

   This baptism has been linked to the adult James Medhurst who became a Tunbridge ware manufacturer on the basis that the Thomas Medhurst father of this James was also a Tunbridge ware turner, and it can be shown that Thomas later was based at Tunbridge Wells (where he took on an apprentice), and James claimed to have been born at Tunbridge Wells.

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 295; Book 16; Folio 22; Page 38, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Maiden Street, Melcombe Regis (parish), Weymouth & Melcombe Regis (borough), Dorset
   James Medhurst, male, 40 [1796-1801], Turner, not born in county
   Phebe Medhurst, female, 30 [1806-11], not born in county
   Emma Medhurst, female, 11m [1840], born in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1856; Folio 275; Page 23, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: East Lulworth, Dorset
   Joseph Davis, head, married, male, 69 [1781/2], Innkeeper, b. Piddletrentive [sic], Dorset
   Mary Davis, wife, married, female, 70 [1780/1], Innkeeper wife, b. Beaminster, Dorset
   Charles Champ, son in law, married, male, 32 [1818/19], Carpenter, b. East Lulworth, Dorset
   Mary A.M. Champ, daughter, married, female, 29 [1821/2], Carpenter Wife, b. Poole, Dorset
   James Medhurst, visitor, married, male, 26 [1824/5], Manufactor, b. Tunbridge, Sussex
   Phebe Medhurst, wife, married, female, 39 [1811/12], Manufactor Wife, b. Tunbridge, Sussex
   Emma Medhurst, daughter, unmarried, female, 10 [1840/1], Manufactor Dau[ghte]r, b. Weymouth, Dorset
   Henry Snelling, servant, unmarried, male, 22 [1828/9], Labourer, b. West Lulworth, Dorset
   Jane Harvel, servant, unmarried, female, 19 [1831/2], House Servant, b. West Lulworth, Dorset

4. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 1797; Folio 93; Page 33, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: 44 Winchcomb Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
   James Madhurst, head, married, male, 64 [1796/7], Fancy work, b. Tunbridge Wells
   Eliza Madhurst, wife, married, female, 41 [1819/20], b. Chichester, Sussex
   John James, lodger, unmarried, male, 26 [1834/5], Laborer, b. Derby
   Henry James, lodger, unmarried, male, 23 [1837/8], Laborer, b. Derby
   William Harris, lodger, unmarried, male, 21 [1839/40], Laborer, b. Derby
   Thomas Wilson, nephew, unmarried, male, 14 [1846/7], Artist, b. Cheshire

5. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   Registration District Upton on Severn
   1877 Death in the Sub-district of Hanley Castle in the County of Worcester
   No.	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
   365	Fourth November 1877 Church Street, G[rea]t Malvern	James Medhurst	Male	81 years [1795/6]	Cabinet Maker	Softening of the Brain 3 months Dementia 24 days Gradual exhaustion Certified by W.H. Dawson M.R.C.S.	Jane Hinett Present at the Death 2 Imperial Cottages, Pool end Street, G[rea]t Malvern	Sixth November 1877	James Doughty, Registrar

   
6. ↑ Administration Grant (HM Courts & Tribunals Service).

   On the 19th day of November 1877,
   Letters of Administration of the personal Estate of James Medhurst late of Great Malvern in the county of Worcester Tunbridge Ware Maker deceased, who died on the 4th day of November 1877, at Great Malvern aforesaid a widower and intestate, were granted at the Principal Registry of the Probate Division of the High Court of Justice, to George Medhurst of Worthing in the county of Sussex Wood Turner the natural and lawful Son and one of the next of kin of the said deceased, he having been first sworn duly to administer.
   Effects under £1000
   No Leaseholds

7. ↑ Great Malvern, Worcestershire England. Great Malvern Cemetery Registers (Worcestershire Record Office, Worcester).

