HE dressed as a tramp.

But in reality, Francis Buckley was an extremely wealthy 19th century lawyer and philanthropist who helped museums across Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Now the remarkable story of Buckley and his studies of early settlements in the Pennine hills is being recreated.

A Collector’s Life: The Story of Francis Buckley comes to Gallery Oldham at the end of this month.

The remarkable man from the Saddleworth area was born in 1881 and was renowned as an expert on subjects as wide- ranging as English glass and Neolithic flints.

He collected objects obsessively, including love tokens, watches and Chinese ceramics, but generously gave some of his collection to museums, including Tolson Museum in Ravensknowle Park, Huddersfield.

The pieces will be seen together for the first time in A Collector’s Life: The Story of Francis Buckley, which runs at Gallery Oldham from January 15 until May 2.

The exhibition explores the man’s life through his objects, drawings and writings.

During the First World War Buckley served as an officer and saw action. Later he worked as an observer making sketches of the enemy’s positions.

Before the war Francis had worked as a barrister in London, but following the end of hostilities he then decided to settle back at the family home in Greenfield.

As a young man he had inherited his father’s fortune which he used to support his passions for archaeology and collecting.

Buckley became a notable archaeologist. He had no formal training, but his interest had been sparked by the discovery of flints in newly-dug trenches in France in the war.

After the war, Buckley mapped the presence of early people in the Pennine hills and deposited his finds with the museums in Oldham and Huddersfield.

Described as one of the most important collections of Mesolithic flintwork ever assembled by an individual in Britain, some of these remarkable objects and the detailed notebooks that he kept will be on display in the exhibition.

During his “flinting” trips in Saddleworth, he was said to look like a tramp. With his tools in an old sack slung over his shoulder and with an old overcoat and fishing type hat, he would walk up to 30 miles a day on his expeditions.

Buckley was also an authority on a remarkable range of other historical subjects – from medieval East Asian antiquities to 18th century English glass and porcelain.

He published more than 20 books and articles about English glass-making and he wrote the entry on glass in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

The exhibition will highlight beautiful examples of drinking glasses, dessert dishes and other tablewares from the 17th to the 19th centuries alongside more intriguing pieces such as archaeological fragments of 16th century Venetian glass.

The show also includes Chinese ceramics, sculpture and metalwork.

Curator Sean Baggaley said: “Buckley seemed a real eccentric character and Gallery Oldham is very lucky to have so many of his fascinating artifacts in their collection.

“Despite Buckley’s personal wealth he did not look to profit from his interests and instead donated items to museums across the country.

“And perhaps this is the best way to remember him, through the fascinating collections he acquired during his busy life.”