Henry Thomas Riley (June 1816 – 14 April 1878) was an English translator, lexicographer, and antiquary.

Life

Born in June 1816, he was only son of Henry Riley of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, an ironmonger. He was educated at Chatham House,

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to the Census, there was a populati ...

, and at

Charterhouse School (God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president ...

(1832–4). He entered

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, but at the end of his first term migrated to

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refound ...

where he was admitted on 17 December 1834, and elected a scholar on 24 January 1835. In 1838 he obtained a Latin essay prize. He graduated B.A. in 1840 and M.A. in 1859, after which he moved to Corpus Christi College. On 16 June 1870 he was incorporated at

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

. Riley was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

on 23 November 1847, but early in life he began hack work for booksellers to make a living, by editing and translation. On the creation of the Historical Manuscripts Commission (by

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...

in April 1869), Riley was engaged as an additional inspector for England, and given the task of examining the archives of various

municipal corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ...

s, the muniments of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, and the documents in the registries of various bishops and chapters. Riley died at Hainault House, the Crescent, Selhurst,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

, on 14 April 1878, aged 61.

Works

For Bohn's Classical Library, Riley translated: * the complete works of

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom ...

(the ''Metamorphoses'', 1851, the ''Fasti'', ''Tristia'', &c., 1851, and the ''Heroides'', 1852) * the comedies of

Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus (; c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the g ...

(1852, 2 vols.) * the ''Pharsalia'' of

Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November 39 AD – 30 April 65 AD), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba (modern-day Córdoba), in Hispania Baetica. He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial ...

(1853) * the comedies of

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...

and the fables of Phædrus (1853) *(with

John Bostock John Joseph Bostock (born 15 January 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Notts County. Bostock made his professional debut for Crystal Palace at the age of 15. In 2008, he signed for Tottenham Hotsp ...

) the '' Natural History'' of

Pliny the elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

(1855–7, 6 vols.) His ''Dictionary of Latin Quotations'' (1856 and 1860), was included in the same series. For Bohn's Antiquarian Library, he translated the ''Annals'' of Roger de Hoveden (1853, 2 vols.); and '' Ingulph's Chronicle of the Abbey of Croyland'' (1854). For the

Rolls Series ''The Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages'' ( la, Rerum Britannicarum medii aevi scriptores), widely known as the is a major collection of British and Irish historical materials and primary sources publish ...

, he edited the ''Munimenta Gildhallae Londoniensis'', including the ''Liber Albus'' (1859), the ''Liber Custumarum'' (1860, in two parts), with a translation of the

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...

passages, and a glossary (1862); the ''Chronica Monasterii S. Albani'', comprising the ''Annals'' of John Amundesham (1870 and 1871, 2 vols.); and a further set of the chronicles of St. Albans, in eleven volumes, including the works of

Thomas Walsingham Thomas Walsingham (died c. 1422) was an English chronicler, and is the source of much of the knowledge of the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, and the careers of John Wycliff and Wat Tyler. Walsingham was a Benedictine monk who ...

, John of Trokelowe, Henry de Blaneford, and

William Rishanger William Rishanger (born 1250), nicknamed "Chronigraphus", was an English annalist and Benedictine monk of St. Albans. Rishanger quite likely wrote the ''Opus Chronicorum'', a continuation from 1259 of Matthew Paris's ''Chronicle''. In effect it is ...

, and the register of

John Whethamstede John Whethamstede (died 20 January 1465) was an English abbot and one of the leading literary figures in fifteenth-century England. Life He was a son of Hugh and Margaret Bostock, and was born at Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, owing his name, ...

. Riley translated for the corporation of the city of London the ''Liber Albus'' (1861) and the ''Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London, 1188–1274, from the Latin and Anglo-Norman of Arnald Fitz-Thedmar; with the French Chronicle of London, 1259–1343, from the Chroniques de London'' (1863). He also published in 1868 a volume entitled ''Memorials of London and London Life, a series of Extracts from the City Archives, 1276–1419''. Riley wrote in the '' Athenaeum'', the '' Gentleman's Magazine'', and the ''

Archaeological Journal ''The Archaeological Journal'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal for archaeological and architectural reports and articles. It was established in 1844 by the British Archaeological Association as a quarterly journal, but was taken over by the ...

''. He contributed to the eighth edition of the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''.

Notes

References

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Henry Thomas 1816 births 1878 deaths English translators English antiquarians English lexicographers People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple People associated with The National Archives (United Kingdom) 19th-century British translators 19th-century lexicographers