Antiquary; born at Farrington, Cheshire, England, in 1542; was a tailor in London until late in life, but at the same time was amassing an extensive knowledge of English antiquities, and was enabled by Sir Fulke Greville to publish a costly and valuable series of works. He published anonymously about 1590 a treatise on the “Genealogies of the Scriptures,” afterwards prefixed to the first edition of King James’s Bible (1611), but his first appearance as an author was in 1608, when he printed fifty-four maps of various countries and cities, and engravings of antiquities of England and Wales, which were incorporated into “The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain” (folio, 1611). In the same year he published his “History of Great Britain under the Conquests of the Romans, Saxons, Danes, and Normans.” Died in London, July 28, 1629.
He was first bred to a handicraft, and as I take it to a Taylor. I write not this for his but my own disgrace, when I consider how far his industry hath outstript my ingenuous education. Sir Fulk Grevill, a great favourer of Learning, perceiving how his wide soul was stuffed with too narrow an occupation, first wrought his inlargement as the said Author doth ingenuously confess, “Whose merits to me-ward I do acknowledge, in setting this hand free from the daily imployments of a manuall Trade, and giving it his liberty thus to express the inclination of my mind, himself being the procurer of my present estate.” This is he who afterwards designed the Maps and composed the History of England, though much helped in both (no shame to crave aid in a work too weighty for any one’s back to bear) by Sir Robert Cotton, Master Camden, Master Barkham, and others. He also made the usefull Genealogies preposed formerly to English Bibles in all Volumes, having a Patent granted him from King James, in reward of his great labours, to receive the benefit thereof to him and his. This was very beneficiall unto them, by composition with the Company of Stationers, until this licentious age, neglecting all such ingenious helps to understand Scripture, and almost levelling (if not prevented) the propriety of all Authors of Books. He dyed in London, anno 1629; and was buried in Saint Giles without Criplegate, in the same Parish with Master John Fox; so that no one Church in England containeth the corps of two such usefull and voluminous Historians. Master Josias Shute preached his Funerall Sermon: and thus we take our leaves of Father Speed, truly answering in name, in both the acceptions thereof, for celerity and success.
John Speed must be acknowledged to have had a head the best disposed towards history of any of our writers; and would certainly have outdone himself, as far as he has gone beyond the rest of his profession, if the advantages of his education had been answerable to those of his natural genius. But what could be expected from a taylor? However, we may boldly say, that his chronicle is the largest and best we have hitherto extant. It begins with the first inhabitants of the island, and ends with the union of the kingdoms under king James, to whom it is dedicated. Though some say he spent twice seven years in compiling the whole, he himself owns he made more haste than he ought to have done; and that he was forced to trust a deal of his work in the hands of his friends and journeymen. And the truth of this honest acknowledgment and confession is obvious enough to a discerning reader; who will easily find a mighty difference in the style, as well as matter of several of the reigns.
Dec. 9. Arch. A. Bodl. 89. “A Chronology from the Floud to our Saviour,” folio. ’Twas formerly Mr. Tho. Underhill’s, A. M. who gave it here. It cost him, as appears at the beginning, 3 libs. 6s. 8d. In the register it is expressed, that the author was Hugh Broughton. Upon which having recourse to Mr. Broughton’s works, before which there is put a preface, giving some account of his life, by Dr. Lightfoot; I find there, that Dr. Lightfoot tells us, that the first book which made Mr. Broughton known to the world was his publishing his book called, “A Concent of Scripture,” which came out 1588. Mr. John Speed, a man well known, was overseer of the press for its printing, a taylor by trade, but by acquaintance with Mr. Broughton, grown very studious in the scriptures, and by his directions grown very skillfull in them. While this was printing, Mr. Speed, by Mr. Broughton’s direction, gathered all the genealogies of the Bible into one view, and at last they were published under his name, in the form we have them before our Bibles. But it was Mr. Broughton that directed and digested them, and there are yet fair manuscripts of them to be shewed (amongst which this in the Bodleian library I take to be one, being a very fair neat book,) some whereof have the names in Hebrew and Greek, and some in the Latin letter, and in some of them Mr. Broughton’s own hand. And one that attended him, Dorman, or Dalman, or of such a name, had made such a collection, by the direction of his master, before Mr. Speed had collected his one view. Yet notwithstanding this, when the “Genealogie” came to be published, because the bishops would not suffer Mr. Broughton’s name to be prefixed, Mr. Speed went away with all the credit and profit.
His maps were very justly esteemed, and his “History of Great Britain” was, in its kind, incomparably more complete than all the histories of his predecessors put together.
In every respect, a work of very great merit.
These various works of Stow and Speed rank among the head sources or fountains of our knowledge in the department of national antiquities.
He was the first to reject the fables of preceding chroniclers concerning the origin of the Britons, and to exercise a just discrimination in the selection of authorities…. This collection was superior to any other that had appeared.