   REGISTER OF BURIALS in the GREAT MALVERN Cemetery
   No. of Entry: 1283
   Name of Person Buried: James Medhurst
   Description of Person Buried: Manufacturer of Tunbridge Ware
   Residence of Person Buried: Church Street
   Place where Death occurred: Church Street
   Age: 81
   Date of Burial: 1877 Nov. 9
   Ceremony Performed by: Rev. W.O.P. Ford
   No. of Grave Space: 2956
   In Consecrated Ground: Consecrated
   Signature of Registrar: John Simons

8.   London Evening Standard, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 3, 9 Oct 1828.

   ROMAN PAVEMENT
   WORTHING, OCT. 7. - The state of the weather is so favourable to out-door amusements, that all the vehicles for public accommodation are constantly employed, although, from the increased size of the town, and the consequent competition, they are now become very numerous. As the Roman pavement is now one of the lions of the neighbourhood (or, more properly speaking, the lion), it may not be uninteresting to the reader who has not had an opportunity of personally visiting it, to enter a little into detail on the subject. The discoverer, a person of the name of Medhurst, who has been for a series of years making researches on the Down, is by trade a turner of boxes, toys, &c., commonly called Tunbridge-ware. He possesses a very good natural understanding, which has been devoted partly to antiquarian reading; and to this bias is to be attributed his perseverance in pursuing for such of length of time his favourite object, and which ultimately has been rewarded by the discovery of this interesting relic of Roman antiquity.
   He considered the place before it was opened to be a large tumulus; but although much allowance is to be made for change of local appearance after a lapse of so many centuries, we do not think it carried with it any such form as to warrant his conjecture, its elevation being too trifling, and its shape too little defined in point of circular regularity to admit the supposition. In penetrating the centre, the pavement became exposed at the depth of three feet, and on clearing away the surrounding surface, its extent was found to embrace a quadrangular area of 40 feet; the central part containing a room of 16 feet square, the walls of which remained entire to the height of about 18in., built with the common flints found on the Downs, and a few bricks of Roman fabric inserted therein; and between this and the exterior wall the pavement is carried all round. In the centre of the middle room were found a quantity of ashes, among which were discovered twenty-five pieces of ancient British, Roman, and Saxon coins, in the highest state of preservation; and on the outside twelve pieces of silver coin, in a similar state, none of them duplicates; also, brooches, bracelets, combs, rings, beads, styles, fibulae, sword and arrow tips, buckles, &c.; and outside the quadrangle, a pottery with ashes, and other relics.
   It is the opinion of some antiquarians who have visited it, that it was a temple erected when the Romans first came into this country, but upon what data they found their conjectures we know not; considering the situation in which it stands, it is of all others most admirably adapted for a look-out station, and carries with it an extreme probability of having been the site of a watch tower.
   The tesselae, of which the pavement is composed, are, on an average, from an inch to an inch and a quarter square, all of the same kind of slate-coloured stone, not common to the Downs, but said to be found in Kent; they do not appear to have been laid in any kind of mortar or cement, and it is very remarkable that, under such circumstances, the level surface is so well preserved, or that so little deterioration has taken place. From the present discovery, a general wish is excited in Medhurst for the prosecution of further researches, and there is great reason to hope it may ultimately lead to others of greater interest.

9.   Lancaster Gazette, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 1, 15 Nov 1828.

   The Roman pavement on Lancing Down continues to attract a vast number of the fashionables from Brighton, Worthing, and Bognor. These beautiful remains of Roman taste were discovered on Good Friday last, by a Mr. Medhurst. The pavement was buried beneath what appeared to be a large tumulus. On removing the earth, a gallery, 40 feet square, was laid open. In the midst of it is a room, 16 feet square, the floor of which is a tessellated pavement in excellent preservation. This building, it is supposed, was formerly a temple, erected whilst the Romans were the governors and protectors of Britain. In the centre of the room were found a quantity of ashes, among which were discovered 25 pieces of Roman, ancient British, and Saxon coin; on one side of the edifice, 12 pieces of silver coin, no two pieces of which were alike, a considerable number of bracelets, rungs, beads, styles, fibulae, buckles, combs, and brooches, together with fragments of swords and arrows. Several graves are also to be seen, which contained vases, broken pottery of different kinds, with the ashes of the dead, rings, &c. that appeared to have been deposited with them. To those who seek for mere amusement, these remains cannot fail of yielding a few hours' pleasure; to the antiquary, they are a mine of wealth. - Brighton Gazette.

