John Oldmixon (1673 – 9 July 1742) was anEnglishhistorian.
He was a son of John Oldmixon ofOldmixon,Weston-super-Mare inSomerset.[1] He was brought up by the family of AdmiralRobert Blake inBridgwater and later became involved in trade through the port ofBristol.[2]
His first writings were poetry and dramas, among them beingAmores Britannici; Epistles Historical and Gallant (1703); and a tragedy,The Governor of Cyprus. His earliest historical work wasThe British Empire in America (1708),[3] followed byThe Secret History of Europe (1712-1715);Arcana Gallica, Or the Secret History of France for the Last Century (1714); and other smaller writings.[4]
More important, although very biased, are Oldmixon's works on English history. HisCritical History of England (1724-1726) contains attacks onEdward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and a defence of BishopGilbert Burnet, and its publication led to a controversy between DrZachary Grey and the author, who replied to Grey in hisClarendon and Whitlock Compared (1727). On the same lines, he wrote hisHistory of England During the Reigns of the Royal House of Stuart (1730).[5] Herein, he chargedFrancis Atterbury and other editors with tampering with the text of theHistory. From his exile, Atterbury replied to this charge in aVindication, and although Oldmixon continued the controversy it is practically certain that he was in the wrong.
He completed a continuous history of England by writing theHistory of England During the Reigns of William and Mary, Anne and George I (1735); and theHistory of England During the Reigns ofHenry VIII,Edward VI,Mary andElizabeth (1739). Among his other writings are,Memoirs of North Britain (1715),Essay on Criticism (1728) andMemoirs of the Press 1710-1740 (1742), which was published only after his death. Oldmixon had much to do with editing two periodicals,The Muses Mercury andThe Medley, and he often complained that his services were overlooked by the government.
Oldmixon’s historical works continued to attract attention after his death. In1744–46,James Ralph’sThe History of England, During the Reigns of King William, Queen Anne, and King George I engaged critically with earlier general histories, faulting Oldmixon—alongsideBurnet,Tindal, andKennett—for derivative practices and occasional omissions.[6]
