The Porson Prize is an award for Greek verse composition at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. It was founded in honor of classical scholar

Richard Porson Richard Porson (25 December 1759 – 25 September 1808) was an English classical scholar. He was the discoverer of Porson's Law. The Greek typeface '' Porson'' was based on his handwriting. Early life Richard Porson was born at East Ruston, n ...

and was first awarded in 1817. Winners are known as "Porson prizemen".

Winners of the Porson Prize

*1817: George James Pennington ( King's) for '' 2 Henry IV'' 3.1. *1818:

William Sidney Walker William Sidney Walker (1795–1846) was an English Shakespearean critic. Life Born at Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Pembroke in Wales, on 4 December 1795, he was the eldest child of John Walker, a naval officer, who died at Twickenham in 1811 from the ...

(

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

) for ''Henry VIII'' 3.2. *1819: Horatio Waddington (Trinity) for ''Coriolanus'' 5.3. *1820:

William Henry Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot FRS FRSE FRAS (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later ...

(Trinity) for ''Macbeth'' 1.7. *1821: William Foster Barham (Trinity) for ''Othello'' 1.3. *1822: William Foster Barham (Trinity) for ''Julius Cæsar'' 4.3. **Second prize: C. Wimberly (St. John's). *1823:

Benjamin Hall Kennedy Benjamin Hall Kennedy (6 November 1804 – 6 April 1889) was an English scholar and schoolmaster, known for his work in the teaching of the Latin language. He was an active supporter of Newnham College and Girton College as Cambridge University ...

( St. John's) for ''Henry VIII'' 5.4. *1824: Benjamin Hall Kennedy (St. John's) for ''Merchant of Venice'' 4.1. *1825: John Hodgson (Trinity) for ''King John'' 4.2. *1826: Benjamin Hall Kennedy (Trinity) for ''King John'' 3.3. **Second prize:

John Wordsworth John Wordsworth (1843–1911) was an English Anglican bishop and classical scholar. He was Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford from 1883 to 1885, and Bishop of Salisbury from 1885 to 1911. Life H ...

(Trinity). *1827: John Wordsworth (Trinity) for ''As You Like It'' 2.2. *1828:

Christopher Wordsworth Christopher Wordsworth (30 October 180720 March 1885) was an English intellectual and a bishop of the Anglican Church. Life Wordsworth was born in London, the youngest son of Christopher Wordsworth, Master of Trinity, who was the youngest b ...

(Trinity) for ''Troilus and Cressida'' 3.3. *1829:

Charles Rann Kennedy Charles Rann Kennedy (1808 – 17 December 1867) was an English lawyer and classicist, best remembered for his involvement in the Swinfen will case and the issues of contingency fee agreements and legal ethics that it involved. Life Kennedy ...

(Trinity) for ''Henry VIII'' 4.2. *1830: Charles Rann Kennedy (Trinity) for ''Romeo and Juliet'' 2.2. *1831: George John Kennedy (St. John's) for ''As You Like It'' 2.1. *1832: Henry Lushington (Trinity) for ''Julius Cæsar'' 2.2. *1833: Henry Lushington (Trinity) for ''Richard II'' 3.2. *1834:

Edward Howes Edward Howes DL (7 July 1813 – 26 March 1871) was an English Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1859 to 1871. Howes was the son of Rev. George Howes, rector of Spixworth, Norfolk, and his wife Elizabeth Fellow ...

(Trinity) for ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

'' 3.2. *1835: William James Kennedy (St. John's) for ''3 Henry VI'' 2.2. *1836:

Charles John Vaughan Charles John Vaughan (16 August 1816 – 15 October 1897) was an English scholar and Anglican churchman. Life He was born in Leicester, the second son of the Revd Edward Thomas Vaughan, vicar of St Martin's, Leicester. He was educated at Ru ...

(Trinity) for ''Richard II'' 2.1. *1837: Charles John Vaughan (Trinity) for ''King Lear'' 3.2. *1838: Thomas Evans (St. John's) for ''Henry V'' Act 4. *1839: Edward Meredith Cope (Trinity) for ''3 Henry VI'' 2.5. *1840: Robert Andrews ( Pembroke) for ''Troilus and Cressida'' 1.3. *1841: George Druce (

Peterhouse Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite o ...

) for ''The Tempest'' 4.1. *1842: George Druce (Peterhouse) for ''Henry V'' 4.1. *1843:

William George Clark William George Clark (March 18216 November 1878) was an English classical and Shakespearean scholar. Life He was born at Barford Hall, Darlington. He was educated at Sedbergh School, Shrewsbury School, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he ...