10.   Brighton Gazette, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    29 Sep 1831.

    ROMAN PAVEMENT NEAR LANCING
    We insert the annexed letter with much pleasure, and shall willingly assist the views of the writer, although the "stupendous mountains" of Sussex will probably raise many a smile.
    TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRIGHTON GAZETTE
    SIR, - As it is your duty, and will doubtless be your desire, to aid the development of any interesting feature in the County of which your paper is the public organ, - permit me to inquire, through this medium, the reason why there has not hitherto been published any account of the ancient remains discovered on the Downs near Lancing - so insignificant in themselves to the common observer, but so deeply interesting to any one with such a record to connect them with the history of our ancestors, - and the more so, inasmuch as they remain in the spot where they were found, and may be accompanied by the explanations of the individual who discovered them: - his name is Medhurst, an uneducated but intelligent man, who has spent fourteen years in exploring these Downs, so rich in Roman remains, and who attends daily during the summer season on the spot. He complains that the brief notice by Dr. Douglas, in his large work on these subjects, is imperfect at least, if not incorrect; and laments that no one has taken the trouble to draw up the particulars which he is so willing, and indeed anxious to afford. The bones and skulls of human beings, particularly one of the latter of extraordinary formation, - the ornaments, coins, vases, rings, &c., which are here seen, with the relation of their respective position on discovery, and the remarkable face of the country in these stupendous mountains, indicating the mighty works of man in earlier ages, would assuredly throw a considerable light on the manners and customs of the ancient Britons or their invaders, if not on the more remarkable events of history - confirming its facts, and confronting its inaccuracies. Though no antiquarian myself, I feel sufficiently interested with the subject, and the cheerful offer of Medhurst to suffer myself to be easily pressed into the service of accompanying him with a pickaxe and shovel, a few days since, into the surrounding country; where we spent a great part of the day in excavating a variety of places where appearances afforded a probability of finding any valuable relics; but though his labours were great, and, I may add, my patience not a little, we could trace nothing of importance, except that, as we disarranged the flints, we were disturbing the operation of hands which had doubtless mouldered into the dust many centuries ago.
    It is certainly to be regretted that the uninitiated visitors of this spot are not assisted by the learned in these matters, to fill up the picture of past times, of which these remains present such imperfect yet interesting touches; and in the hope that some one may undertake the task, I have been induced thus to address you. The Princess Augusta has evinced a great interest in them; and Medhurst has had the honour of twice attending upon her - he is a young man with a wife and six children, and resides in Lancing. What I would propose is, - that the account should be a brief one, drawn up by some eminent antiquarian, or at least, respectable person, with his name attached; and, after first appearing in your journal, that it should be printed in a small pamphlet, and sold on the spot, for the pecuniary benefit of the discoverer, and the intellectual advantage of the visitors of these interesting treasures. - I have the honor to remain,
    Sir,
    Your obedient Servant,
    HENRY BAILEY.
    Little Heene, near Worthing,
    7th Sept., 1831.

11.   Morning Post, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 2, 16 Sep 1844.

    BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
    CANTERBURY, Saturday, Sept. 14.
    ...
    Professor BUCKLAND then read a long and highly interesting paper on the discovery of the remains of a large Roman town near Weymouth, hitherto almost unknown, a slight notice only of it having appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine. The discovery of the remains of this Roman town was made by Mr. Medhurst, a person in humble life, who had gone to Weymouth to carry on his business of a turner. On walking over the ground he was struck with the number of broken pieces of Roman pottery and coins, and by continuing his researches he was enabled to trace out the plan of a large Roman town, capable of containing ten thousand persons. He had dug from the grounds many vases adjacent to skeletons. The bones were so numerous that the farmer who occupied the site actually manured his land with the bones of the ancient Romans...
    There was discovered on the site of the Roman town at Weymouth the remains of a square temple, and among the peculiarities of the place was an oval shaped well within the temple about fifteen feet deep, filled in a most remarkable manner. The sides of the well were lines with tiles to keep it dry, and in it were placed a series of layers consisting of two vases, covered with tiles, then a single sword, then strata of ashes, charcoal, bones of birds and a single coin. This series was repeated fourteen times, there being on a single sword and a single coin found in each layer of the series. The remains of a street had been traced, and the kerb stones of it had been found. The discovery was made in 1843 by Mr. Medhurst, by whom a section of the well had been executed with the oxydised iron of the swords found within it, and was presented to the meeting by Dr. Buckland...

12.   London Evening Standard, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 1, 16 Sep 1844.

    BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, CANTERBY, FRIDAY EVENING...
    Professor Buckland, F.R.S., made a communication on the recent discovery of a Roman town, with an adjacent temple, fortifications, and cemetery, in Dorsetshire, by Mr. Medhurst. It was situate at Jordan Hill, in the parish of Preston, but was now covered by an arable field.

