Michael Wodhull (1740-1816)

Michael Wodhull was born in 1740 at Thenford, Northamptonshire, the only son of John Wodhull. The family traced their ancestry back to a Norman baron and owned extensive estates in the area, which Michael inherited on his father’s death in 1754. Michael was educated at William Cleaver’s school in Twyford, Bucks., and then at Winchester College. From there he went on to Brasenose College, Oxford and matriculated in 1758 but did not take a degree.

Wodhull published several collections of poetry, mostly written in the 1760s, as well as a complete translation of all Euripides’ writings published in 1782. He was also known as a bibliophile and collector of rare books and famed for his knowledge on the subject, particularly with respect to 16th century French printing. He started collecting in the late 1750s and continued until a few years before his death in 1816.

Although Wodhull twice disposed of a large number of duplicates and unwanted books at auction (1801 and 1803), he retained a significant collection of over 4,000 works at his house in Thenford House. At his death, they, along with the rest of his estate, passed to his wife’s sister, Mary Ingram, and then to Samuel Severne and remained at Thenford until 1886. In that year, John Edmund Severne, Samuel’s grandson, arranged for the library to be sold at auction by Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge, thereby raising nearly £12,000.