(Trinity) for ''Midsummer Night's Dream'' 4.1. *1844:

Edward Thring Edward Thring (29 November 1821 – 22 October 1887) was a celebrated British educator. He was headmaster of Uppingham School (1853–1887) and founded the Headmasters' Conference in 1869. Life Thring was born at Alford, Somerset, the son of th ...

(King's) for ''2 Henry IV'' 2.4. *1845: Thomas Markby (Trinity) for ''Hamlet'' 1.3. *1846: George James Gill (

Emmanuel Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...

) for ''Julius Cæsar'' 1.2. *1847: George James Gill (Emmanuel) for ''Henry V'' 1.2. *1848:

Edward Henry Perowne Edward Henry Perowne (8 January 1826 in Burdwan, India – 5 February 1906, in Cambridge) was an English clergyman and college head, Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Life Edward Henry Perowne was the youngest son of three born to th ...

(

Corpus Corpus is Latin for "body". It may refer to: Linguistics * Text corpus, in linguistics, a large and structured set of texts * Speech corpus, in linguistics, a large set of speech audio files * Corpus linguistics, a branch of linguistics Music * ...

) for ''Hamlet'' 1.2. *1849: Francis Kewley (St. John's) for ''Julius Cæsar'' 1.1. *1850: William Owen (St. John's) for ''Merchant of Venice'' 5.1. *1851: George Bentley Morley (St. John's) for ''2 Henry IV'' 4.4. *1852:

Samuel Hawksley Burbury Samuel Hawksley Burbury, FRS (18 May 1831 – 18 August 1911) was a British mathematician. Life He was born on 18 May 1831 at Kenilworth, the only son of Samuel Burbury of Clarendon Square, Leamington, by Helen his wife. He was educated at Shre ...

(St. John's) for ''Macbeth'' 1.7. *1853: Samuel Hawksley Burbury (St. John's) for

Jonson Jonson is a surname, and may refer to: * Ben Jonson (c. 1572 – 1637), English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor * Fredric Jonson (born 1987), Swedish professional football player * Gail Jonson (born 1965), former medley and butterfly swimmer ...

's ''The New Inn'' 4.3. *1854:

Henry Montagu Butler Henry Montagu Butler (2 July 1833 – 14 January 1918) was an English academic and clergyman, who served as headmaster of Harrow School (1860–85), Dean of Gloucester (1885–86) and List of Masters of Trinity College, Cambridge, Master of Tr ...

(Trinity) for Jonson's ''Volpone'' 3.1. *1855: Edward Lawford Brown (Trinity) for

Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I (1603–25). They became known as a team early in their association, so much so that their jo ...

's ''Bonduca'' 3.2. *1856: Arthur Holmes (St. John's) for ''3 Henry IV'' 1.4. *1857: Arthur Holmes (St. John's) for ''All's Well That Ends Well'' 1.2. *1858: Arthur Holmes (St. John's) for ''Measure for Measure'' 2.3. *1859: Awarded both

Richard Claverhouse Jebb Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb (27 August 1841 – 9 December 1905) was a British classical scholar. Life Jebb was born in Dundee, Scotland. His father Robert was a well-known Irish barrister; his mother was Emily Harriet Horsley, daughter of t ...

(Trinity) and to Robert Chapman Whiting (Trinity) ''æqualiter'' for ''Julius Cæsar'' 5.1. *1860:

Henry Yates Thompson Henry Yates Thompson (15 December 1838 – 8 July 1928) was a British newspaper proprietor and collector of illuminated manuscripts. Life and career Yates Thompson was the eldest of five sons born to Samuel Henry Thompson, a banker from a lead ...

(Trinity) for

Dekker Dekker is a Dutch occupational surname equivalent to English Thatcher. Notable people with the surname include: *Aesop Dekker (born 1970), American rock drummer *Albert Dekker (1905–1968), American actor and politician * An Dekker (1931–2012 ...

and

Massinger Massinger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including '' A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', ''The City Mada ...

's ''Virgin Martyr'' 4.3. *1861: Awarded both Charles Edward Graves (St. John's) and to

Henry Whitehead Moss Henry Whitehead Moss (23 June 1841 – 14 January 1917) was an England, English scholar. Moss was born at Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln. He was educated at Lincoln Grammar School and Shrewsbury School, Shrewsbury before entering St. John's Co ...

(St. John's) ''æq.'' for ''2 Henry IV'' 2.3. *1862: Henry Whitehead Moss (St. John's) for ''Taming of the Shrew'' 5.2. *1863: Henry Whitehead Moss (St. John's) for ''Twelfth Night'' 5.2. *1864: Thomas William Brogden (St. John's) for ''Richard II'' 5.2. *1865:

John Edwin Sandys Sir John Edwin Sandys ( "Sands"; 19 May 1844 – 6 July 1922) was an English classical scholar. Life Born in Leicester, England on 19 May 1844, Sandys was the 4th son of Rev. Timothy Sandys (1803–1871) and Rebecca Swain (1800–1853). Livin ...

