FOSBROKE, REV. THOMAS DUDLEY, the only child of Mr William Foebroke, whose progenitors for several generations had been clergymen, was born iu London 27th May 1770. He was educated at St. Paul's School, whence he was elected in 1785, to a Teesdale scholar ship at Pembroke College, Oxford. lie took his degree of M.A. in 1792; and the same year obtained tho curacy of Horsley, in Glouces tershire, which be held till 1810, when he became curate at Walford in Herefordehire. lie was presented to tho vicarage of Walford in 1830, and ho died there on tho let of January 1842.
Mr. Fosbroko first made himself known as an author in 1706, by the publication of a poem entitled 'The Economy of Monastic Life, as it existed in England, with Philosophical and Archaeological Illustrations,' 4to. It is in the Spenscrian stanza, but in the style, as well as in the title, it was intended, it seems, as an imitation of Darwin's ' Economy of Vegetation.' It is reprinted at the end of the third edition of his `British Monachism.' That work, the full title of which is British Monachism, or Manners and Customs of the Monks and Nuns of England,' first appeared in 2 vols. 8vo in 1802 ; a second edition, much enlarged, was published in 1 vol. 4to in 1817 ; and after the author's death a third edition in 1 vol. 8vo, was brought out under the care of his son, the Rev. Tate Foebroke, vicar of St. Ives; London, 1843. In 1807 Mr. Foebroke published by subscription two volumes 4to of 'Abstracts of Records and MSS. respecting the County of Gloucester,' forming a contribution of raw materials for a county history. Soon after his removal to Walford, in 1810, he is said, in the published by his family, to have illustrated the unpublished atatnes in Mr. Hope's collection ; but what may be the precise meaning of that we do not know. About this time he was much incommoded by the bankruptcy of Sir Richard Phillips, the publisher, for whom be had made considerable progress in compiling a work to be entitled an Archaeological Dictionary. In 1814 he published 'A Key to the New Testament, or Whitby's Commentary abridged ; ' in 1819, An Original History of the City of Gloucester,' 8vo ; in 1820, The Wye Tour,' 8vo, several times reprinted ; in 1821, Ariconensia, or Archaeological Sketches of Ross and Archenfield,' 8vo; and in 1821, Abstracta and Extracts of Smyth's (MS.) Lives of the Berkeleya.' His principal
work, 'The Encyclopaedia of Antiquities, and Elements of Archaeology,' came out by subscription, in 2 vols. 4to in 1824; and a second edition, in 1 vol. Svo, appeared in 1840. It was followed by a ' Picturesque and Topographical Account of Cheltenham and its Vicinity,' 8vo, 1826 ; The Tourist's Grammar,' 12mo, the same year ; and 'Foreign Topo graphy, or an Encycloptediac Account. alphabetically arranged, of the Ancient Remains is Asia, Africa, and Europe, forming a sequel to the Encyclopaedia of Antiquities,' 4to, 1828. His narrow circumstances were somewhat relieved by his being elected, in 1827, au honorary associate of the Royal Society of Literature, which brought him an allowance of 100/. a year till the royal bounty was withdrawn from the society in 1831. Besides the above works he contributed some papers on English history to the volumes of the Transactions of the Society of Literature;' was a regular correspondent of the Gentle man's Magazine' for several years previous to the termination of the original series of that work in 1834; and wrote three or four minor works.
Mr. Foebroke possessed a considerable knowledge of English anti quities, and also of general archaeology, in the study of which departments of inquiry he had spent his life ; and his Enoyclopmdia of Antiquities' and 'British 3lonaeltiam' are convenient books, though rather of reference than of authority. He had no accurate learning, and his judgment and acuteness were about on a level with his scholarship. All his books are rather popular compilations than anything higher.
Mr. Fosbroko married in 1796 Miss 'Jewel of Horsley, by whom he had four sons and six daughters. Seven of his ten children survived him.
(Autobiographical sketch prefixed to 4to ed. of his Enc. of Antiquities, 1824 ; memoir prefixed to Brit. Nonachiem„ ed. 1843 ; and Gentleman's 111 ag., Feb. 1842.)