Jonathan was a dealer for 40 years specialising in early English pottery.

He was Chairman of the British Antique Dealer's Association 2001/4 and Vice-President of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology. A President of St John Ambulance, Kingston Division, a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Stationers' Company, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

He was born in Cornwall at the beginning of the war. The family returned to Croydon in South London and endured the Blitz. Tradition says that he and his two brothers would be threatened that if they didn’t behave there would be no guns that night. It was their task to collect shrapnel from the lawn every morning so it wouldn’t get caught in the lawnmower.

Educated at Whitgift School in South London, as a teenager Jonathan Horne would cycle through Kent and took part in many archaeological digs, in particular Lullingstone Roman Villa, Reculver and Dover Roman Forts. For a time he was a trainee manager at Selfridges, however his interest in archaeology and history led to him to found his own antiques business in 1968. This initially consisted of a stall in Portobello Road on Saturdays. By specializing in a particular subject – English Pottery – he soon became an expert in his field and was admitted as a member of the British Antique Dealers’ Association after less than four years, serving as their Chairman from 2000 until 2003.

In 2003 he approached Lord Brooke with the idea of forming a Guild for the antiques market and their associates. As Peter Brooke had been MP for the City of London this gave great momentum to the idea, which resulted in the formation of the Guild in 2005.

Jonathan had many other interests. Joining the Honourable Artillery Company (TA) in 1958, he marched in the Lord Mayor’s Show for 51 years. In 1978 he left the active unit of the TA and became a member of the Pikemen and Musketeers, the Lord Mayor’s bodyguard, and became their Elder Drumbeater. He was a founder member of the Society of Post-Medieval Archaeology and, for a number of years, was their Vice-President. For ten years was President of St John’s Ambulance, Kingston Division.

Jonathan Horne married Rachael in 1972 and they had three daughters (two of whom took part in the Lord Mayor’s Show as Vestal Virgins) and three grandchildren.

In the 1980s Jonathan Horne started a publishing business producing short-run specialist books, mainly on English ceramics. This was not intended as a commercial venture but a way of spreading the word which would have otherwise never been made public.