Richard Topham

He was son of John Topham, acting as serjeant-at-arms of the House of Commons from 1678 until his death in 1692 (for Sir William Bishop) and his wife Joan Stoughton.

[1][2] Topham was elected to the House of Commons for New Windsor in 1698, and was identified as a Country Party supporter.

In 1707, he persuaded William Petyt, the Keeper of Records in the Tower of London, who was ill and died that year, to pass to him the post.

[1] As Keeper of the Records, Topham attracted early criticism for his lack of relevant experience.

[13][14] It is now understood that Robert Adam's ideas on neo-classical interior decoration, evolved in the 1760s, were influenced directly by graphical work of Francesco Bartoli in this collection.