John Lemprière (,

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

– 1 February 1824, London) was an English classical scholar, lexicographer, theologian, teacher and headmaster.

Life

John Lemprière was the son of Charles Lemprière (died 1801), of Mont au Prêtre, Jersey. He received his early education at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

, where his father sent him in 1779, and from 1785 at Pembroke College,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, probably on the advice of

Richard Valpy Richard Valpy (7 December 1754 – 28 March 1836) was a British schoolmaster and priest of the Church of England. Life and career Valpy was born the eldest son of Richard and Catherine Valpy in Jersey. He was sent to schools in Normandy and ...

, graduating BA in 1790, MA in 1792, BD in 1801, and DD in 1803. Lemprière may have been influenced by another Pembroke man, the lexicographer

Dr Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford D ...

, whose famous ''

A Dictionary of the English Language ''A Dictionary of the English Language'', sometimes published as ''Johnson's Dictionary'', was published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson. It is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language. T ...

'' had appeared in 1755. A little over thirty years later, around 1786, Lemprière started work on his own Classical dictionary. In 1787, he was invited by Valpy to be assistant headmaster at

Reading Grammar School Reading School is a grammar school for boys with academy status in the English town of Reading, the county of Berkshire. It traces its history back to the school of Reading Abbey and is, thus, one of the oldest schools in England. There are no ...

, and in 1789, to the great pride of his father, he preached in

St Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

, Jersey. He achieved renown for his ''

Bibliotheca Classica The ''Bibliotheca Classica'' (Reading, November, 1788), or ''Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors'' is the best-known work of John Lemprière, an English classical scholar. Edited by v ...

'' or ''Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors'' (Reading, November 1788), which, edited by various later scholars, long remained a readable if not absolutely trustworthy reference book in

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

and classical history. Lemprière wished "to give the most accurate and satisfactory account of all the proper names which occur in reading the Classics, and by a judicious collection of anecdotes and historical facts to draw a picture of ancient times, not less instructive than entertaining." (Lemprière, Preface, 1788). It has been a handbook for teachers, journalists, dramatists and poets for almost two hundred years and

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...

is said to have known the book almost by heart. "Far from being just an ordinary dictionary, however, Lemprière's encyclopedic work is full of incidental details and stories which bring the mythical past to life." It is assumed that the great scholar Valpy helped Lemprière with the dictionary. Lemprière held a schoolmaster's post at Bolton Grammar School in 1791 and was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at Radley, Oxfordshire. From 6 August 1792 until his resignation in midsummer 1809, he was headmaster of Abingdon Grammar School, and in 1800 was also appointed as

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of that parish, serving until 1811. While occupying these two posts, he published a ''Universal Biography of Eminent Persons in all Ages and Countries'' (London, 1808). His time at Abingdon School has been recorded as being a period of negligence on his part, which resulted in a decline of the School during the period. Numbers at the School began to decline in 1795 and the number of scholars (Charity boys) never exceeded two and there were only some six or so boarders. He failed to make use of the Bennett's endowment as a route towards Pembroke College and excluded the town boys from mixing with his boarders out of hours. He also failed to repair any of the School buildings. On 20 July 1798, the Borough records show that George Knapp (the

Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames The Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames is a ceremonial post held by a member of Abingdon-on-Thames Council, elected annually by the council. In 1556, Mary I of England granted a charter establishing a mayor, two bailiffs, twelve chief burgesses and ...

and a former Abingdon School pupil) headed a committee to confer with Lemprière regarding the Roysse's Ordinances. Lemprière has been the subject of complaints stating he had been negligent in his duties at the School and at St Nicolas' Church. In 1799 he was deprived of his

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

and was persuaded to resign from the school in 1809. In 1809 he succeeded to the headmastership of Exeter Free Grammar School and held this post until 1819. On retiring from this school, following a disagreement with the trustees, he received the

living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * Hu ...

of Meeth in Devon, which, together with that of

Newton St Petrock Newton St Petrock is an ecclesiastical and civil parish in the Torridge district of Devon in England, occupying approximately . The parish had a population in 2001 of 163. A mile to the east of the village are the earthwork remains of Durpley ...

, he held until his death from a stroke in the Strand, London. He is buried in Meeth, where his grave can be found. Two of his sons were also rectors of Meeth: Francis Drocus Lemprière (born 1794) and Everard Lemprière (born 1800). His daughter Caroline, who died at the age of twenty-seven, was the first wife of

John Bathurst Deane John Bathurst Deane (27 August 1797 – 12 July 1887) was a South African-born English clergyman, schoolmaster, antiquary, and author. Early life and education Born at the Cape of Good Hope in 1797, Deane was the second son of Captain Charles M ...

Publications

* "Bibliotheca Classica" or "Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors", (Reading,1788) * "Sermon preché dans le Temple de la Paroisse de St. Helier, à Jersey, le deuxième d'Août." (1789) * "A Sermon preached at the opening of St. Peter's Chapel, Swinton, in the parish of Eccles, Lancashire, on Sunday, April 10, 1791." * "Herodotus" (a translation, Book 1 only), (1792) (References in: The Histories by Herodotus. G. C. Macaulay (1890) Reprint: Barnes and Noble, 2004) * "Universal Biography of Eminent Persons in all Ages and Countries", (London, 1808)

Posthumous publications

''Bibliotheca classica: or, A classical dictionary: containing a copious account of the principal proper names mentioned in ancient authors; with the value of coins, weights, and measures, used among the Greeks and Romans; and a chronological table, Volume 2'' (1833)

A classical dictionary
available in Project Gutenberg, published in United Kingdom by George Routledge and Sons in 1904.

Lemprière in fiction

The 1991 prize-winning novel ''Lemprière's Dictionary'' by Lawrence Norfolk has as its background Lemprière's writing of his dictionary, as well as the places the Lemprière family came from. The main character is John Lemprière, author of the ''Classical Dictionary'', and also his father, Charles Lemprière. The rest of the story is fiction. It is possible that the poet

Tony Harrison Tony Harrison (born 30 April 1937) is an English poet, translator and playwright. He was born in Beeston, Leeds and he received his education in Classics from Leeds Grammar School and Leeds University. He is one of Britain's foremost verse w ...

makes reference to Lemprière in his poem "A Kumquat for John Keats" in the line "Flora asphyxiated by foul air / unknown to Keats or Lemprière" – as he would have been a contemporary of John Keats. The character Mr. Scogan expresses his admiration for Lemprière's work as a biographer and lexicographer in Aldous Huxley's novel ''

Crome Yellow ''Crome Yellow'' is the first novel by British author Aldous Huxley, published by Chatto & Windus in 1921, followed by a U.S. edition by George H. Doran Company in 1922. Though a social satire of its time, it is still appreciated and has been a ...

'' (ch. XIV). In

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

's ''

Keep The Aspidistra Flying ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'', first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell. It is set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's romantic ambition to defy worship of the money-god and Social status, statu ...

'' there is ''"You'll find it in Lempriere"'', a snark remark made by protagonist at Rosemary. In Gilbert and Sullivan's first joint operetta ''

Thespis Thespis (; grc-gre, Θέσπις; fl. 6th century BC) was an Ancient Greek poet. He was born in the ancient city of Icarius (present-day Dionysos, Greece). According to certain Ancient Greek sources and especially Aristotle, he was the first pe ...

'' there are several references to Lempriere when the cast are arguing about their rightful positions in ancient Greek mythology. In Virginia Woolf's ''Between The Acts'', there is a reference to Lempriere to help find the origin of "Touch wood."

References

Sources