It is evident that the Society was now in a most flourishing condition, and had obtained a position seldom, if ever, equalled by any Society in a provincial town. Extraneous assistance was, however, needed to sustain the interests of its members and maintain its prosperity. Papers were contributed, valuable books given, and interesting letters written by many who were not resident in the neighbourhood. These donations are still preserved with religious care. Some of the communications, e.g. from such men as Roger and Samuel Gale, Stukeley, the Earl of Oxford, Sir John Clarke, and others are of considerable interest. Four portfolios of drawings and engravings, several ancient manuscripts as well as books of reference, and many books printed in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries are still in the library. A commencement was also made towards forming a museum.
The Society annually added to its list of members the names of some of the most learned men of the day. Amongst these we find Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Hans Sloane, Edward Harley (Earl of Oxford), Roger and Samuel Gale, Dr. Stukeley, Beaupré Bell, Dr. Jurin, Dr. Mortimer (Sec. R.S.), Dr. Massey, Archdeacon Neve, Joseph Banks (father of Sir Joseph Banks), Samuel Wesley, Rev. Dr. Desaguliers (mathematician, a noted Freemason), Dr. Richard Bentley (at that time Master of Spalding Grammar School, but soon afterwards preferred to the Mastership of Trinity College, Cambridge), William Bogdani, George Vertue, R. Collins and Samuel Buck (the engravers), Lord Coleraine (Pres. Soc. Ant.), Dr. Dodd, Emanuel Mendez da Costa, Charles Jennings (Solyman the Magnificent), Dosithæus (Archimandrite, Abbot of the Monastery of Pantocrateras on Mount Athos), Martin Folkes (the numismatist), Captain John Perry (engineer to the Czar, Peter the Great, but about that time engaged in the drainage of Deeping Fen), Archdeacon Sharp, Rev. Richard Southgate, Thomas Sympson (of Lincoln), Chancellor Taylor, Browne Willis, John Grundy (engineer), and many others of eminence, who are too numerous to mention separately.
The attention of the Society was not confined to antiquities, but was also given to discoveries in natural history, to literature, to chemistry, to paintings, sculpture, mathematics, music, and, in fact, anything worthy the attention of cultured men of that period. It had a valuable collection of electrical apparatus. It possessed a physic garden. “We deal,” says Johnson to Archdeacon Neve in 1745-46, “in all the arts and sciences, and exclude nothing from our conversation but politics, which would throw us all into confusion and disorder.”
Antiquarian pursuits, however, are shown by the minute books to have been the favourite study. Scarcely a single meeting was held at which some antique specimen was not exhibited, or an address given on some antiquarian subject. Not only were papers concerning the monastic remains of the district and the architecture of its churches eminently interesting, but the secretary had inherited from his ancestor, Sir Richard Ogle, several manuscripts which had formerly belonged to the mitred Priory of Spalding. He had access also to many other documents in public and private collections. From these and other sources he was able to produce a history of the Priory, with an account of each Lord Prior in succession. This account was entered in extenso in the minute books. It is also recorded that he wrote an account of his native town. He exhibited charters of the Priory and various documents belonging to other places. He had an ample collection of ancient coins, some of which, judging by the illustrations in the minute books, were of considerable value. These were at times shown to the members, and his remarks thereon must have been of great interest. He wrote an essay on the Mint at Lincoln, which was published. He also wrote a lengthy account of the coins of Carausius and Allectus, which is in MS. in the keeping of the Society, as are also many other of his dissertations.
Encouraged by Mr. Secretary Addison, and Captain (afterwards Sir Richard Steele), Maurice Johnson prepared “a true, succinct, historical account of the Royal Society, as also of the restoration of our Antiquarian Society of London. These documents were obtained from him by Dr. Mortimer, under the assured promise of publishing them, and so introducing the better and fuller knowledge of us to the learned world, in a dedication, preface, or preamble to some volume of the Philosophical Transactions, wherein he proposed to give an account of all the Societies of Great Britain and Ireland, restored, re-established, or founded since the Royal Society.” It appears that the Society of Antiquaries was pleased with this account (and desired a copy of it), as was also the Royal Society. Dr. Mortimer, however, never published the account, and Maurice Johnson was unable to obtain the paper back again, though he several times applied for its return both personally and through his friends.
