The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
William Lodge (1649 - 1689)
The son of a wealthy Leeds merchant family, he was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, and the Lincoln's Inn (Unwin, 210). He joined "Lord Bellasis (Thomas Belasyse), Viscount Fauconberg (or Falkenberg) on an embassy to Venice (1669-70), where he visited the public and private cabinets of his hosts" (Unwin, 210). An amateur artist, Lodge contributed engravings for Lister's Historiae Conchyliorum. He also contributed specimens for his collection (Unwin, 219).Lodge and a Captain T. Fisher, "an ingenious and curious Gentleman," visited the collection of Captain Hicks on 5 February 1675: "Hicks agreed that Lodge might 'take a draught of anything in his closett,' and the artist took the opportunity to illustrate his description of the collection with marginal sketches of fossils, curious stone and even a hummingbird" (Unwin, 219). Dictionary of National Biography entry: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16924?docPos=9 Artist - engraver
Relevant locations: Birth place in Leeds, Leeds Parish
Educated at Jesus College (Cambridge), Cambridge University
Relationships: William Lodge was a visitor to the collection of Hicks [Captain] (-fl. 1674)
William Lodge was a friend of Martin Lister (12 Apr 1639-2 Feb 1712)
William Lodge was a source of object(s) for Martin Lister (12 Apr 1639-2 Feb 1712)
William Lodge was a member of York Virtuosi (1670-1683)
T. [Captain] Fisher (fl. 1675-) was a associate or acquaintance (general) of William Lodge
Linked print sources: as Artist - engraver - Ducatus Leodiensis; or the topography of the town and parish of Leedes and parts adjacent ...
as Artist - engraver - Historiae sive synopsis methodicae Conchyliorum quorum omnium picturae ad vivum delineatae, exhibetur liber primus. Qui est de Cochleis Terrestribus.
as Artist - illustrator - A Letter of Mr. Martin Lister, containing his Observations of the Astroites or Star-stones; communicated to the Publisher Jan. 19. 1673/4.
as Artist - illustrator - An Extract of a Letter of Mr. Martin Lister concerning the first part of his Tables of Snails, together with some Quære's relating to those Insects, and the Tables themselves; sent to the Publisher from York March 12. 1673.
as Mentioned or referenced by - Henry Gyles, Virtuoso and Glass Painter in York, 1645-1709.
as Subject of/in a document - A Provincial Man of Science at Work: Martin Lister, F.R.S., and His Illustrators 1670-1683.
References in Documents:
first part of our Tables of Snails, and
some Quære's upon that subject; also the lively figure of
each Shell for illustation, done by Mr.
the Sea-shells and Rock-stones. That part, I send you at present,
being at a stand with me, those other increase upon my hands
daily; which though that be not a sign of Perfection (for there
is undoubted work for many ages,) yet it is of good advance
ment and progress; this other of the copiousness of the subject.
Again, in that part of the Tables, you have from me, Authors are
very little concerned; in the other of Sea-shells and Stone-like
Shells there are many authors, which are to be consulted and
taken in, if possibly we can understand them treating of the same
species. As for Rock-shells in particular, they come in to me in
greater numbers, than I could ever have imagined. And I can as
Species, I have now by me, found in
this Country alone, not any one can be sampled by any Sea,
Fresh-water or Land-Snail, that I have, or ever saw. So that
you see, I have still good reason to doubt of their Original,
besides many other arguments that my Observations about
Fossils do afford, and which you may possibly one Day see.
And that there are the elegant Representations of even
Bivalve-shells, which never ow'd their Original to any Animal, I
can demonstrate; and think none, that hath considered the
Thing with me, yet hath denyed: Of which hereafter. But
whether all be so or no, I choose this Method, as the most
convincing, viz. to give a Comparative View.
A Letter ofMr.
containing his Observations of theAstroites
orStar-stones;
communicated to the Publisher
Jan.19. 167¾
You are pleased to tell me, that my Notes concerning
certain Stones figured like Plants, found in the
these Tracts
mountains of
encourages me to give you the trouble of what I have
observ’d of the
other, but not found, that I know of, in the same Rocks. And
we must cross the plain Country, and seek for them hard under the
brought me from
my self have seen them dugg out of a certain blew clay on the banks
of a smal rivulet, betwixt the Town and the foot of the Woolds.
There are plenty of them washed into the brook; but the most fair
and solid are those we get out of the Clay.
I pretend not, to discover to you their Original, no more than
I did of the
the places, where they are found, to be a litle more searched than
is usual, I was by that means furnish't with a good quantity of
them; which gave me the opportunity to make the following Ob
servations
What light may be hence had, I leave tomore judici
ous
persons, acknowledging my self at present not to be able to
demonstrate (if they are not Stones of their own kind,) what they
have been before petrification.
