James Ford (1797–1877) was an English cleric, known as a translator 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: '' ...

Life

He was the son of Sir Richard Ford, police magistrate in London and Member of Parliament, and his wife Marianne Booth, an artist and daughter of Benjamin Booth;

Richard Ford Richard Ford (born February 16, 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel '' The Sportswriter'' and its sequels, '' Independence Day'', ''The Lay of the Land'' and ''Let Me Be Frank With You'', and t ...

(1796–1858) was his elder brother. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

, and matriculated at

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

in 1814, graduating B.A. in 1818, and M.A. in 1821. James was a prebendary of

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...

from 1849 to 1877.

Works

Ford as a poet published: * ''Thoughts in Verse on Private Prayer and The Publick Worship'' (1867) * ''More Thoughts in Verse'' (1877) The ''Inferno'', the first part of Ford's Dante translation, appeared in 1865. The completed English verse translation was published in 1870.

Family

In 1825, when Ford had a living in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, he married Jane Frances Nagle, daughter of Edward Nagle. Their daughter Anne Frances (c.1826–1910) married

Thomas Hughes Thomas Hughes (20 October 182222 March 1896) was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. ...

in 1847. In 1848 her sister Marianne married the banker Edward Andrew Sanders. The eldest son James Edward entered Rugby School in 1849 aged 13; his younger brother Edmund Salwey entered the school at the same age, in 1852.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, James 1797 births 1877 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English translators Translators of Dante Alighieri