tions on the county were presented by his son to the Bodleian Library. While in residence at Oxford Tanner compiled for Bernard's ‘Catalogue of Manuscripts’ (i. 249–263, 268–71) particulars of the collections of Francis Junius and Richard James, and of Gerard Langbaine's ‘adversaria,’ which are preserved in the Bodleian library. But the details are said to be wanting in exactness. In 1694 he made the acquaintance of Anthony à Wood, and they were soon on friendly terms. Dr. Charlett on 21 Nov. 1695, when the end of Wood's life was near, recommended him to entrust his manuscripts to Tanner as ‘carefull, true, faithfull, and discreet in the disposition of them.’ The general papers were placed by Wood on his deathbed in the care of Bisse of Wadham College and Tanner, with Charlett as their overseer, and the more private documents were not to be opened for seven years. The day before his death he gave the continuation of the ‘Athenæ Oxonienses’ ‘with great ceremony to Mr. Tanner for his sole use, without any restrictions’ (Life prefixed to Gutch's ed. of Hist. of Univ. of Oxford). It slumbered in manuscript for many years, and Tanner was even accused of keeping it back to transfer the matter to his own ‘Bibliotheca Britannica.’ About 1719 Jacob Tonson purchased the copyright in the published work, and Tanner was applied to for the additional lives, five hundred in all. After some strong expressions in them had been modified, they were included in the edition which came out in 1721 under the editorship, as it is believed, of Laurence Echard. Hearne was much displeased at this transaction, always calling it the ‘spurious edition,’ and his condemnation has been echoed by other writers. But it is probable that the only alterations in the memoirs as left by Wood consisted of the omission of a few harsh phrases.
Tanner's ‘Notitia Monastica’ brought him under the notice of John Moore, then bishop of Norwich, whose private chaplain he became in 1698; on 6 March 1700–1 he was collated, by the gift of the bishop, to the chancellorship of Norwich diocese. Moore made him on 24 Nov. 1703 commissary in the archdeaconry of Norfolk, and on 1 Jan. 1706–7 commissary of the archdeaconry of Sudbury and the town of Bury St. Edmunds. In June 1706 he was presented by Duncan Dee [q. v.] to the rectory of Thorpe Bishop's, near Norwich. Moore, when translated to the see of Ely, bestowed on him a canonry in that cathedral (installed 10 Sept. 1713), which was vacated by his installation on 15 Feb. 1723–4 as canon of Christ Church, Oxford, a preferment which restored him to his beloved university. He was raised to the archdeaconry of Norfolk on 26 Dec. 1721, and the lower house of convocation in 1727 elected him as its prolocutor. He took the degrees of B.D. and D.D. on 30 June 1710.
These distinctions foreshadowed his elevation to the episcopal bench, and on 23 Jan. 1731–2 he was consecrated at Lambeth as bishop of St. Asaph. He retained his canonry at Christ Christ in commendam, residing there for a part of the year, and in 1733 he became the sinecure rector of Llandrillo, Merionethshire. At the close of that year he was very ill, but recovered, although ‘of a gross body.’ After an indisposition of seven days he died at Christ Church on 14 Dec. 1735, and was buried ‘without any funeral pomp’ near the pulpit in the nave of the cathedral on 26 Dec. (Miscell. Geneal. et Herald., 2nd ser. i. 145). It is said that his death was hastened by one of Dr. Ward's pills (Joseph Clutton, Ward's Pills, 1736, p. 79). His epitaph was on the first pillar of the south side of the cathedral; a shorter inscription is on a large black gravestone under which he lies. The charitable bequests of the bishop included the sum of 200l. to his native place, the interest of which was to be expended annually on 25 Jan.—his birthday and St. Paul's day—in teaching and other charitable and social purposes.
Tanner was thrice married. His first wife, whom he married in 1701, was Rose, eldest daughter of Bishop Moore. She died on 15 March 1706, aged 25 (having had issue Dorothy, died 17 Feb. 1703–4, aged 14 months), and was buried on the south side of the bishop's chapel in Norwich Cathedral, under a white marble tablet with an inscription to her memory. According to Hearne, she was ‘a short squabb dame,’ and ‘remarkable for drinking of brandy,’ and Tanner after marrying her was obliged to abandon for a time his studies, and was involved in lawsuits about his chancellorship. His second wife was Frances, daughter of Jacob Preston, citizen of London, but of a gentleman's family in Norfolk. She died on 11 June 1718, aged 40, and was buried in the same chapel, with an inscription on white marble over her grave. The iron palisade door to this chapel was given by Tanner, and his arms, with those of his first two wives, are on it. Her issue consisted of two daughters, both of whom died young, and one son, Thomas Tanner, canon of Canterbury and rector of Hadleigh and Monk's Eleigh, Suffolk, who married in January 1742–3
