Thomas "Old Tom" Parr (c. 1482 or 1483 (reputedly) – 13 November 1635) was an Englishman who was said to have lived for 152 years.[1] A portrait of Parr hangs at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, with an inscription which reads "Thomas Parr died at the age of 152 years 19 days" "The old very old man or Thomas Parr, son of John Parr of Winnington in the Parish of Alberbury who was born in the year 1483 in the reign of King Edward IV being 152 years old in the year 1635." The portrait was once in the collection of the Leighton family of Loton Park, which is in Alberbury.[2]
Records vary, but Parr was allegedly born around October 1482 or 1483, although he may have been born as recently as c. 1565,[3] in the parish of Alberbury; he lived in the small hamlet of Winnington in what is called now Old Parr's Cottage Shropshire. He existed and even thrived on a diet of "subrancid cheese and milk in every form, coarse and hard bread and small drink, generally sour whey," as the physician William Harvey wrote. "On this sorry fare, but living in his home, free from care, did this poor man attain to such length of days." He married Jane Taylor at the claimed age of 80 and had two children, both of whom died in infancy.[4]
Later lifeedit
Tom Parr purportedly had an affair when he was more than 100 years old, and fathered a child born out of wedlock, for which he had to do public penance in the church porch.[5] After the death of his first wife at the alleged age of 110, he married Jane Lloyd, a widow,[6] at the alleged age of 122.[7] They lived together for twelve years, with Jane commenting that he never showed any signs of age or infirmity.[6] As news of his reported age spread, 'Old Parr' became a national celebrity and was painted by Rubens and Van Dyck.
Deathedit
In 1635, Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel, visited Parr and took him to London to meet King Charles I, presented as a "curious piece of nature".[8] The Earl arranged for Parr's daughter-in-law to accompany him on the southward trip, as well as an entertainer known as Jack the Fool, to amuse Parr on the journey. The carriage and escort attracted large crowds as it travelled towards London, with people stifling the old man in an attempt to touch him and hear him speak. By the time he finally arrived in the capital, Parr was reportedly blind and feeble. King Charles I was reported to have asked Parr: "Master Parr, you have lived longer than other men. What have you done more than other men?" He replied that he had performed penance for an affair with Catherine Milton, a village maiden. The King was stern, stating: "Fie, fie old man. Can you remember nothing but your vices?"[9]
Parr was treated as a spectacle in London, but the food and environment caused him to die within only a few weeks, on 13 November 1635. The King arranged for him to be buried in Westminster Abbey on 25 November [O.S. 15 November] 1635.[1][a] The inscription of his gravestone reads:
William Harvey (1578–1657), the physician who discovered the circulation of the blood,[10] performed an autopsy on Parr's body.[11][12] The results were published in the book De ortu et natura sanguinis by John Betts as an attachment. Harvey examined Parr's body and found all his internal organs to be in a perfect state. No apparent cause of death could be determined, and it was assumed that Parr had simply died of overexposure because he had been too well fed.[6] A modern interpretation[dubious – discuss] of the results of the autopsy suggests that Parr was probably less than 70 years of age.[3]
It is possible that Parr's birth records were confused with those of his grandfather. Parr did not claim to be able to remember specific events from the 15th century.[12]
Cultural referencesedit
John Taylor wrote about Parr in his 1635 poem The Old, Old, Very Old Man, or the Age and Long Life of Thomas Parr, drawing the moral that longevity comes from a simple country lifestyle.[13]
Margaret George's novel Elizabeth I imagines a meeting between Parr and the Queen.
Notesedit
^During Parr's lifetime, two calendars were in use in Europe: the Julian ("Old Style") calendar in Protestant and Orthodox regions, including Britain; and the Gregorian ("New Style") calendar in Roman Catholic Europe. At Parr's burial, Gregorian dates were ten days ahead of Julian's dates: thus his burial is recorded as taking place on 15 November 1635 Old Style but can be converted to a New Style (modern) date of 25 November 1635.
Referencesedit
^ ab. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
^Shropshire Museums. "Darwin Country". Retrieved 5 May 2013.
^ abLüth, Paul (1965). Geschichte der Geriatrie (in German). Stuttgart: Ferdinand Enke. pp. 153–4.
^Thomas, Keith (1 September 2017). "Parr, Thomas [called Old Parr] (d. 1635), supposed centenarian". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/21403. Retrieved 30 August 2019. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^Long Livers a Curious History by Eugenius Philalethes 1722
^ abcHall, William Whitty (1872). The Guide-Board to Health, Peace, and Competence. Springfield, Massachusetts: D.E. Fisk and Company. p. 16.
