Camden, William
Camden, William (1551–1623) [Bi].British antiquary, historian, and traveller. Born in London the son of a painter, he attended St Paul's School and then proceeded to Oxford where he was a student at Broadgate Hall (later Pembroke College). About 1575 he became a master at Westminster School and remained there for the rest of his life. He was appointed headmaster in 1593. During his time at Oxford he made frequent excursions into the countryside to inspect antiquities of various sorts, encouraged by patrons such as Sir Philip Sydney and Fulke Greville. As a result he began making notes of his observations and discoveries, eventually becoming more familiar with the antiquities of the country than anyone else alive. This material was gathered together in his principal work, the Britannia, the first edition of which was published in 1586. It includes important early accounts of such major monuments as Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall. His intension,...
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