13.   Sherborne Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    28 Sep 1844.

    WEYMOUTH
    At the general meeting of the British Archaeological Society, held recently at Canterbury, Professor Buckland made a communication on the recent discovery by Mr. Medhurst, of the remains of a Roman settlement, with indications of a temple, and other buildings, near Jordan hill, Preston, with a cemetery about a mile distant between that place and Weymouth. The discoveries have been made in an arable field, and the remains in this locality were so numerous and so near the surface that the plough could not pass over the spot without turning up Roman bricks, tiles, pottery, &c., in great quantities. Many bones of birds, sheep, and oxen, were found, under circumstances leading to the conclusion that they were the remains of former sacrificial offerings in the temple. These had been made use of by the farmers for manure, who had also found a great portion of the stones useful for the foundations of walls and bridges. Amongst other peculiarities was a large deposit of oyster shells, a circumstance to be accounted for by the fact that this fish was a favourite food with the epicures of the Romano-British times. Dr. Buckland also made a few remarks on the numerous hill-cities that surmount the chalk range of Dorsetshire and Wiltshire, and concluded by expressing his opinion that Weymouth was formerly an important Roman settlement.

14.   Evening Mail, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 6, 18 Nov 1844.

    ANTIQUITIES.
    (From the Oxford Herald.)
    At a late meeting of the Ashmolean Society, Dr. Buckland gave a detailed account of the remains of many Roman buildings discovered recently by Mr. Medhurst, near Weymouth. The neighbourhood abounds with vestiges of Roman occupation. The large military station and Roman walls, Roman camp, and amphitheatre, at Dorchester, contiguous to the gigantic British Triple Camp of Maiden Castle, are well known. The situation of Weymouth Bay and Weymouth Harbour close to the sheltered road of the Isle of Portland (Vindelia), and the distance of Dorchester from any other port, must have rendered Weymouth a most convenient and necessary naval station during the residence of the Romans in Dorsetshire. The nearest rising grounds on the north-west and north-east of Weymouth are strewed with fragments of Roman buildings, tesserae, bricks, pottery, and tiles, and small Roman copper coins. A large handsome Roman pavement was laid open, and covered up again by King George III.; and Mr. Medhurst has recently discovered the foundations of several villas, of a Roman Temple, and of a Roman road. Dr. Buckland supposes these villas to have been occupied by the families of Roman officers of civilians connected with their great military establishment at Dorchester. The most remarkable discoveries made by Mr. Medhurst in 1843, and visited in October last by Dr. Buckland and Mr. Conybeare, were the foundations of a temple on the summit of Jordan-hill, and of a villa, a quarter of a mile distant, in the meadow between this hill and the village of Preston.
    The temple appears to have consisted of a cella 24 feet square, surrounded by a peristyle, the walls of which enclosed an area 110 feet square. In the earth which occupies this peristyle Mr. Medhurst found more than four sacks of bones, and many horns (chiefly of young bulls), also many Roman coins, fragments of Roman pottery, cement, &c. Near the centre of the south wall were the foundations of steps, indicating the ascent to the door of the entrance, and four feet in advance of this wall are the foundations of four small columns. A layer of cement, which probably supported a pavement that has been removed, occupies the interval between these pillars and the foundation of the south front wall. Within the temple, in the south corner, was a dry well 14 feet deep, that had been filled in a very curious and unexampled manner. It was daubed all round with a lining or pargeting of clay, in which were set edgewise (like Dutch tiles round a fireplace) a layer of old stone tiles, which, from their pegholes, appear to have been used or prepared for use on roofs of houses; at the bottom of the well, on a substratum of clay, was a kind of cist formed by two oblong stones, and in this cist were two small Roman urns, a broad iron sword 21 inches long, an iron spear-head, an iron knife and steel-yard, two long irons resembling tools used by turners, an iron crook, an iron handle of a bucket, &c., but no bones. Next above this cist was a stratum of thick stone tiles, like those which lined the well, and upon it a bed of ashes and charcoal; above these ashes was a double layer of stone tiles arranged in pairs, and between each pair was the skeleton of one bird, with one small Roman coin; above the upper tier of tiles was another tier of ashes. Similar beds of ashes alternating with double tiers of tiles (each paid of which enclosed the skeleton of one bird and one copper coin) were repeated 16 times between the top and bottom of the well; and halfway down was a cist containing an iron sword and spear-head, and urns like those in the cist at the bottom of the well. The birds were the raven, crow, buzzard, and staling; there were also bones of a hare.
    Dr. Buckland conjectures that this building may have been a Temple of Esculapius, which received the votive offerings of the Roman families and invalids who visited Weymouth for sea-bathing and for health, the bones of young bulls found in the peristyle being those of the victims offered in ordinary sacrifice, while the smaller birds, whose bones are found so remarkably arranged in the well, may have been the votive offerings presented by those who received their cure from sea-air and sea-bathing, and possibly from the mineral waters of Radipole and Nottington, all in the salubrious vicinity of a temple which there is such professional reason for supposing to have been dedicated to Esculapius.
    Dr. BUCKLAND then described the remains of a villa in a meadow between Jordan-hill and the village of Preston, and exhibited specimens of tiles, both stone and brick, and various bones and the claw of an eagle, found in the ruins of this villa. In some fields also near Radipole, on the north-west of Weymouth, Mr. Medhurst has discovered Roman urns and human bones, and conjectures the spot in which he found them to have been used as a cemetery. The contiguous fields are covered with fragments of Roman bricks, pottery, and copper coins. One gold coin of Constantine, discovered here some time ago, is in the possessions of Mr. G. Frampton.
    Mr. DUNCAN expressed his approbation of the supposition that the remains of the large building are those of a temple of Esculapius; but he was unable to account for the pieces of money found with the skeletons of the birds, &c.
    Dr. BUCKLAND made some other remarks in support of his hypothesis, and then noticed the opening, a few years ago, of a Celtic barrow, near Dorchester, containing a human skeleton, within the ribs of which, in the region of the stomach, some seeds of wild raspberry were found; these, on being planted by Dr. Lindley, had not lost their powers of vegetation.
    Dr. DAUBNEY mentioned that a plant from one of these seeds is now growing in the Botanic-garden, Oxford.
    The PRESIDENT OF TRINITY noticed the fact that Melcombe, though commonly said not to be mentioned in Domesday Book, is recorded as "Terra Regis."
    The MASTER OF UNIVERSITY directed the attention of members of the society to the very interesting remains of Roman works and fortifications with which the neighbourhood abounds. An examination would well repay those who might have the opportunity of visiting that part of Dorsetshire.

