Alice Thornton

Introduction

Autobiography

Alice Thornton is known for her lengthy Autobiography, relating the often sorrowful events of her life, including the deaths of most of her children and of her husband, but nevertheless written from a devoutly religious perspective in terms of God's dealings and mercies to her.

No fewer than seven manuscripts of this Autobiography, the majority autograph and varying in content, are recorded (ThA 1-7), three of which were used in Jackson's edition in 1875 (*ThA 1, *ThA 4, ThA 3). The manuscripts had principally descended through the Comber family following the marriage in 1668 of Alice Thornton's daughter Alice (1654-1721) to Thomas Comber (1645-99), Dean of Durham. Since then they have been widely dispersed. Fortunately, two that were in private hands following their sale at auction in 1982 and 1994 are now reunited in the British Library (*ThA 1-2).

Others have since been lost, however. One (*ThA 5) was in private hands in the 1930s and is currently known only from a microfilm at Yale. In addition, a later copy of the Autobiography was made by her great-grandson Thomas Comber c.1800, a manuscript now at Yale (ThA 7), and some of the transcripts of manuscripts made for the 1875 edition are preserved in the county record office of the East Riding of Yorkshire (ThA 3).

Family Papers

The editors in 1875 also had access to other Comber family papers concerning Alice Thornton which have not been seen since then, one a memorandum book evidently related to the Autobiography (*ThA 6). Some of these papers were, however, edited in Appendices to that edition. They include (not given separate entries below):

(i) some thirteen letters by Alice Thornton, to her mother, husband, son Robert, and to Dr Tillotson (Jackson, pp. 289, 291-9, 303-11).

(ii) her last will and testament, dated 10 April 1705 (Jackson, pp. 332-9).

(iii) her inventory, dated 3 March 1706/7 (Jackson, pp. 340-2).

One further item is recorded in Jackson (p. 347) as some MS. of Mrs. Thornton, now lost, containing an account of the condemnation of Charles I. This account is reprinted by Jackson from the text in Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Thomas Comber, DD, ed. Thomas Comber (London, 1799).

Jackson also includes, on the title-page and p. 339, facsimiles of what is presumably Alice Thornton's autograph signature.

Abbreviations

Anselment: Raymond A. Anselment, Seventeenth-Century Manuscript Sources of Alice Thornton's Life, SEL, 45, 1 (Winter 2005), 135-55.

Jackson: The Autobiography of Mrs Alice Thornton of East Newton, Co. York, [ed. Charles Jackson, partly based on transcripts by Charles Best Norcliffe], Surtees Society, 62 (1875 [for 1873]).

*ThA 1

Autograph

Autograph autobiography, covering the years 1627-68, in Thornton's neat italic hand, arranged under headings, with a seven-page index between pp. 299 and 300.

The first MS used in Jackson's edition in 1875. Discussed in Anselment.

Autograph MS of the Autobiography of Alice Thornton, including some verses, 303 duodecimo pages, in contemporary calf gilt.

c.1668

Inscribed on a flyfeaf Ex Libris Tho. Comber De Creech St. Michael in Comitatu Somerset 1789. 1800. The Contents of this Book are written by the hand of Mrs Alice Thornton, the Great Great Grandmother of me Thomas Comber 1789. Owned in 1875 by a descendant of Alice Thornton, the Rev. Henry George Wandesford Comber, MA, Rector of Oswaldkirk. Sotheby's, 21 July 1980, lot 63, unsold. Sotheby's, 29 June 1982, lot 17, to Quaritch, with a facsimile example in the sale catalogue. Then owned by Paula Peyraud, New York State. Bloomsbury Auctions, New York, 6 May 2009, lot 464.

A microfilm of this MS is also in the British Library, RP 2346.

