RYMER, THOMAS (164 I-I 713 ) , English historiographer royal, was the younger son of Ralph Rymer, lord of the manor of Brafferton in Yorkshire, executed for his share in the terian rising" of 1663. Thomas was probably born at Yafforth Hall early in 1641, and was educated at a private school kept at Danby-Wiske by Thomas Smelt, a noted Royalist, and at Sidney Sussex college, Cambridge. He left the university without taking a degree. On May 2, 1666, he became a member of Inn, and was called to the bar on June 16, 1673. Rymer executed translations, wrote plays, prefaces and complimentary pieces. In 1692 Rymer became historiographer royal.
Within eight months of his official appointment Rymer was directed (Aug. 26, 1693) to carry out that great national under taking with which his name will always be honourably connected, and of which there is reason to believe that Lords Somers and Halifax were the original promoters. The Codex furls Gentium Diplomoticus (1693) of Leibniz was taken by the editor as the model of the Foedera. The plan was to publish all records of alliances and other transactions in which England was concerned with foreign powers from IIoI to the time of publication, limit ing the collection to original documents in the royal archives and the great national libraries. Unfortunately, this was not uniformly carried out, and the work contains some extracts from printed chronicles. From 1694 Rymer corresponded with Leibniz, by whom he was greatly influenced with respect to the plan and formation of the Foedera. While collecting materials, Rymer unwisely engraved a spurious charter of King Malcolm, acknowl edging that Scotland was held in homage from Edward the Con fessor. When this came to be known the Scottish antiquaries
were extremely indignant, and a controversy arose, the documents in which are now rare and valuable.
At last, on Nov. 20, 1704, was issued the first folio volume of the Foedera, Conventions, Litterae et cujuscumque generis Acta Publica inter reges Angliae et alios quosvis imperatores, reges, etc., ab A.D. 1101 ad nostra usque tempora habita ant tractata. The publication proceeded with rapidity, and 15 volumes were brought out in nine years. Rymer died after the appearance of the last volume, but he had prepared materials for carrying the work down to the end of the reign of James I. These were placed in the hands of Robert Sanderson, his assistant, who produced the remaining five volumes (1715-17 and 1726-35).
Rymer died at Arundel Street, Strand, on Dec. 14, 1713, and was buried in the church of St. Clement Danes. His will was dated July 10, 1713.
In 1810 the Record Commissioners authorized Dr. Adam Clarke to prepare a new and improved edition of the Foedera. Six parts, large folio, edited by Clarke, Caley and Holbrooke, were published between 1816 and 1830. Considerable additions were made, but the editing was performed in so unsatisfactory a manner that the publication was suspended in the middle of printing a seventh part. The latter portion, bringing the work down to 1383, was ultimately issued in 1869. A general introduction to the Foedera was issued by the Record Commission in 1817, 4to.
The best account of Rymer is to be found in the prefaces to Sir T. D. Hardy's Syllabus (1869-85, 3 vols. 8vo) .