Thomas Sharp Manuscripts

The manuscripts comprise Thomas Sharp's four volume biography of Dr John Sharp, Archbishop of York, to which annotations have been made by Sharp's son, Granville, and a manuacript entitled 'Remeberances for order and decency to be kept in the upper house of parliament by the lords', donated to the Founders Library, and possibly compiled by Sharp.

Thomas Sharp was born on December 12th 1763, the second son of John Sharp, Archbishop of York. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating with a BA in 1712, and receiving his masters in 1716. He was later made a fellow of the college.

On leaving university, Sharp was made a chaplain to Archbishop Dawes, and prebendary of Southwell. In 1719 he became prebendary of Wistow, York, and in 1722 was made rector of Rothbury and Archdeacon of Northumberland. That same year he married, and together he and his wife would have fourteen children, his ninth son being the MP and philanthropist Granville Sharp. In 1732, Sharp became the tenth prebnend of Durham Cathedral, and in 1755 was made Official to the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral. He died at Durham on March 16th 1758, and is buried in the cathedral.

Sharp published variously during his lifetime. He wrote a biography of his father, which was edited by Thomas Newcombe and published post-humously in 1825. An edition of his correspondence with Catherine Cockburn on virtue and moral obligation appeared in 1743, and his collected works were published in 1763.

The papers may be consulted through application to Peter Hopkins, Curator, Roderic Bowen Library and Archives, Trinity Saint David, Ceredigion, SA48 7ED. Tel 01570 424716, email: rodericbowenlibrary@tsd.ac.uk

Description compiled by Rhian Phillips, Archives Hub project archivist, with reference to the Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1885-1900).

See the Provisional Handlist to the Post-Medieval Manuscripts at the Founders' Library, University of Wales, Lampeter.

Further manuscripts and papers of Thomas Sharp are available at York Minster Archives and Gloucestershire Record Office.

Papers of Sharp's son, the politician and philanthropist Granville Sharp, are held at York Minster Archives; Gloucestershire Record Office; Beinecke Library, Yale University, USA; the New York Historical Society, USA; Boston Public Library, USA, and Lambeth Palace Library.

Papers of Dr John Sharp, Archbishop of York, are to be found at York Minster Archives; the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, York; London University Library, and Gloucestershire Record Office.

See Thomas Sharp, The Life of John Sharp, DD, Lord Archbishop of York..., (London: 1825), edited by Thomas Newcombe.