Joseph Thornton (bookseller)
Joseph Thornton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Billericay, Essex, England |
| Died | June 2, 1891 (aged 82) Oxford, England |
| Occupation | Bookseller |
| Known for | Founder of Thornton's Bookshop, Oxford |
Joseph Thornton (28 September 1808 – 2 June 1891) was a distinguished bookseller who established Thornton's Bookshop in 1835, recognized as the oldest university bookshop in Oxford, England.
Originally from Billericay, Essex, he was the son of John Thornton (1776–1841) and Mary (née Mabbs, 1777–1852). Thornton launched his initial bookstore on Magdalen Street, Oxford, in 1835. Over the years, the shop moved locations multiple times: first to 51 High Street in 1840, then returning to Magdalen Street in 1853, followed by a move to 10 Broad Street in 1863. The business finally established itself at 11 Broad Street in 1870, where it remained a family-run operation until it ceased trading in 2002.
Thornton passed away in Oxford and was laid to rest at St Sepulchre's Cemetery, alongside his second wife and daughter. His sons, John Henry Thornton (1845–1924) and James Thornton (1848–1894), continued the family’s involvement in bookselling; James managed a publishing company located on High Street. Following James’s death, the two family enterprises combined, preserving Thornton's Bookshop as a legacy spanning multiple generations.
External links
- Thorton's: Joseph Thornton (photograph)