Ichabod Charles Wright (11 April 1795 – 14 October 1871) was an English scholar, translator, poet and accountant. He is best known for his translation of important works of

Italian literature Italian literature is written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italian people, Italians or in Languages of Italy, other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely re ...

, notably the works of

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

''.

Biography

He was born in

Mapperley Hall Mapperley Hall is a country house located at 51 Lucknow Avenue in the Mapperley Park conservation area of Nottingham, England. Built by Ichabod Wright in 1792, it was the home of the Wright family of bankers until the end of the nineteenth centu ...

in 1795, the first child of Ichabod Wright (1767–1862) and Harriet Maria Day (d.1843) and the eldest of their three sons and ten daughters.Ichabod Charles Wright

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

The grandfather of Ichabod Snr., another Ichabod Wright (1700–1777), was an ironmonger who founded a bank in Long Row, Nottinghamshire in 1761. He was a second cousin of industrialist and philanthropist Francis Wright. Wright studied at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

(1808–14) and pursued further education in

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, graduating with second-class BA honours in 1817 and MA in 1820, holding an open fellowship at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

, from 1819 to 1825. In 1825, he joined his father in the banking profession and shortly after he began working he married Theodosia (1806–1895) on 21 December 1825, the daughter of Thomas Denman, the first Lord Denman, who later became

Lord Chief Justice of England Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

. Wright indulged in much scholarly study alongside his profession and in the 1830s developed a passion for

and a thirst for the language. He translated the works of

, notably ''

Divina commedia The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

'' in three instalments, ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'', ''

Purgatorio ''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the ''Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Da ...

'', and '' Paradiso'', which earned him critical acclaim. These were published by Messrs. Longmans in 1833, 1836, and 1840 respectively and reprinted in a second edition in 1845. They were dedicated respectively to Lord Brougham, Archbishop Howley, and his father-in-law Lord Denman who also shared an interest in Italian literature. He proceeded to publish works related to his profession and in 1841 he published ''Thoughts on Currency'', and in 1847, ''Evils of the Currency''. In 1855 he published ''The War and our Resources'', and in 1865 he published a translation of the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

in blank verse, translated between 1859 and 1864. In 1864 he wrote ''A letter to the Dean of Canterbury, on the Homeric lectures of Matthew Arnold'';

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lite ...

was a distinguished professor of poetry at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. His final work ''A Selection of Psalms in Verse'' was written in 1867, although many of his poems were printed privately after his death in 1873. Ichabod Charles Wright died on 14 October 1871 at

Heathfield Hall Heathfield Hall (sometimes referred to as Heathfield House) was a house in Handsworth, Staffordshire (the area became part of Birmingham in 1911), England, built for the engineer James Watt. In 1790, Watt's business partner Matthew Boulton re ...

Burwash Burwash, archaically known as Burghersh, is a rural village and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England. Situated in the High Weald of Sussex some 15 miles (24 km) inland from the port of Hastings, it is located five m ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. He had resided in Stapleford Hall but died in the home of his eldest son,

Charles Ichabod Wright Charles Ichabod Wright (18 September 1828 – 9 May 1905) was a British banker and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1870. Wright was born at Bramcote, Nottinghamshire the son of the scholar Ichabod Charle ...

(born 1828), a politician and Conservative Party MP.

External links

* Archival material at

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ichabod 1795 births 1871 deaths Wright family of Nottingham English accountants English translators People from Nottingham People educated at Eton College Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 19th-century British translators People from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire Translators of Dante Alighieri Translators of Homer 19th-century English businesspeople