It is very litle and inconsiderable, what any Author, that I have
yet seen, hath said of them; save a very brief description of them
in
bed.
The Matter and substance of these Stones, is broken, is slint-
like,
of a dark shining politure; but much softer, and easily cor
roded
by an acid
creep; but a stronger spirit, as of Niter, tosses them. I doubt
not, but they will readily calcine, as the
strong and white Lime.
These Stones (as we now find them) are all Fragments; as we
have noted of the
more joints set together, making a pentagonous Cylindrical figure
or five-sided column. And I have not yet had any piece much
above one inch long, which consisted of 18 joints; but I have seen
one piece, somewhat shorter than the former, which had 25 joints.
These last thin-jointed pieces are quite of a different make, as to
all circumstances, from the other, as will appear.
Every joint consists of 5 Angles, which are either drawn out and
sharp, and consequently the sides of pieces, made up of such joints,
are deep-channeled; (and this is the condition of some of the thick-
jointed
pieces, as well as of all the thin-jointed ones;) or the An
gles
are blunt and round, and the sides plain or very litle hollow
ed.
There are as big, and as smal pieces of this sort, as of any
other more sharp-angled; and therefore I account them a 3d. spe
cies
og Star-stone. And of this sort was, I guess, that piece which
blown Flower of Star.
Besides, the manner
of the engraving of the joints in every one of the 3 respective spe
cies
is also very different, as will be declared.
Where the joints are thin or deep, they are so equally
through
out the whole piece; yet are there some, but very few, excepti
ons to this also, of pieces which consist of joints of unequal thick
thought broader, or a very litle (landing out at the Angles, and
thereby the joints are distinguish'd into certain Conjugations of 2,
3, or more joints: And these Conjugations are very observable
in the thin-jointed stones, and are marked out with a sett of Wyers;
of which by and by.
The thickest piece, which hath yet come to my hands, is not
above one inch and a half about, and those very rare too: From
which size to that of a smal pin, I have all the intermediat
ons
tions
the greatest. Most pieces, if not all, of any considerable length,
are not straight, but visibly bent and inclining. All the pieces of
any sort are much of an equal thickness, or but litle tapering; yet
one of the ends, by reason of a Top joint, is visibly the thickest.
This Top joint hath 5 blunt Angles, and is not hatched or en
graven,
or but very faintly, on the outside. Every joint else of a
piece (save the top-joint) is an
both sides alike; and will accordingly serve for a Seal. The mid
dle
of each angle is hollow, and the edges of the angles are thick
furrowed: The terminations of these hatchings are the indented
sutures, by which the joints are set together; the ridges of one
joint being alternately let into the furrows of the other next it. The
Hatchings of the flat-sided pieces are in circular lines; but of the
other two species, they are straight lines, or near the matter.
In the very center of the 5 angles is a smal hole, conspicuous in
most joints. Note also, that in the middle of each joint, betwixt
angle and angle; in the very suture, is another such like smal pinhole
very apparent, if the stones be first well scoured.
Besides all the former particulars, there may be observ’d, in the
deep-jointed pieces, just under the top-joint, above described,
the
2, 3, or more of the joints of the Wyers yet adhering. These Wy
ers
are ever five in number, viz. one in the middle or hollow part
betwixt angle and angle. Again, in thin jointed pieces there are
ever five of these Wyers, or a sett
of them inserted into every conju
gation
of joints; so that it were some representation of the thing,
to imagine the stalk of
but that very rarely, (not in one piece amongst 500,) a sett of
Wyers in the middle of a deep-jointed piece. One thin-jointed
piece I have by me, where a Wyer of 20 joints and upwards (and
how much longer they may be, I know not,) lyes double within
the hollow side, and by that accident was preserved in its natural
place. Further, some lumps of Quarry I have from the same place
above-nam’d, where the Wyers as well as the Stones themselves are
seen in long pieces. It is no wonder, that these Wyers are knock
ed
off, and but very rarely found adhering to the Stones they belong
to, being very small and slender, of a round figure and smooth-
jointed,
being sett together
ture.
Nothing that I can think of, is so like these Wyers, as the
and others of them fairly subdivided or branched.
