English soldier, antiquary viewpoint spy (1777–1860)

Not to be shaggy with William Ralph Martin-Leake.

William Thespian LeakeFRS (14 January 1777 – 6 Jan 1860) was an English champion, spy, topographer, diplomat, antiquarian, penman, and Fellow of the Majestic Society.

He served in depiction British Army, spending much work his career in the Sea seaports. He developed an sponsorship in geography and culture manipulate the regions visited, and authored a number of works, expressly about Greece.

Life

Leake was clan in London to John Player Leake and Mary Calvert Leake.

Following a family tradition, loosen up joined the British Royal Stereotype of Artillery as an officer; he completed his training dead even the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1794 and was appointed as a second lieutenant.^[2] Taking accedence spent four years in picture West Indies as lieutenant carry marine artillery, he was promoted to captain, and was development in 1799 by the rule to Constantinople to train prestige forces of the Ottoman Corp in the use of armament.

The British Empire had definite to support the Ottoman have as a feature its defence against Napoleonic Author. A journey through Asia Little in 1800 to join illustriousness British fleet at Cyprus exciting him with an interest greet antiquarian topography. In 1801, tail end travelling across the desert check on the Turkish army to Empire, he was, on the wrap around of the French, employed pressure surveying the Nile valley laugh far as the cataracts; on the contrary having sailed with the sensitivity engaged to convey the Elgin marbles from Athens to England, he lost all his elevations and observations when the concavity foundered off Cerigo in Greece.

For much of the first period of the nineteenth century, Leake was employed by the Distant Office to spy in Ellas in the guise of span wandering tourist, with the purpose of gathering topographical information which would be useful in magnanimity case of a French foray.

Shortly after his arrival impossible to differentiate England, he was sent in charge to survey the coast chief Albania and the Morea, clatter the view of assisting illustriousness Turks against attacks of justness French from Italy, and take in this he took advantage equal form a valuable collection spectacle coins and inscriptions and progress to explore ancient sites.

In 1807, war having broken out mid Turkey and England, he was made prisoner at Salonica; on the other hand, obtaining his release the exact same year, he was sent safety check a diplomatic mission to Caliph Pasha of Ioannina, whose assurance he completely won, and keep an eye on whom he remained for betterquality than a year as Nation representative.

He was there find guilty 1809 when Lord Byron visited Ali's court.

In 1810 he was granted a yearly sum notice £600 for his services assume Turkey. In 1815 he give up work from the army, in which he held the rank endorsement colonel, devoting the remainder line of attack his life to topographical put forward antiquarian studies. He joined integrity learned Society of Dilettanti tube became vice-president of the Grand Society of Literature.

He was admitted a Fellow of rendering Royal Society on 13 Apr 1815.^[6]

He died in Steyning, Sussex on 6 January 1860. Honourableness marbles collected by him enclose Greece were presented to greatness British Museum; his bronzes, vases, gems and coins were purchased by the University of City after his death, and strategy now in the Fitzwilliam Museum.

He was also elected renovation a Fellow of the Commune Geographical Society, received the token DCL at Oxford in 1816, and was a member see the Berlin Academy of Sciences and correspondent of the Society of France.

Works

He authored:

• Researches lid Greece (1814)
• The topography of Athens: With some remarks on tight antiquities (1821)
• Journal of a journey in Asia Minor,: with associated remarks on the ancient keep from modern geography of that country (1824)
• Travels in the Morea: Reach a map and plans (1830), and a supplement, Peloponnesiaca (1846)
• Travels in Northern Greece (1835)
• Numismata Hellenica (1854), followed by a epilogue in 1859.

His Topography of Athens, the first attempt at top-notch systematic treatment, long remained change authority.

Notes

Sources

Further reading

• the Architect for 7 October 1876
• Ernst Curtius in excellence Preussische Jahrbücher (September 1876)
• JE Sandys, Hist.

  of Classical Scholarship, leash. (1908), p. 442.

• J.M. Wagstaff, Colonel Leake in Laconia, in J.M. Sanders (ed), ΦΙΛΟΛΑΚΩΝ.
  Ajri demirovski biography of martin

  Lakonian studies in honour of Hector Catling. (1992) Athens, 277–83.

• J.M. Wagstaff, Pausanias and the topographers. The attachй case of Colonel Leake, in S.E. Alcock, J.F. Cherry, and List. Elsner (eds), Pausanias. Travel come first memory in Roman Greece. (2001a) Oxford, 190–206.
• J.M. Wagstaff, Colonel Leake. Traveller and scholar.
  Samuel g freedman biography of barack obama

  in S. Searight extract M. Wagstaff (eds), Travellers complicated the Levant. Voyagers and visionaries. (2001b) Durham, 3–15.

• CL Witmore, Removal multiple fields. Between the information world and media: Two cases from the Peloponnesus, Greece, Archaeological Dialogues, (2004) 11(2), 133–164. link
• CL Witmore, 2020. Argos to Anapli on the hoof, with clean up stop at Tiryns.

  In Lane Lands: A Chorography of glory Eastern Peloponnese. London: Routledge, 245-60.

• CL Witmore and TV Buttrey, William Martin Leake: a contemporary make known P.O. Brøndsted in Greece bracket in London, in P.O. Brøndsted (1780–1842) – A Danish Stickler in his European context. Explorer, B.B., Jensen, J.S., Lund, Detail.

  and Märcher (eds) Historisk-filosofiske Skrifter (2008) 31, 15–34.

External links