Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Tonneys, John
TONNEYS, TONEYS, or TONEY, JOHN (d. 1510?), grammarian, was perhaps a native of Tony, Norfolk, and was educated from childhood at the Austin Friary, Norwich. He became a friar and was sent to Cambridge. He proceeded D.D, in 1502, and became prior of the Norwich house and provincial of his order in England. He studied Greek,and Bale told Leland that he had seen s Greek letter by him. He wrote 'Rudimenta Grammatices,' said to have been printed by Pynson (8vo), of which no copy is known. Leland saw many copies of his book on grammar in the Augustinian Library, London. Bale ascribes to him nine works, sermons, letters, lectures, collectanea, and rhymes, of which nothing further is known. He died about 1510, and was buried in London. A 'Master Toneys' appears to have been in Wolsey's service in 1614, and a Robert Toneys attested Princess Mary 'a marriage to Louis XII of France in the same year, and was afterwards canon of Lincoln and of York (Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, vols. i. and ii.)
[Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr.; Blomefield's Norfolk, iv. 91; Ossinger's Bibl. August, p. 896; Ames's Typogr. Antiq. ed, Herberr, i. 236; Baker's Chronicle, p. 292; Bale's Scriptt. Brit. viii. 55; Leland's Collectanea, ii. 51.]