Joseph Williamson ( 1633 - 1701 )

Birth: Bridekirk, near Cockermouth, Cumberland, England, Europe (25 July 1633 ) Baptism: Parish church of Bridekirk, Cumberland, England, Europe (4 August 1633) Death: Cobham Hall, Kent, England, Europe (3 October 1701) Burial: Duke of Richmond's vault in King Henry VII's chapel, Westminster Abbey, London, England, Europe (14 October 1701) Occupation: Government official, diplomat, politician Research field: Antiquities Education: St Bees free grammar school, Cumberland; Westminster School (1648); Queen's College, Oxford; BA (1654), MA (1657); tutored in natural philosophy and chemistry by Peter Stael at Oxford; Incorporated at Cambridge (1659); Middle Temple, honorary call to bar (1664); Lincoln's Inn, honorary member (1672); DCL (1674) Career: Clerk to Richard Tolson, MP for Cockermouth; travelled in France and the Low Countries as tutor to young gentlemen (1655-1658); Fellow of Queen's College, Oxford (1658-1679); called to the Bar (1664); Founded the 'London Gazette' (1665); Under-secretary to the Secretary of State for the South, Sir Edward Nicholas then Sir Henry Bennett 'Lord Arlington' (1660-1674) imposing strict order on the administrative running of the office and exerting influence through this position; known to have gathered domestic and international intelligence especially on political plots, using a network of spies and infomers and has been described as de facto head of the restoration government's intelligence system (see DNB); Keeper of the King's Library at Whitehall and of the state paper office (1661); Assistant, Royal Adventurers into Africa (1664-1668), Royal African Company (1673, 1675-1677); Commissioner for Lotteries (1665); Commissioner for Assessment for Cumberland and Thetford (1673-1680), for Middlesex (1673-1679), for Westminster (1673-1674, 1679-1680), for Norfolk (1677-1680), and for Kent and Westminster (1689); Commissioner for seizing prohibited goods (1663); Contractor for the Royal Oak Lottery (1664); Editor of the Oxford Gazette, a newsletter which he used to disseminate offical news and government rhetoric (1665); MP for Thetford, Norfolk (1669, 1679, 1681, 1685), for Rochester (1690, 1701), for County Clare (1692), and for Limerick (1695); Clerk of the Council (1672-1674); played a prominant role in The Royal Declaration of Indulgence (1672) which briefly allowed greater religious freedoms in England before being repealed; Joint Plenipotentiary at the Congress at Cologne (1673-1674); Secretary of State (North) (1674-1679); briefly imprisoned in the Tower during the 'Popish plot' for having supposedly excused Catholics from taking oaths of allegiance whilst Secretary of State (1678); released from the Tower by order of Charles II but was soon after replaced as Secretary of State; Lord of the Admiralty (1674-1679); Privy Councillor (1674-1679, 1696-death); Assistant, Royal Fisheries (1677); Irish Privy Council (1680-1685, 1692-1696); Recorder of Thetford (1682); Joint Plenipotentiary at the peace conference in Rijswijk (Ryswick, 1697); Ambassador at the Hague (1697-1699); held antiquarian interests including in the ages of bibilical figures; a lover of music; benefactor of Queen's College, Oxford to which he bequeathed his library as well as funding buildings, including one designed by Christopher Wren FRS; bequeathed money to build a free school for boys at Rochester which is still called 'Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School' . Honours: Kt 1672 Memberships: Clothworkers' Company (Master 1675-1677) Membership: Original Fellow Election Date: 20/05/1663 Proposers: Thomas Povey (29 January 1662) Council: 1666 Secretary 1676; PRS 1677-1680; VP: 1686-? Committee appointments include: Correspondence Committee (1664) Committee for the Improving the English language (1664) Other RSActivity: Placed diplomatic channels at the Society's disposal for the transmission of foreign letters.