15.   Reading Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    23 Nov 1844.

    SCIENTIFIC MEMORANDA, &c.
    ASHMOLEAN SOCIETY.-At a meeting of the Ashmolean Society, held on the 11th inst., at Oxford, Dr. Buckland gave a detailed account of the remains of many Roman buildings discovered recently by Mr. Medhurst near Weymouth, and particularly of a temple (supposed to have been dedicated to Esculapius) which received the votive offerings of the Roman families and invalids who visited Weymouth for seabathing and for health. The bones of young bulls, and of birds, offered in sacrifice, were found in the earth.

16.   Salisbury and Winchester Journal, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    30 Nov 1844.

    WEYMOUTH, November 30.
    Roman Antiquities. - Mr. Medhurst, of this town, who is indefatigable and generally successful, in his researches for subjects of an antiquarian character, having reason to think from the exterior appearance of the soil, contiguous to a reputed branch of Roman causeway, in a field leading to the village of Radipole, near Weymouth, that his researches in that direction would prove successful, commenced removing the turf on Monday last, and within two feet of the surface found, lying in different directions, and within a short distance of each other, seven skeletons. In two instances, two skeletons nearly crossed each other; and the heads of others came in contact with the feet of those nearest. One, the skeleton of a female, lying on her face, had her left arm laid athwart her back, and in her right hand held a knife of the shape of a pruning knife. Another had his left arm athwart his back, and lying on his face, and an urn was placed between the arm and his side. The urn came to pieces, notwithstanding the greatest care was used in its removal. Numerous remnants of pottery, evidently of urns, were found scattered among the soil, but not one perfect, they being all in a state of decomposition, owing to the dampness of the soil. Portions of pitching or pavement were met with, and from the general appearance it would seem as if there had been a partial disturbance of the ground at some previous period. The knife above-mentioned as being in the hand of the female skeleton, was given to Wm. Eliot, Esq., the owner of the field where the remains were discovered. Skeletons are frequently found in this vicinity. Several were lately discovered on Buckland Ripers Farm, and others on Tatton Farm, inclosed in stones placed edgeways, and covered over with flat ones. The downs abound with Roman remains in every direction. It is right to add, that the jaw-bones of sheep, ox teeth, and boars' teeth, as well as shells, were found with the skeletons at Radipole, also ashes and other matter, clearly denoting their having undergone the action of fire.

