Second Generation  

3. Sir, John THANE [4450] (Peter¹) was born on 12 Aug 1747 and died on 3 May 1818 at age 70.

General Notes: An extract from the Dictionary of National Biography reads:-
JOHN THANE [1748-1818]
printseller and engraver, born 1748, carried on business for many years in Soho, London, and became famous for his expert knowledge of pictures, coins and every species of 'vertu'. He was a friend of antiquary Joseph Strutt, who at one period resided in his family. He collected the works of Thomas Snelling [q.v.] the metallic antiquary and published them with an excellent protrait drawn and engraved of himself. On Dr. John Fothergill's death in 1870 his fine collection of engraved portraits were sold to Thane, who cut up the volumes and disposed of the contents to the principal collectors at that time. Thane was the projector and editor of "British Autography: a collection of the Facsimiles of the Handwriting of Royal and Illustrious Personages, with their Authentic Portraits", London [1793] 3 vols. A supplement to this work was published by Edward Daniell, London [1854] with a protrait of Thane prefixed, engraved by John Osborne, from a portrait by William Redmore Bigg. Thane died in 1818. his protraits were sold in May 1819.

In and eMail dated June 3, 2004, Edward Thane said:-
"I have been in touch with Essex Records Office and have gleaned more information on John Thane, I suspected he might have been married twice because found reference to a John Thane marrying Mary Lord Snelling 25 November 1770, now John was in partnership with a Thomas Snelling(1712-1773) he was a well known Numismatist who published three major works on English coins, 1762-6. I have found the Christening details for Mary Lord Snelling and sure enough Thomas Snelling was her father and Elizabeth was her mother.

In Charles Stuart Thane's(1857-1878) version of the family tree he stated that John Thane was married in Bocking, Essex, as I stated earlier I contacted the Essex Records Office yesterday and they came up with the following information:

John Thane, widower of St Anns Soho, Middlesex and Elizabeth Seamer Flack of this parish spinster married by licence, 1 January 1776.

Both signed the register, Elizabeth spelt her middle name as Seymour, The witnesses were a William Flack, an Ann Flack[?] and an Ellen Amey."

In a further email, dated January 22, 2009, Edward Thane sent a Document attributed to Timothy Clayton and Anita McConnell, that said:-
"Thane, John (1747?-1818), dealer in prints, medals and manuscripts, may have been the child born in Westminster on 12 August 1747, the son of Peter and Susan Thane. His elder sister, Susanna, survived him. Thane collected the writings of the numismatist and printseller Thomas Snelling (1712-1773) and published them as Snelling on the coins of Great Britain, French and Ireland ... containing seventy copper plates (1762-74) with an excellent portrait drawn and engraved by himself. On 25 November 1770 Thane married Snelling's daughter Mary Lord (b. 1739). Her death may have ended this brief marriage, for about 1776 he married Elizabeth Seymour Flack (d. 1824). She, with four sons, Thomas, William, Charles and John, and three daughters, Ann Charlotte, Elizabeth, and Maria, outlived him.

In 1772-5 Thane was living at 24 Gerrard Street, Soho, London, and from here he published regular catalogues of his retail stock of prints. He was a friend of Joseph Strutt, engraver and antiquary, who lived for a time in Thane's household; Thane published Strutt's Regal and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of England in 1773. By 1781 Thane had moved to Rupert Street nearby, where he dealt in manuscripts, coins, and medals, becoming well known for his expert knowledge of these, besides pictures, and other objects of virtu as well as prints. In 1781 he took on a second shop with the printseller Anthony Toore: they insured the contents of this 'shop and the Warerooms communicating in the brick dwelling of Mr Greenwood auctioneer situate no. 28 Haymarket' for 1000. The new outlet was probably dedicated to modern prints, for from about this time Thane became a significant publisher of contemporary pictures in stipple. He guided the formation of several notable print collections including that of the banker William Esdaile. He himself was particularly interested in antique portraits and autographs. The collections of some 2000 portraits assembled by John Nickolls and sold at his death to Dr John Fothergill were sold at Fothergill's death in 1780 to Thane for either 150 or 200 guineas (sources differ); he broke up the volumes and disposed of the portraits to the principal collectors of the time.

Thane edited and published British autography: a collection of facsimiles of the handwriting of royal and illustrious personages, with their authentic portraits, issued in three volumes, probably in 1788-93. A memorial portrait of Thane by John Ogborne after William Redmore Bigg was used as a frontispiece to the second edition. Thane died in May 1818, probably at his home, Spur Street, Leicester Fields, London; he was buried on 10 May at St Anne, Soho. Between November 1818 and May 1821 his extensive stock of prints, coins and medals, diverse items and lastly his copperplates, went through the salerooms in London and Paris, contributing to an estate valued at nearly £14,000."

John married Mary Lord SNELLING [23068], daughter of Thomas SNELLING [23069] and Elizabeth [23070], on 25 Nov 1770.

John next married Elizabeth Seymour FLACK [4451] on 1 Jan 1776 in Essex England. Elizabeth was born on 8 Jan 1757 and died on 19 Nov 1823 in Gloucester Place, Kentish Town at age 66.

Children from this marriage were:

   6 M    i. George THANE [4452] was born on 8 Feb 1777 and died on 18 Dec 1796 at age 19.

George married Elizabeth [17061].

   7 F    ii. Anna Charlotte THANE [4458] was born on 23 Jun 1778, was baptised on 12 Jul 1778 in St Anne Soho London England, and died in 1830 at age 52.

Anna married John Louis PREVOT [17062].

   8 M    iii. John THANE [4453] was born on 7 Aug 1779 and died on 29 Aug 1779.

   9 F    iv. Elizabeth THANE [4459] was born in 1780 and died on 8 Feb 1842 at age 62.

   10 M    v. Thomas THANE [4454] was born on 8 Jun 1782 and died on 1 Jan 1846 at age 63.

+ 11 M    vi. William THANE [4389] was born on 18 May 1784, was baptised on 17 Jun 1784, died on 24 Nov 1850 at age 66, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery Middlesex England.

+ 12 F    vii. Maria? THANE [4460] was born on 8 May 1788 and died on 28 Feb 1862 at age 73.

   13 M    viii. John THANE [4456] was born on 2 Apr 1791 and died on 5 Apr 1791.

   14 M    ix. John THANE [4457] was born on 1 Apr 1794 and died on 5 Jun 1817 at age 23.

   15 M    x. Charles THANE [4455] was born on 12 Apr 1796, died in 1834 at age 38, and was buried in Buried in Ashbourne Churchyard.