The British Library: Additional MSS, numbers 60000 through end (Add. MS 88897/1 The MS as a whole)

*ThA 2

Autograph

Autograph MS, in Alice Thornton's italic hand, covering principally 1668-9 with reminiscences of earlier times and other prayers and meditations, entitled An account of memorable Affaires, and Accidents, on my selfe, & Family, & Children. with Deliuerances, and Meditations thereon Since my Widdowed condition Since Sept: 17^th 1668, 216 quarto pages, in old calf gilt.

1668-9

Inscribed on a flyleaf A Manuscript written by My dear Grandmother M^rs. Thornton. Owned in 1875 by a descendant of Alice Thornton, the Rev. Henry George Wandesford Comber, MA, Rector of Oswaldkirk. Sotheby's, 13 December 1994, lot 44, to Quaritch, with a facsimile example in the sale catalogue. Then owned by Paula Peyraud, New York State. Bloomsbury Auctions, New York, 6 May 2009, lot 464.

The third MS used in Jackson's edition in 1875. Discussed in Anselment.

The British Library: Additional MSS, numbers 60000 through end (Add. MS 88897/2)

ThA 3

Transcript of MSS of the Autobiography, made by Charles Best Norcliffe in preparation for the printed edition of 1875.

Inscribed: The three volumes were lent to C B N by the Rev H G W Camber in the year 1861 and were abstracted and arranged as follows, with a view to printing the work. Circumstances postponing that design, and the Societys' editors being behind hand with their work, the secretary persuaded C B Norcliffe to give the Society all his labour, and all his notes, which were on separate pieces of paper, and allow Mr Charles Jackson to appear as editor on condition of his services being properly acknowledged.

c.1861

From the Howard-Vyse family of Langton Hall.

East Riding of Yorkshire Archives, Beverley (DDHV/75/3)

*ThA 4

Autograph

Autograph MS, written in a small hand, 291 pages (5" x 3"), in brown calf.

c.1668

Owned in 1875 by a descendant of Alice Thornton, the Rev. Henry George Wandesford Comber, MA, Rector of Oswaldkirk. Owned in the 1930s by Edward Philip Comber.

The second MS used for Jackson's edition in 1875 (briefly described p. xiv). Discussed in Anselment.

Untraced, miscellaneous ([Thornton MS (I)])

*ThA 5

Autograph

Autograph MS of possibly an early version, 194 folio pages including a five-page Index of this booke.

c.1668

Once owned by the Rev. M. E. P. Comber, Wrenbury, Cheshire.

A microfilm is at Yale, Sterling Library FILM MISC 326.

Untraced, miscellaneous ([Thornton MS (II)])

*ThA 6

Autograph

An autograph MS described in 1875 as a more tiny book, a small memorandum book three and a half by two and a half inches in size, and consisting of about 196 pages, which has the appearance of having been Mrs. Thornton's original Booke of Remembrances of all the remarkable deliverances of myselfe, husband, and childrens w^th their births and other remarks as concerning myself and family beginning from the year 1625.

c.1668

Owned in 1875 by Alice Thornton's descendant Thomas Comber, of Newton-le-Willows.

Described in Jackson, pp. xv, 347.

Untraced, miscellaneous ([Thornton MS (III)])

ThA 7

A fair copy of unpublished Memoirs of the Life and Death of M^rs. Alice Thornton...Collected from Mrs. Thornton's Manuscripts, And other authentic documents, By her G. G. Grandson Thomas Comber, A.B. Vicar of Creech - S^t. Michael, Somersetshire, And Editor of the Memoirs of Thomas Comber D. D. Dean of Durham [1799], including passages and quotations from MSS of her Autobiography, on 172 octavo pages, with a title-page and two pages of notes, followed (on twelve further pages) by A Brief Sketch of the life of Alice Thornton's father Christopher Wandesford (1592-1640), Lord Deputy of Ireland.

c.1800

Yale (Gen. MSS Vol. 335)

Introduction

Autobiography

Family Papers

Abbreviations

Prose

Contents