The Layton Collection

THE THOMAS LAYTON TRUST & LAYTON'S COLLECTION

Nekrokēdeia or, The art of embalming

An 18th century surgeon, deeply fascinated with the customs of death, Greenhill was a staunch supporter of embalming – believing it to be as important as anatomy or surgery. Too fragile to display open, this book offers fascinating insights into 18th century attitudes to death, medical politics and antiquarianism.

Thomas Greenhill, 1705. Layton Collection 11608

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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.