17.   Post Office Directory of Dorsetshire and Wiltshire
    1849.

    Weymouth
    Medhurst James, tunbridge warehouse, Maiden street

18.   Salisbury and Winchester Journal, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    1 Jun 1850.

    Dorsetshire
    Weymouth
    AMONG THE LOCAL attractions which present themselves to the notice of persons visiting this favourite watering place, not the least interesting in a general way, but more particularly so to the way-faring antiquary is Medhurst's museum of original British and Roman antiquities, this collection has been formed by the exclusively indefatigable perseverance of the proprietor, who has evinced much scientific research in this department, and has proved eminently successful in such localities, as he has singled out for investigation in this neighbourhood. No person who has a taste for the illustrative historical memoranda of "Times long past," should neglect visiting this varied mass of antiquarian lore.

19.   Southern Times and Dorset County Herald, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 4, 17 Jul 1852.

    LIST OF THE ELECTORS FOR THE BOROUGH OF WEYMOUTH & MELCOMBE REGIS, AND A REGISTER OF THEIR VOTES, At the ELECTION on FRIDAY, JULY 9th, 1852…
    MELCOMBE REGIS…
    Medhurst, James
    Freestun 1
    Butt 0
    Oswald 1

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weymouth_and_Melcombe_Regis_(UK_Parliament_constituency)#1832%E2%80%931885 (accessed 17 Apr 2020)
    According to the above page, Butt was Conservative, Freestun was Whig and Oswald was Peelite. Butt and Freestun won the borough’s two seats.

20.   Southern Times and Dorset County Herald, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 4, 26 Nov 1853.

    WEYMOUTH MUNICIPAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 21, 1853.
    Medhurst, James
    Kiddle 0
    Barling 1
    [Kiddle won by 198 to 165 votes.]

21.   Post Office Directory of Dorsetshire
    1855.

    Weymouth
    Medhurst James, tunbridge warehouse, 9 Chesterfield place

22.   Post Office Directory of Melcombe Regis
    1859.

    Medhurst, James, tunbridge ware manufacturer, 9 Chesterfield place

23.   Leicester Chronicle, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 3, 27 Apr 1861.

    Ethnology.
    ON THE DIFFERENT BREEDS OF MEN IN ENGLAND.
    The Ethnological Society met lately when a paper was read by Mr. D. Macintosh, "On the Results of the Ethnological Observations made during the last Ten Years in England and Wales."
    The author admitted the extreme difficulty of classifying the inhabitants of a country such as England, where so much crossing has occurred...
    Dorsetshire is remarkable for its Roman burial-grounds, and on examining a number of skulls, collected there by Mr. Medhurst, of Weymouth, the author found that in most instances the chin projected forward, similarly to the effigies on Roman coins...

24.   Worcester Journal, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 5, 18 Jul 1863.

    TUNBRIDGE WARE.
    JAMES MEDHURST,
    (from Tunbridge Wells, late of Weymouth,)
    5, FAIRLAWN BUILDINGS, WESTON-SUPER-MARE,
    Manufacturer of the Celebrated
    INLAID MOSAIC TUNBRIDGE WARE.
    BRANCH, NO. 1, HIGH STREET,
    NEAR THE CATHEDRAL.
    J.M. respectfully invites Public attention to his large STOCK of useful and ornamental articles of the above celebrated manufacture, which, for beauty of design and workmanship, rivals the boasted Mosaics of ancient and modern Rome.
    Amongst the Stock will be found Writing Desks, beautifully inlaid with Mosaic Figures and Wreaths; Work Boxes, Books Stands, Tea Chests and Caddies, and various
    other useful articles, ranging from 6d. to £5.

25.   Cheshire Observer, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    Page 5, 5 Mar 1864.

    LECTURE AT THE CORN EXCHANGE. Mr. D. Mackintosh, F.G.S., delivered an interesting lecture...
    ...Mr. Medhurst, the well-known antiquary, of Weymouth, had collected three or four hundred Roman skulls from various parts of Dorset...

26.   Kelly’s Directory of Worcestershire
    1870.

    No Medhurst listed at Great Malvern

27.   Post Office Directory of Worcestershire
    1872.

    Great Malvern
    Medhurst James, Tunbridge ware manufacturers, Church st

28.   Gazetteer and Directory of Worcestershire
    1873.

    Medhurst James, Tunbridge ware repository, Church street, Great Malvern

29.   Littlebury's Directory and Gazetteer
    1873.

    GREAT MALVERN ALPHABETICAL DIRECTORY
    MEDHURST JAMES, Tunbridge ware repository, Church street; and at High street, Weston-super-Mare

