John Latimer

John Latimer
Born	(1824-05-07)7 May 1824 Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died	4 January 1904(1904-01-04) (aged 79) Cotham, Bristol, England
Occupations	Journalist, antiquarian, historian
Employer	Bristol Mercury
Known for	The Annals of Bristol

John Latimer (7 May 1824 – 4 January 1904) was a British journalist, antiquarian, and historian. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he spent the latter half of his life in Bristol, where he served as the editor of the Bristol Mercury for twenty-five years.^[1] He is known for his multi-volume Annals of Bristol, which chronicle the city's history from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, and for his organisation of the city's ancient archives.^[2][3]

Early life

Latimer was born on 7 May 1824 in Newcastle upon Tyne.^[4] He was interested in English and history during his schooling and, starting at the age of twelve, maintained a diary of current events, a habit that preceded his later career as an annalist.^[5][6]

He began his professional life as a freelance journalist in Newcastle. His earliest contribution to historical literature was a continuation of John Sykes's Local Records, a register of events in Newcastle and the surrounding district.^[1][6]

Career

Journalism

In 1858, William Somerton appointed Latimer as the editor of the Bristol Mercury, a Liberal daily newspaper in the West of England.^[7][8] Upon moving to Bristol, he took an interest in the city's maritime character, particularly the ships sailing into the city centre near Queen Square.^[5]

Latimer served as editor until his retirement in 1883.^[7] During his tenure, the paper published a series of articles in 1883 by chief reporter James Crosby that investigated the extent of poverty in Victorian Bristol; this series has been described as the city's first instance of investigative reporting.^[9]

Historical work

The houses at Trelawney Place, Cotham, where Latimer wrote the Annals

While Latimer wrote ephemeral historical sketches during his journalistic career, his major works were produced after he retired. Working from the library of his home at Trelawney Place in Cotham, and later Redland, he dedicated his retirement to compiling the history of his adopted city.^[10][11]

His primary work was the Annals of Bristol, published in three volumes. Latimer wrote these in reverse chronological order:^[12]

• The Annals of Bristol in the Nineteenth Century (1887): Written first as Latimer had witnessed many of the events personally. This volume took four years to complete.
• The Annals of Bristol in the Eighteenth Century (1893): This volume took six years to research and write.
• The Annals of Bristol in the Seventeenth Century (1900): This volume required seven years of research due to the scarcity of periodical sources from the era. Latimer relied on State Papers, Corporation archives, the British Museum, and Privy Council minutes.^[12]

A 1998 review noted that Latimer's writing style blended dry records with a "sardonic sense of humour," often delivering critical verdicts on city councillors and influential figures such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel.^[2] Latimer was also active in the local antiquarian community. He served as a vice president of the Clifton Antiquarian Club, joined the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society on its foundation, and acted on its council. From 1894 to 1900 he was the Society's honorary secretary for Bristol.^[6]

Archival contributions

Beyond his writing, Latimer contributed to the organisation of Bristol’s historical archives. In 1896, the Museum and Library committee reported that Latimer had arranged and cataloged a collection of ancient deeds presented by the Rev. Samuel Seyer.^[13] He also organized manuscripts relating to the poems of Thomas Chatterton, including original letters from the Rowley controversy, and arranged the Rev. H. J. Ellacombe’s collections on campanology.^[13]

In 1900, a committee of citizens, including the Lord Mayor of Bristol, presented Latimer with a testimonial and a purse of over 100 guineas at the Council House in recognition of his services. In his acceptance speech, Latimer described himself as "one of the finest specimens of the human species called 'dry-as-dust'."^[12]

Personal life

Latimer remained a bachelor throughout his life.^[5] Contemporaries described him as an eligible partner, though he declined opportunities for marriage to focus on his work.^[5] Despite his position as a newspaper editor, he maintained a retiring disposition and avoided public notoriety.^[1]

He was known within his personal circle for his scholarship and for mentoring younger writers.^[1] He maintained close relationships with his sister, known as Miss Latimer, and Robert Welch, a fellow journalist and friend who predeceased him.^[4][14]

Death

Latimer died on 4 January 1904 at his residence, 3 Trelawney Place, Cotham, at the age of 79.^[11][1] He had continued working until shortly before his death; he had recently completed the manuscript for the History of the Society of Merchant Venturers of the City of Bristol and was engaged in arranging the city's ancient charters at the request of the Corporation.^[1]

His funeral was held on 6 January 1904. He was buried in the Unitarian burial ground at Brunswick Square, in a grave shared with his mother (who died in 1872) and Robert Welch.^[14]

Legacy

Latimer's memorial is located in the north transept of Bristol Cathedral.

