Joseph Gurney (15 October 1804 – 12 August 1879), was a British

shorthand Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''ste ...

writer and biblical scholar, notable for his publications and work with the Religious Tract Society.

Life

Gurney was the eldest son of shorthand writer

William Brodie Gurney William Brodie Gurney (1777–1855) was an English shorthand writer and philanthropist of the 19th century. Biography Gurney was the younger son of Joseph Gurney, shorthand writer, who died at Walworth, Surrey, in 1815, by a daughter of William ...

, and he was born in London on 15 October 1804. His grandfather and great grandfather had also been shorthand writers. He first attended an important committee of the House of Commons in 1822, and continued to take notes till 1872. On his father's resignation in 1849, he was appointed shorthand writer to the Houses of Parliament. Like his father, he was interested in religious and philanthropic movements. He was for more than fifty years a member of the committee of the Religious Tract Society, and latterly its treasurer. He was also treasurer of the Baptist college in

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

. On Gurney's retirement as shorthand writer to the houses of parliament in 1872, the post was given to his nephew William Henry Gurney Salter. Gurney died at Tyndale Lodge,

Wimbledon Common Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Commons totalling 460 ...

, on 12 August 1879, and was interred at the Norwood Cemetery.

Works

Gurney brought out popular commentaries on the Bible. The best known of these was ''The Annotated Paragraph Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments according to the authorised version, with explanatory Notes, Prefaces to the several Books, and an entirely new selection of references to parallel and illustrative Passages'', two vols., London, 1850–60, published by the Religious Tract Society. It was successful, and widely praised. The notes were prepared under Gurney's supervision. Besides other bibles, Gurney published also ''The Revised English Bible'', London, 1877, closely resembling the

Revised Version The Revised Version (RV) or English Revised Version (ERV) of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version. It was the first and remains the only officially authorised and recognised revision of the King James Versio ...

(1885). The profits of his literary works he gave to the Religious Tract Society.

Family

Gurney married first Emma, daughter of E. Rawlings, and they had three children, William, Amelia and the educationalist Mary Gurney. Emma died and he had more children with his second wife Harriet Tritton of Lombard Street.

References

Notes

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gurney, Joseph 1804 births 1879 deaths British biblical scholars Burials at West Norwood Cemetery