30.   Kelly's Directory of Worcestershire
    1876.

    Medhurst James, Church st. Gt. Malvern

31.   England. The London gazette. (London, England)
    6843, 27 Nov 1877.

    JAMES MEDHURST, Deceased.
    Pursuant to an Act of Parliament made and passed in the 22nd and 23rd years of the reign of Her present Majesty, cap. 35, intitled “An Act to further amend the Law of Property, and to relieve Trustees.”
    NOTICE is hereby given, that all creditors and other persons having any claims or demands against the estate of James Medhurst, late of Great Malvern, in the county of Worcester, and of Weston-super-Mare, in the county of Somerset, Tunbridge Ware Maker, deceased (who died on the 4th day of November, 1877, and to whose estate and effects letters of administration were, on the 19th day of November, 1877, granted to George Medhurst of Worthing, in the county of Sussex, Wood Turner, by the Principal Registry of Her Majesty’s Court of Probate), are hereby required to send particulars, in writing, of such claims or demands to the undersigned Solicitor, on behalf of the administrator, on before the 31st day of December next. And notice is hereby also given, that after that day the said administrator will proceed to distribute the assets of the said deceased amongst the parties entitled thereto, having regard only to the claims or demands of which the said administrator shall then have received notice; and that the said administrator will not be liable for the assets so distributed, or any part thereof, to any person of whose claim he shall not then have received notice. – Dated this 22nd day of November, 1877.
    RALPH CHAPMAN, Weston-super-Mare, Solicitor for the said Administrator.

32.   Kelly's Directory of Worcestershire
    1880.

    Great Malvern
    Medhurst James, tunbridge ware manufacturer, Church st

33.   Western Gazette (Yeovil), in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    23 Jan 1891.

    THE DORSET COUNTY MUSEUM
    ANNUAL MEETING
    ...From the forty-fifth annual report we take the following...
    ...Lastly, passing over some other things which would be specified but for want of space, Mr. Smith, East Street, Weymouth, who assisted the noted antiquary, Mr. Medhurst, in many of his researches, has given a valuable group of antiquities. The chief one is a fragment of a heavy disc of chalk, with mysterious holes in it. It may have been for a game, but neither Mr. Cunnington, Mr. Franks, nor General Pitt-Rivers can with certainty explain its use...