Another member who contributed much towards the success of the Society was Dr. William Stukeley. A native of Holbeach, he became a member of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, graduated M.B. in 1709, commenced to practice medicine at Boston in 1710, was admitted F.R.S. in 1717, graduated M.D., Cantab., in 1719, and became F.R.C.P., London, in 1720. Dr. Stukeley removed to Grantham in 1725; he then forsook the medical profession, and was ordained in 1729. He became vicar of All Saints’, Stamford, with St. Peter’s attached, in 1730. We find his name as one of the founders of the Egyptian Society in 1741, and in 1747 he accepted the rectory of St. George’s, Queen’s Square, London, on the presentation of the Duke of Montagu. The Society still possesses some forty of his communications, nearly all being illustrated. In this collection are a set of drawings of the figures on the west front of Croyland Abbey, and of the triangular bridge. These are now of value as showing the state of those structures in the year 1746. When in London in 1740 to 1750, he used to go to the meetings of the Royal Society, and on his return in the evening he wrote down what he could remember of the debates. In this manner he filled five small volumes, which were sent down to Spalding. These volumes were bound in vellum, and are still carefully preserved.
Stukeley’s publications were very numerous, and they contain many references to this Society. His Itinerarium Curiosum is dedicated to Maurice Johnson, to whom he was much indebted for assistance in composing his Medallic History of Marcus Aurelius Valerius Carausius.
Browne Willis, Roger Gale, and Beaupré Bell wrote many letters and essays which were read at the weekly meetings. George Vertue, among many other benefactions, presented to the Society a copy of “Justes at Westmʳ, the 12th of Febʳ., by the King, my Lord of Devon, Sir Tho. Knyvet, and Edw. Nevill, Aᵒ 1ᵒ H. viij.” It was long unknown who was the engraver, but the S.G.S. minute books prove that it was the work of Vertue himself. John Grundy, jun., engineer for the Deeping Fen drainage, drew the map of Spalding, surrounded by views of twelve ancient buildings in the neighbourhood of the town, which still adorns the Society’s room. This map has been since engraved, and even reproduced, by a firm at Chicago, to illustrate a volume on the family of Spalding in America. Dr. Bolton, of Boston, gave some engravings of Albrecht Dürer, Heinrich Aldegreve, and Callot, which were purchased by him in Holland.
Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, other societies were formed upon the same model at Stamford, Boston, Peterborough, Oundle, and Wisbech. At Lincoln, Worcester, Doncaster, and Dublin similar institutions also arose. Most of these soon became extinct. The Peterborough Society, established by Archdeacon Neve, lived sufficiently long to enable it to complete two or more volumes of minutes, becoming known as the Peterborough Book Society in 1810. It has now ceased to exist. The Brazenose Society at Stamford, established by Dr. Stukeley, did not long prosper, and an effort to revive it some time afterwards appears to have completely failed. Of the other societies little, if anything, is known. The Gentlemen’s Society at Spalding is probably the only survivor.
The esteem in which this Society was held is proved, not only by a number of letters written by leading men of the day, notably by Kortholt (Epist. ad Kappium de Soc. Ant. Lond. Lips. 1730, p. 6), but also by the action of the Royal Society who, by order of the president, showed its approval by sending their Transactions. The Society of Antiquaries also ordered all their works, “as published,” to be sent by their Directors. They also exchanged their papers, after having been read in London, for those read at Spalding. On the minutes of the Society of Antiquaries are recorded several of these communications, but the minute books of the Gentlemen’s Society show that a still larger number were sent up.