The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700

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Heinrich Ludolff Benthem (2 Nov 1661 - 9 Jul 1723)

A Lutheran clergyman and consistorial councilor in Harburg. Visited and described the collection of the Anatomical School in Oxford in 1694. Other biography: http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/B44945.html Traveller
Visitor
 Relevant locations: Housed collection or remnant at Oxford Anatomy School, Schools Quadrangle
Residence at Harburg, Bavaria
 Relationships: Oxford Anatomy School (-) was a visited by Heinrich Ludolff Benthem
Linked print sources: as Author (in assoc. with a ms or print source) - Engeländischer Kirch- und Schulen-Staat.
 References in Documents:
An Exact and particular Account of the rarities in the Anatomy School (Oxford MS Rawlinson C. 865) Also seen by Benthem, 1694
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach]

Afterwards we looked at the pictures in the gallery and then at the coin-cabinet. on the left. It is with pleasure that one views the illustres sacrosque vultus. To name them in order would be too troublesome, especially as Benthem has mentioned the most important in his (Englischer Rirch=und Schulen=Staat). The coin cabinet, as can be observed from the inscription therein as well as from the Ritterplatz: Tom. II. p. 83, is by the brothers Frecke andof Hannington.

[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach] In a case, all kinds of Indian and other articles of dress, amongst them those from Davis StreetStrait of which Benthem speaks, p. 327
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach] The great corn or clavus, of which Benthem treats on the above-mentioned page 327. It looks more like a big nail than a bunion or com. Dr. Plot mentions it in his Natural History of Oxfordshire.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach] Further we saw the skeleton of a pigmy, mentioned by Benthem, p. 327. This skeleton has very white, sharp teeth. One would take it for the skeleton of a monkey; it is not an ell high. Dr. Edward Tyson, [*] Dr. Edward Tyson sent in June 1700 a number of books to Dr. Hudson for the Bodleian Library. He asked Dr. Hudson to accept a copy of his book "Ourang Outang"; this book was in fact on the dissection of a chimpanzee. Hearne sets out a long letter written by Tyson. in his treatise, Orang Outang sive homo Sylvestris, in which he also treats de Pygmaeis makes mention of this. The Librarian insisted on his opinion that it was an old man, because it had all its teeth. But could it not be a child which had cut all its teeth? If it is an old man he must have been a very small dwarf : for that it was really a pygmy credat Judaeus Apella, non ego ...
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach] A bone of unheard of size, reported to have been found underground in St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Benthem mentions it at the same place, p. 327, but he mistakes when he says it is the thigh-bone of a cow. For firstly the cow would be a giant, and secondly it is not a thigh-bone but the os femorale, and thirdly it is not two ells but as we measured it 3½ span and nearly two spans in thickness.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach] Likewise the skeleton and stuffed skin of a woman who had had 18 husbands and was hanged because she had murdered 4 of them. The skin may with good reason be called tanned leather. Benthem makes mention of this skeleton also, p. 310, and says that it is kept in Collegio S. Johannis. Perhaps it was there at that time and only brought here later. He is also mistaken when he mentions only 17 husbands, as there were 18. On p. 327, he also speaks of a stuffed Moor being here. But this is absurd, as there is no such thing to be found in the place, unless he took a complete mummy for a Moor. From this it can be seen how badly one can err when a thing is only superficially observed.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach]

At last, in the afternoon, we inspected the Ashmolean Museum, and this time only the museum itself and the natural history specimens to be found there. They are in the biggest and most important room or hall in the than from inside. Below is a spacious place of honour or vestibule, and, on the left, the library of Thos. WoodAnthony Wood. Down in the vestibule stands the great iron cradle of which Benthem makes mention. On the walls of the staircase hang many pictures but they are nothing very special. Arrived at the top of the stairs, one sees another door which leads into the little room in which is the Bibliotheca M Sta Ashmoleana. But this time, as stated, we only saw the museum. This is in the hall at the top of the stairs to the left. For England the natural history specimens to be found here are in fair order. But on our first entrance we wondered not a little that there should be such talk made over this museum outside this island, and more particularly of course within it. For to take one instance, Herr Bürgermeister Reimers in Lüneburg. who is only a private person, has certainly as many specimens again as one meets with here and far more important ones.

[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710 in the company of his brother Johann Friedrich Uffenbach]

It should be remarked that this laboratorium was much used by the Royal of London Society in its early stages, when it was in its most flourishing state, and many valuable experiments and discoveries were made here. But after the Society had become proud and great and had established itself in the capital, as usually happens, it deteriorated, and this shall be told in its proper place. At the same time, it is lamentable that, after the Society had changed to London for good, this excellent laboratorium has not been maintained in the condition so praised by Benthem, p. 350. seq.

[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710, Gunther translation] Indian and other garments, some from Davis Straits. Cf. Benthem.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710, Gunther translation] The large corn or Clavus, mentioned by Benthem, p. 327. It was probably a large nail.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710, Gunther translation] An unheard-of large bone, said to have been found in the ground under St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Benthem is not right in describing it as the hip-bone of a Kühnen. It is a femur, 3½ spans long, and nearly 2 spans thick.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710, Gunther translation] Skeleton and stuffed Skin of a Woman who had eighteen husbands, and, because she killed four of them, was hung. The skin may justly be called well-tanned leather. Benthem mentions the skeleton being in St. Johns in his time, but he errs when he speaks of seventeen husbands: there were eighteen.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710, Gunther translation] Benthem's 'Stuffed Moor' is an amusing mistake for a Mummy which he saw here. It just shows what mistakes are possible, when things are only looked at superficially.
[Excerpts from Zacharias Uffenbach's diary of his visit to Oxford in 1710, Gunther translation] Cranium hunanum with the quatuor tuberculis, just as Benthem has it.