# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hatcher, Thomas (d.1583)

​HATCHER, THOMAS (d. 1583), antiquary, was born at Cambridge, probably in St. Edward's parish, being son and heir of John Hatcher, M.D., sometime fellow of St. John's College there, and afterwards regius professor of physic and vice-chancellor of ​the university. He was educated at Eton College, whence he was elected in 1555 to King's College, Cambridge. He proceeded B.A. in 1559–60, and commenced M.A. in 1563. In 1565, being dissatisfied with the government of Provost Baker, he, with some other members of the college, wrote a letter of complaint against him to Secretary Cecil, to whom in 1567 he dedicated Dr. Walter Haddon's ‘Lucubrationes.’ At one period he studied the law in Gray's Inn, where he was admitted in 1565, and subsequently applied himself to medicine. He does not, however, appear to have practised either profession, his means being apparently ample. In the latter part of his life he resided on his father's estate at Careby, near Stamford, Lincolnshire. Cole describes him as ‘a great antiquary, a religious, learned, and honest man.’ He was on terms of intimacy with Dr. John Caius [q. v.], who in 1570 inscribed to him his work ‘De Libris suis propriis.’ John Stow was another friend and correspondent. He wrote to Stow from Careby, 18 Jan. 1580–1, asking him to publish Leland's ‘Commentaries,’ or whatever he had of Leland's whether Latin or English; recommends the publication of Stow's manifold antiquities under the title of ‘Stow's Storehouse;’ desires Stow to speak to Camden about printing the history of Tobit in Latin verse; and states that he intended a discourse about the authors cited by Stow in his ‘Chronicle’ (Harleian MS. 374, f. 14). Hatcher was buried at Careby on 14 Nov. 1583.
He married Catharine, daughter and heiress of Thomas Rede, son of Richard Rede of Wisbech, and had issue John, elected from Eton to King's College, Cambridge, in 1584, who succeeded to the estates of his grandfather, Dr. John Hatcher, and received the honour of knighthood; Henry, sometime of St. John's College, Cambridge; William; Alice, wife of Nicholas Gunter, sometime mayor of Reading; and other daughters.
Hatcher wrote: 1. ‘Catalogus Præpositorum, Sociorum, et Scholarium Collegii Regalis Cantabrigiæ, a tempore fundationis ad annum 1572,’ manuscript in Caius College Library, 173, f. 119; Harleian MS. 614; Additional MSS. 5954, 5955. Wood had a copy of this work, which he frequently quotes. The catalogue was continued to 1620 by John Scott, coroner of the college, from that year to 1646 by George Goad, and finally extended to 1746 by William Cole (1714–1782) [q. v.], whose ‘History of King's College, Cambridge,’ is now in the British Museum (Addit. MSS. 5814–17). 2. ‘De viris illustribus Academiæ Cantab. regiæ,’ manuscript. This is said to be in two books, in centuries, according to the method of Bale. 3. Latin verses (a) ‘On the restitution of Bucer and Fagius,’ 1560; (b) ‘In commendation of Bishop Alley's Poor Man's Library,’ 1571; (c) ‘In commendation of Carr and Wilson's Demosthenes;’ (d) ‘On the death of Nicholas Carr;’ (e) ‘On Frere's translation of Hippocrates;’ (f) ‘In Paracelsitas,’ MS. C.C.C. Oxon. 258, f. 67; (g) On the death of Dr. Whittington gored by a bull; in Foxe's ‘Acts and Monuments.’ Hatcher also edited Dr. Walter Haddon's ‘Lucubrationes et Poemata,’ 1567, and Dr. Nicholas Carr's orations ‘De scriptorum Britannicorum paucitate,’ 1576.
[Addit. MSS. 5815 p. 100, 24490 p. 316; Ames's Typ. Antiq. (Herbert), p. 698; Baker MS. iii. 323; Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr. i. 483, 569; Foster's Gray's Inn Reg. p. 65; Gough's British Topography, i. 185, 219, 234; Harl. MSS. 1190 f. 50 b, 1550 ff. 192 b, 202 b; Harwood's Alumni Eton, pp. 171, 194; Heywood and Wright's Laws of King's and Eton Colleges, p. 212; Masters's Life of Baker, p. 119; Smith's Cat. of Caius College MSS. p. 86; Cal. of State Papers, Dom. 1547–1580, p. 282; Strype's Works (general index); Tanner's Bibl. Brit. p. 384.]
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