Following his death, a committee of citizens commissioned a memorial tablet. On 14 January 1905, the tablet was unveiled in the north transept of Bristol Cathedral.^[4] Designed by H. Dare Bryan, the memorial consists of a slab of Vert des Alpes marble with a white statuary marble inscription panel, surrounded by bronze mountings in an eighteenth-century classic style.^[15]

By the mid-20th century, Latimer's grave in Brunswick Square had fallen into disrepair, with the headstone leaning significantly. It was subsequently restored and straightened by the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society.^[5] In 1964, on the 60th anniversary of his death, a quill pen was placed in the inkpot of the cathedral memorial as a tribute, and an essay competition was launched to encourage local history study among students.^[10]

Obituaries described Latimer as Bristol's "chiefest historian" of the modern era, and he was later referred to as "the Bristol Froissart".^[1][16] His Annals became sought after by collectors; by 1920, a set was sold at auction for £10, a record price for modern Bristol books at the time.^[17] His works were reprinted in the 1970s and remain standard references for the history of Bristol.^[18]

Selected works

• Latimer, John (1887). The Annals of Bristol in the Nineteenth Century. W. & F. Morgan. OCLC 558028236.
• Latimer, John (1893). The Annals of Bristol in the Eighteenth Century. Printed for the author (Butler & Tanner). OCLC 2996647.
• Latimer, John (1900). The Annals of Bristol in the Seventeenth Century. William George's Sons. OCLC 2996673.
• Latimer, John (1903). The History of the Society of Merchant Venturers of the City of Bristol: With Some Account of the Anterior Merchants' Guilds. J. W. Arrowsmith. OCLC 468838865.
• Latimer, John (1908). Sixteenth-Century Bristol (originally published as The Corporation of Bristol in the Olden Time). J. W. Arrowsmith (Bristol); Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. (London).

References

1. "Bristol's Historian". Western Daily Press. 5 January 1904. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Bristol Classics: John Latimer". Bristol Evening Post. 7 July 1998. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "John Latimer, 1824-1904: Recorded Bristol's history for the future". Bristol's Free Museums and Historic Houses. Bristol City Council.
4. "The Late Mr John Latimer: Cathedral Memorial Unveiled". Western Daily Press. 16 January 1905. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Wilding, Marjorie (14 April 1966). "Editor with a keen eye for history..." Bristol Evening Post. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Gray, Irvine (1981). Antiquaries of Gloucestershire and Bristol. Gloucester: Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. p. 119. ISBN 9780900197147.
7. Penny, John (2001). "All the News That's Fit to Print: A Short History of Bristol's Newspapers since 1702" (PDF). Local History Pamphlets (101). Bristol Branch of the Historical Association: 22. ISSN 1362-7759.
8. Lyes, John (2001). "Bristol 1901–1913" (PDF). Local History Pamphlets (104). Bristol Branch of the Historical Association: 11. ISSN 1362-7759.
9. Byrne, Eugene (25 March 2025). "How a 19th-century journalist revealed the extent of poverty in Victorian Bristol". The Bristol Cable.
10. "History at a halt: No one to take John Latimer's place". Bristol Evening Post. 21 February 1964. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Deaths: Latimer". Western Daily Press. 6 January 1904. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "The Annals of Bristol: A New Volume". Western Daily Press. 1 March 1900. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Local Notes". Western Daily Press. 8 December 1896. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "The Late Mr John Latimer: Funeral Yesterday". Western Daily Press. 7 January 1904. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "The John Latimer Memorial". Western Daily Press. 22 October 1904. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Notes of the day". Bristol Evening Post. 24 July 1918. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Notes of the Day". Bristol Evening Post. 6 February 1920. p. 4.
18. "The story of Bristol". Bristol Evening Post. 11 August 1971. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.