Thomas Bateman (1821–1861) was born in Rowsley, Derbyshire, England. His father was passionate about archaeology, a hobby that he also inherited. He carried out numerous studies on archaeological excavations, such as Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire (1847) and Ten Years' Diggings in Celtic and Saxon Grave Hills in the Counties of Derby, Stafford, and York (1861). In addition to sponsoring excavations, Bateman was an avid collector. The objects he treasured formed part of the Sheffield Museums' collections. In 1847, he married Sarah Parker, with whom he had five children. His only son, Thomas William Bateman, inherited the collection. He sold part of the collection in 1893 at Sotheby's auction house (Rushforth, 2003).
Bibliography
RUSHFORTH, Rebecca (2003): "The Barrow knight, the Bristol bibliographer, and a lost old English prayer", vol. 12, nº 4, Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliographical Society, pp. 372-392.