^Pine, L. G. (July 1965). "Thomas Parr – the most long-lived Englishman". Shropshire Magazine. Famous Shropshire sons – no. 5. 17 (5): 26–7.
^"Old Parr: A Shropshire Character Called Before the King". Kington Times. 19 August 1939.
^"Old Parr: A Shropshire Character Called Before the King". Kington Times. 19 August 1939.
^William Harvey 25 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine San José State University. Retrieved on: 10 January 2008
^Pitskhelauri, G. Z. (1978). "William Harvey and the anatomo-pathological dissection he performed on Thomas Parr's corpse (on the occasion of the 400 years anniversary of W. Harvey's birth)". Santé Publique (Bucur). 21 (1–2): 141–145. PMID 371041. PubMed.gov. Retrieved on: 12 October 2017
^ abThomas Parr NNDb.com Retrieved on: 15 March 2011
^Taylor, John (1635). The Old, Old, Very Old Man; or, The Age and Long Life of Thomas Par, the son of John Parr of Winnington. Internet Archive. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
^Sir Peter Paul Rubens. "Portrait of Thomas Parr". The National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
^"Mark Twain Project :: Home". www.marktwainproject.org. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
^The Life and Times of Thomas Parr 28 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. northstar-website-design.com
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For other people named Thomas Parr see Thomas Parr disambiguation Thomas Old Tom Parr c 1482 or 1483 reputedly 13 November 1635 was an Englishman who was said to have lived for 152 years 1 A portrait of Parr hangs at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery with an inscription which reads Thomas Parr died at the age of 152 years 19 days The old very old man or Thomas Parr son of John Parr of Winnington in the Parish of Alberbury who was born in the year 1483 in the reign of King Edward IV being 152 years old in the year 1635 The portrait was once in the collection of the Leighton family of Loton Park which is in Alberbury 2 Old Tom ParrBornThomas Parrc October 1482 1483 reputedly Parish of Alberbury ShropshireDied 1635 11 13 13 November 1635 claimed aged 152 LondonBurial placeWestminster Abbey LondonNationalityEnglishOther namesOld ParrOccupationFarm servantKnown forLongevity claimantSpousesJane Taylor m 1563 died 1593 wbr Jane Lloyd m 1605 wbr Children2 legitimate died in infancy 1 illegitimateParentJohn Parr father Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Later life 1 3 Death 2 Doubts of his age 3 Cultural references 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksBiography editEarly life edit nbsp Old Parr s Cottage at Winnington ShropshireRecords vary but Parr was allegedly born around October 1482 or 1483 although he may have been born as recently as c 1565 3 in the parish of Alberbury he lived in the small hamlet of Winnington in what is called now Old Parr s Cottage Shropshire He existed and even thrived on a diet of subrancid cheese and milk in every form coarse and hard bread and small drink generally sour whey as the physician William Harvey wrote On this sorry fare but living in his home free from care did this poor man attain to such length of days He married Jane Taylor at the claimed age of 80 and had two children both of whom died in infancy 4 Later life edit Tom Parr purportedly had an affair when he was more than 100 years old and fathered a child born out of wedlock for which he had to do public penance in the church porch 5 After the death of his first wife at the alleged age of 110 he married Jane Lloyd a widow 6 at the alleged age of 122 7 They lived together for twelve years with Jane commenting that he never showed any signs of age or infirmity 6 As news of his reported age spread Old Parr became a national celebrity and was painted by Rubens and Van Dyck Death edit In 1635 Thomas Howard 21st Earl of Arundel visited Parr and took him to London to meet King Charles I presented as a curious piece of nature 8 The Earl arranged for Parr s daughter in law to accompany him on the southward trip as well as an entertainer known as Jack the Fool to amuse Parr on the journey The carriage and escort attracted large crowds as it travelled towards London with people stifling the old man in an attempt to touch him and hear him speak By the time he finally arrived in the capital Parr was reportedly blind and feeble King Charles I was reported to have asked Parr Master Parr you have lived longer than other men What have you done more than other men He replied that he had performed penance for an affair with Catherine Milton a village maiden The King was stern stating Fie fie old man Can you remember nothing but your vices 9 Parr was treated as a spectacle in London but the food and environment caused him to die within only a few weeks on 13 November 1635 The King arranged for him to be buried in Westminster Abbey on 25 November O S 15 November 1635 1 a The inscription of his gravestone reads THO PARR OF YE COUNTY OF SALLOP BORNE IN AD 1483 HE LIVED IN YE REIGNES OF TEN PRINCES VIZ K ED 4 K ED 5 K RICH 