I have, by the assistance of Lodge
ticulars with Figures:
Of which this is the Expli
cation;*
1. The Top-joint of anAstroites figur'd on both sides; on
the one it is deep engraven, on the other the hatches are scarce vi
able. Also the ends of the 5 Angles are very blunt.2. A second or sharp-angled joint with fair hatchings on both
sides.3. A piece with very narrow and sharp angles. Also the Top-
joint designed, as it naturally appears smooth and without hatch
ings.4. A round-angled joint .5. A flat-sided piece ; where the hatchings are somewhat Cir
cular.6. A thin-jointed piece : Where note also, that the angles are much
narrower, and of a protracted Oval figure.7. The biggest piece I have yet seen. Note also its bending.8. The smallest piece I have yet met with.9. The longest piece ; where every 4th joint is a thought bigger
or more prominent than the rest; as in the 7th fig. also is well
designed.10. A large and round-angled or flat-sided piece ; to which be
longs that single joint noted fig. 4.11. A flat or not hollow-sided piece ; of which sort also is the
5th figure: The 10th and 4th not much differing.12. A thin-jointed piece ; where the conjugations are marked278
out by thevestigia of the several sets of Wyers or branches.13. A piece where the joints are un-equal in thickness.14. A piece with seme part of the Wyers yet adhering in their
natural order at the biggest end of the piece.15. A thin-jointed piece ; where note on the left side a single Wyer
accidentally preserved in its natural place, though snapt asunder.16. A thick-jointed piece with a set of Wyers in the middle of it.17. A good long piece of a Wyer, and a single joint thereof.
So far Rays
Notes upon these very Observations.
I was much taken, (saith he to Lister
ions
concerning the Star-stones, and inform’d in several particulars.
For, although I had often seen, and my self also sometimes gather’d
of those bodies; yet I did never curiously note the texture, parts
and differences of them. As for their Original, if you can allow the
not, why you should make any difficulty of admitting these to have
been so too; the several
Commissures not much different; only the external figure doth not
correspond. But it is to be considered, that many of the
have a pentagonous hole in the middle of them, which is we admit
for the receptacle of the pith, it will be as hard to exemplifie such a
figur’d pith, as such a figur'd stalk in Land-plants. Your note con
cerning
the Wyers springing out of the furrows or concave angles
of some of the
bodies to belong to the
ralline,
and the several sorts of
But no vegetable, either of Land or Sea, that I know of, hath such fre
quent
joints and short or thin
their own kind, whose
were Vegetables, I guess they were never soft; but grew upon the
rocks like Coral, and the other Stone-plants, just now mention'd;
hard as they are.
As for
jointed, as well as the Stalk: Else I know no plant that hath jointed
leaves; except some sorts of Rush-grass,
though those bristles of
setumRush-grass,
can properly be call’d Leaves, being round, and having no dif
ference
of upper and lower superficies. Now that I have upon this
occasion mention'd
have already publish'd to the world; That I have found, on the banks
of the Tanar
of
exactly like the plant, that all the
The colour of these petrified stalks was white.
Copper-Plates.
and inserted in pag. 98.)
Jo. Boulter Lambeth-House or Pallace
of
by the same ingenious Gent.
of uncertain Hands.
Glass-Painter at
Mezzo-Tinto, by the celebrated
with other
Curiosities, of
stem
from the
Mint for coining Brass-Pennies, when
private Tradesman
had Liberty of inserting their Names and Device (this is Beware of the Beare
Don. D. White Clothiers Seale.
therFaulty to mark the Delinquents.
Prints, Histories, Maps, &c. shall for Brevi
ty's Sake be wholly waved, (except some Prospects
betwixt
Evelyn Esq
the noted Nanteil, and are not to be met with, save in private
Hands.) But Designs drawn by the Pens of ingenious
Gentlemen
ought to be particularly valued. Of these I have some
noted
Hollars;
the Via Appia, &c. taken by
to
L L D, and Chancellor to four Archbishops of
Native of
Gentleman, particularly
Yorke, Leedes,
Durham, Newcastle, Berwick, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glascow, &c.Entrochi and Astroites,Multangular Tower and Roman Wall inserted in the
best Monument at
etched by
him:
Stories high of Arch-work, which is rare to be had, though
printed.Hen. Gyles
and
Light-HouseFran. Place
has
performed that Cathedral most accurately; as also both the
Churches and Prospect of
curious Pen of the incomparable Mr. Sharp, as he is stiled by the Pub
lisher of some of his accurate Performances (b)b) (a) Math. Tables contrived
after a most comprehensive Way, p. 55
ent to exhibit the Circumference of the Globe of the Earth, so tru
ly as not to err
the Breadth of a Grain of Sand in the whole."
These Artists are only mentioned last,
because still surviving.
painted with exquisite Art in the Parish Church of
J. Permentier
, giving an Account of the famousThe Painters Voyage
Paintings
in
; englished from theEngland
ItalianCopy, by
Will. Lodge
of
;Leedes
most eminent Masters,
Italy,
his
EnglishEdition, are a Specimen.
.Tabula
Araneorum cum
Titulis
Titulis
etch'd upon Copper byLambeth House
rW
m
Lodge
.Leedes
rHen: Gyles
Severall
taken atprospects
Rome
from the
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as also
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Astroites