The Layton Collection

THE THOMAS LAYTON TRUST & LAYTON'S COLLECTION

A Discourse Concerning Old-Age

This 17th century treatise, Steele advises us, is ‘a plain discourse’ designed ‘to instruct, to warn and to comfort the weaker sort of ancient persons’. The author explains that although old age begins at 50 years of age, by adopting ‘a cheerful heart, a sober diet, and moderate exercise’, the ‘decrepit’ stage may, rather mercifully, be ‘deferred … for a time’.

Richard Steele, 1688. Layton Collection 16604

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The Collection

Thomas Layton collected books, coins, and archaeological items (usually described as ‘antiquities’) for 70 years. In that time he had accumulated what has been described as “probably the largest collection of London antiquities ever amassed by a single individual”.

The vast majority of items are believed to have been bought at auctions. Some came to him from his men working on the river. His businesses provided opportunities for finds from dredging, building of bridges and embankments along the banks of the Thames, for which Layton paid good money. Even by the standards of the day Layton kept poor records of where items were found. Despite this, the collection is considered highly important particularly to archaeologists and pre-historians.