author
T. (Thomas) Kerslake
1812–1891
Best known as a Bristol bookseller and antiquarian, he turned a lifetime among rare books into lively arguments about early British history and the Celtic roots of England. His work blends the instincts of a dealer, local historian, and determined independent scholar.
1 Audiobook
Vestiges of the supremacy of Mercia in the south of England during the eighth century
by T. (Thomas) Kerslake
About the author
Born in Exeter in July 1812, Thomas Kerslake moved to Bristol in 1828 and soon entered the second-hand book trade. He built his reputation there as a bookseller and antiquarian, spending decades in Park Street and becoming a familiar figure in the city's literary circles.
Kerslake wrote on archaeology, local history, and early Britain. Among the books associated with him are The Celtic Sub-Stratum of England and A Primeval British Metropolis, works that show his strong interest in the ancient past of Britain and in Bristol's place within it.
A fire damaged his business in 1860, but he continued his work afterward. He died on January 5, 1891, remembered not only as a bookseller but also as a learned and energetic student of historical questions.