3 K HEN 7 K HEN 8 K EDW 6 Q MA Q ELIZ K JA amp K CHARLES AGED 152 YEARS amp WAS BURYED HERE NOVEMB 15 1635 Doubts of his age edit nbsp William Harvey who carried out the autopsy on Tom ParrWilliam Harvey 1578 1657 the physician who discovered the circulation of the blood 10 performed an autopsy on Parr s body 11 12 The results were published in the book De ortu et natura sanguinis by John Betts as an attachment Harvey examined Parr s body and found all his internal organs to be in a perfect state No apparent cause of death could be determined and it was assumed that Parr had simply died of overexposure because he had been too well fed 6 A modern interpretation dubious discuss of the results of the autopsy suggests that Parr was probably less than 70 years of age 3 It is possible that Parr s birth records were confused with those of his grandfather Parr did not claim to be able to remember specific events from the 15th century 12 Cultural references editJohn Taylor wrote about Parr in his 1635 poem The Old Old Very Old Man or the Age and Long Life of Thomas Parr drawing the moral that longevity comes from a simple country lifestyle 13 A portrait of Parr hangs in the National Portrait Gallery London 14 Parr is mentioned in two books by Charles Dickens The Old Curiosity Shop and Dombey and Son Parr s old age is mentioned in the 1854 book Walden by Henry David Thoreau In 1871 Mark Twain considered writing An Autobiography of Old Parr where he would debunk the longevity claim 15 In Bram Stoker s 1897 novel Dracula Abraham Van Helsing cites Parr s age as an example of inexplicable phenomena that are nevertheless real A Scotch whisky brand Grand Old Parr launched 1909 is named after Parr 16 Parr is mentioned at the beginning of James Joyce s 1939 novel Finnegans Wake 17 Parr has been used as an example of the supposed health benefits of some natural medicines including herbal colon cleansing Edith Sitwell mentions Parr in 1958 s English Eccentrics A Gallery Of Weird And Wonderful Men And Women Parr is named in the 1973 novel Time Enough for Love by Robert A Heinlein In the 1979 film The Champ a small statue of Parr instigates a conversation between a boy and his stepfather Parr is mentioned in Robert Graves s poem A Country Mansion In Patrick O Brian s 1980 book The Surgeon s Mate lead character Stephen Maturin uses Parr as an example to encourage an aged friend contemplating marriage Margaret George s novel Elizabeth I imagines a meeting between Parr and the Queen Notes edit During Parr s lifetime two calendars were in use in Europe the Julian Old Style calendar in Protestant and Orthodox regions including Britain and the Gregorian New Style calendar in Roman Catholic Europe At Parr s burial Gregorian dates were ten days ahead of Julian s dates thus his burial is recorded as taking place on 15 November 1635 Old Style but can be converted to a New Style modern date of 25 November 1635 References edit a b Information from Westminster Abbey on Parr s life including the inscription on his gravestone Archived from the original on 7 January 2008 Retrieved 10 January 2008 Shropshire Museums Darwin Country Retrieved 5 May 2013 a b Luth Paul 1965 Geschichte der Geriatrie in German Stuttgart Ferdinand Enke pp 153 4 Thomas Keith 1 September 2017 Parr Thomas called Old Parr d 1635 supposed centenarian Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 21403 Retrieved 30 August 2019 Subscription or UK public library membership required Long Livers a Curious History by Eugenius Philalethes 1722 a b c Hall William Whitty 1872 The Guide Board to Health Peace and Competence Springfield Massachusetts D E Fisk and Company p 16 Pine L G July 1965 Thomas Parr the most long lived Englishman Shropshire Magazine Famous Shropshire sons no 5 17 5 26 7 Old Parr A Shropshire Character Called Before the King Kington Times 19 August 1939 Old Parr A Shropshire Character Called Before the King Kington Times 19 August 1939 William Harvey Archived 25 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine San Jose State University Retrieved on 10 January 2008 Pitskhelauri G Z 1978 William Harvey and the anatomo pathological dissection he performed on Thomas Parr s corpse on the occasion of the 400 years anniversary of W Harvey s birth Sante Publique Bucur 21 1 2 141 145 PMID 371041 PubMed gov Retrieved on 12 October 2017 a b Thomas Parr NNDb com Retrieved on 15 March 2011 Taylor John 1635 The Old Old Very Old Man or The Age and Long Life of Thomas Par the son of John Parr of Winnington Internet Archive Retrieved 19 January 2017 Sir Peter Paul Rubens Portrait of Thomas Parr The National Portrait Gallery Retrieved 28 December 2007 Mark Twain Project Home www marktwainproject org Retrieved 26 September 2020 The Life and Times of Thomas Parr Archived 28 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine northstar website design com Oldparr FinnegansWiki External links edit nbsp Media related to Thomas Parr at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Old Tom Parr amp oldid 1185711898, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
