‘The Dignity that May Clothe a Tradesman’s Life’: Joseph Mayer and Antiquarian Patronage in Nineteenth-Century England

The nineteenth century saw an influx of men of trade into English antiquarian circles, a development that caused significant consternation among those who were accustomed to gathering in more rarefied spaces. However, devoting one’s life to scholarship was not inexpensive, and these self-made scholars were often left scrambling to find reliable sources of income on which to live. This essay reconsiders the intersection between class and scholarship especially among Anglo-Saxonists, by examining the life of Joseph Mayer (d. 1886), a Liverpool jeweller and silversmith, who is best known as a collector of antiquities and the co-founder of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire (1848). This essay explores the sources of Mayer’s growing wealth, the objectives of his investment in antiquities and the extent of his involvement in antiquarian societies in Liverpool, London, and abroad. We conclude that his identity as a tradesman was never fully erased by either his fortune or his scholarly contributions. We contend that an overlooked part of Mayer’s legacy is his patronage of middle-class scholars such as Charles Roach Smith, Thomas Wright, Frederick Fairholt, Joseph Pulzsky and Eliza Meteyard, each of whom helped document his collections but also counted upon his largesse. However, the dangers of relying on a private patron became apparent when Mayer’s interests changed later in life; the fact that so few other forms of support existed for scholars of modest background meant that many faced considerable challenges in finding financial stability in their final years.