Summary Guide #263027

After the death of his only son, John Tradescant the younger seems to have considered various ways of disposing of his collections so as to maintain them intact after his own death. In 1659 he settled them by deed of gift upon Elias Ashmole, but two years later tried to neutralize the gift by a will bequeathing them to his wife, with instructions to her to leave them to the University of either Oxford or Cambridge. Upon Tradescant's death Ashmole instituted a successful suit in Chancery against Mrs. Tradescant for the possession of the collections, and in 1677 offered them himself to the Uni versity upon condition that a building should be erected to contain them. In the following year a fire in Ashmole's'