34.   Notes & Queries for Somerset and Dorset, Volume 11 (C.J. Creed, 1909, Somerset)
    1909.

    PRESTON, DORSET. ROMAN ANTIQUITIES. - In H. Hutchins' History of Dorset, Ed. 3, page 838, we have a long notice of the Roman and Romano-British remains discovered at Jordan Hill, in this parish, by Mr. James Medhurst, a former resident at Weymouth, and reported on by Dr. Buckland and Mr. Conybeare. In the forties of the last century Mr Medhurst had on sale, in his museum at Weymouth, an excellent collection of these antiquities. A printed bill, enumerating some of the articles is in my possession. I append a copy.
    Weymouth. W. BOWLES BARRETT [listed on page v as Barrett, W. Bowles, Esq., 2, Belfield Terrace, Weymouth.]
    MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES
    illustrating the Celtic, Roman, and Saxon Eras in Britain,
    collected by
    JAMES MEDHRUST,
    No.9, ESPLANADE, WEYMOUTH.
    Within the present century, to designate a man an Antiquary, was covertly to insinuate an opinion of declining years and weakened intellect. The stream of knowledge has, however, swept away the mud of vulgar prejudice, and the Antiquary of to-day is the acknowledged pioneer of History. The Naturalist builds a successful theory upon a single bone of some unknown animal of an extinct world, and the Antiquary, upon the evidence afforded by a few fragments of bronze, or morsels of pottery, interprets the unwritten story of bye-gone ages.
    The immediate neighbourhood of WEYMOUTH has ever been esteemed rich in antiquities, and visitors to J. MEDHURST'S Museum may learn much of the manners and customs of Britain's ancient people, and of the denizens of Roman DURNOVARIA, by studying the extensive series of relics here collected.
    The anxious ear that listened to the Roman bell of bronze, has long been closed to earthly sounds; the heart that throbbed when first that bracelet clasped the arm, has been dust for ages; yet, bell and bracelet have defied the effects of time. Though wax and tablet whereon the General embodied his dispatch, - the lover traced his hopes, - the maid her fears - have both decayed, the stylus still remains in mockery of fleeting years. Here is the simple flint weapon of the ancient Celt, beside the sword that graced a Roman thigh; there the rude beads of the ancient Briton in contrast with the richly ornamented fibula of the more luxurious Roman; - the primitive arrow point of bone, - the spear for war or the chase, - locks, that might give a hint to modern mechanists, - keys, once the jealous guards of treasures long dispersed, the matron's shears, - the comb that smoothed the maiden's hair, and pins that confined its braided length, - the rich and highly prized Samian ware, with less costly pottery, - all in a state of preservation perfectly startling, and collected within a circle of a few miles of Weymouth.
    PRESTON, DORSET. ROMAN ANTIQUITIES. - In H. Hutchins' History of Dorset, Ed. 3, page 838, we have a long notice of the Roman and Romano-British remains discovered at Jordan Hill, in this parish, by Mr. James Medhurst, a former resident at Weymouth, and reported on by Dr. Buckland and Mr. Conybeare. In the forties of the last century Mr Medhurst had on sale, in his museum at Weymouth, an excellent collection of these antiquities. A printed bill, enumerating some of the articles is in my possession. I append a copy.
    Weymouth. W. BOWLES BARRETT [listed on page v as Barrett, W. Bowles, Esq., 2, Belfield Terrace, Weymouth.]
    MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES
    illustrating the Celtic, Roman, and Saxon Eras in Britain,
    collected by
    JAMES MEDHRUST,
    No.9, ESPLANADE, WEYMOUTH.
    Within the present century, to designate a man an Antiquary, was covertly to insinuate an opinion of declining years and weakened intellect. The stream of knowledge has, however, swept away the mud of vulgar prejudice, and the Antiquary of to-day is the acknowledged pioneer of History. The Naturalist builds a successful theory upon a single bone of some unknown animal of an extinct world, and the Antiquary, upon the evidence afforded by a few fragments of bronze, or morsels of pottery, interprets the unwritten story of bye-gone ages.
    The immediate neighbourhood of WEYMOUTH has ever been esteemed rich in antiquities, and visitors to J. MEDHURST'S Museum may learn much of the manners and customs of Britain's ancient people, and of the denizens of Roman DURNOVARIA, by studying the extensive series of relics here collected.
    The anxious ear that listened to the Roman bell of bronze, has long been closed to earthly sounds; the heart that throbbed when first that bracelet clasped the arm, has been dust for ages; yet, bell and bracelet have defied the effects of time. Though wax and tablet whereon the General embodied his dispatch, - the lover traced his hopes, - the maid her fears - have both decayed, the stylus still remains in mockery of fleeting years. Here is the simple flint weapon of the ancient Celt, beside the sword that graced a Roman thigh; there the rude beads of the ancient Briton in contrast with the richly ornamented fibula of the more luxurious Roman; - the primitive arrow point of bone, - the spear for war or the chase, - locks, that might give a hint to modern mechanists, - keys, once the jealous guards of treasures long dispersed, the matron's shears, - the comb that smoothed the maiden's hair, and pins that confined its braided length, - the rich and highly prized Samian ware, with less costly pottery, - all in a state of preservation perfectly startling, and collected within a circle of a few miles of Weymouth.
    Conspicuous amid several hundred urns, exhumed from the extensive Roman cemeteries in the neighbourhood, will be found a large bowl of Samian ware, as perfect now as in the hour it was interred, a touching offering of affection to the memory of the dead.
    The Numismatist will derive pleasure in inspecting the coins of gold, silver, and bronze, - the Phrenologist may find food for speculation in the skulls of both the ancient British and Roman people, - and the lovers of Archaeology cannot fail to feel an interest in the large collection of antiquities here displayed.
    Admission, One Shilling, from 10 to 4 o'Clock.

35.   Amehurst Antiques, accessed 17 Mar 2015.

    "James Medhurst was the only 19th century Tunbridge Ware maker known to have worked outside the counties of Kent & Sussex. He worked in Worthing & Weymouth and had an interest in history & archaeology. He was particularly known for using timbers salvaged from shipwrecks."

36.   pages/History/Roman Temple on Lancing Down in West Sussex/Lancing Roman Temple.htm North Lancing, accessed 23 Mar 2015.

    "Mr Medhurst and the Lancing Temple in the 19th Century
    In the 1820s the "ruins" of the Roman Temple were discovered by a certain Mr Medhurst. Mr Medhurst, something of an entrepreneur, opened an exhibition in a hut that he erected on the site and charged visitors to view objects found. A few years later, he then grubbed up all the remains of the building and removed them to his (still unknown) house in North Lancing!"