(St. John's) for ''Macbeth'' 3.2. *1866: John Edwin Sandys (St. John's) for ''Measure for Measure'' 3.1. *1867: Thomas Moss (St. John's) for ''The Tempest'' 1.2. *1868: George Charles Winter Warr (Trinity) for Jonson's ''Catiline'' 5.6. *1869: Richard Dacre Hodgson (Archer-Hind) (Trinity) for ''1 Henry VI'' 4.5. *1870: Awarded both

Edmund Gurney Edmund Gurney (23 March 184723 June 1888) was an England, English psychologist and parapsychologist. At the time the term for research of paranormal activities was "psychical research". Early life Gurney was born at Hersham, near Walton-on-Tham ...

(Trinity) and to

Thomas Ethelbert Page Thomas Ethelbert Page, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (27 March 1850 – 1 April 1936) was a British classicist and schoolmaster. Early life Thomas Ethelbert Page was born in Lincoln, England on 27 March 1850. He was the second son of Wil ...

(St. John's) ''æq.'' for ''2 Henry IV'' 1.1. *1871: Henry Rees Philipps (Non-Collegiate) for ''1 Henry IV'' 3.2. *1872: Henry Rees Philipps (Non-Collegiate) for ''Two Gentlemen of Verona'' 2.7. *1873: Henry Wace (St. John's) for Massinger's ''Maid of Honour'' 1.1. *1874: Henry Wace (St. John's) for Fletcher's ''The Bloody Brother'' 4.1. *1875: Awarded both John Archibald Sharkey ( Christ's) and to Henry Wace (St. John's) for ''Midsummer Night's Dream'' 3.2. *1876: Awarded both George Chawner (King's) and to Harry Rede Tottenham (Trinity). *1877: Arthur Frederick Chance (Trinity). *1878: Henry Charles Finch Mason (Trinity) for ''Macbeth'' 2.1. *1879: Arthur Frederick Chance (Trinity). *1880: Awarded both Cecil Hill Garland (St. John's) and to William Ralph Inge (King's). *1881: James Duff Duff 'sic''(Trinity). *1882:

Owen Seaman Sir Owen Seaman, 1st Baronet (18 September 1861 – 2 February 1936) was a British writer, journalist and poet. He is best known as editor of ''Punch'', from 1906 to 1932. Biography Born in Shrewsbury, he was the only son of William Mantle Sea ...

(

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

). *1883: Sidney Arthur Taylor Rowlatt (King's). *1884: William Longbourne Smith (St. John's). *1885: Awarded both Joseph Robinson Orford (King's) and to Norman Kenneth Stephen (Trinity). *1886: Norman Kenneth Stephen (Trinity). *1887: Walter George Headlam (King's). *1888: Awarded both John Patrick Murray Blaekett (St. John's) and to Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (Trinity)."Obituary: Professor R. A. Nicholson", ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 31 August 1945, p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2020. **Honourably mentioned: A.R.F. Hyslop (King's). *1889: John Patrick Murray Blaekett (St. John's). **Honourably mentioned: G.A. Davies (Trinity) and T.R. Glover (St. John's). *1890: Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (Trinity). **''Proxime accessit'' ("or nearly equal to successful Candidate"): F.J. Kittermaster (King's). *1891: Terrot Reaveley Glover (St. John's). **Honourably mentioned: W.H. Jacques (Trinity) and F.J. Kittermaster (King's). *1892: Isaac Frank Smedley (Pembroke). *1893: Henry William Monle (Corpus). **Honourably mentioned: L. Horton-Smith (St. John's) and J.D.C. White (Trinity). *1894: Albert Darby Nightingale (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: H.S.S. Parker (Corpus) and J.D.C. White (Trinity). *1895: Albert Darby Nightingale (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: H.F. Moule (Clare). *1896: Not awarded. *1897: Not awarded. *1898: John Hubert Marshall (King's). *1899: John Edwin Clapham Jukes (Pembroke). **Honourably mentioned: R.K. Gaye (Trinity). *1900: Russell Kerr Gaye (Trinity). *1901: Gilbert Norwood (St. John's). **''Proxime accessit'': A.S. Gaye (Trinity). *1902:

John Tresidder Sheppard Sir John Tresidder Sheppard, MBE ( – ) was an eminent classicist and the first non-Etonian to become the provost of King's College, Cambridge. Early life John Sheppard was educated at Dulwich College.Hodges, S, (1981), ''God's Gift: A Living H ...

(King's) for ''Troilus and Cressida'' 4.5. **Honourably mentioned: B.H.Dobson (Emmanuel). *1903: Gilbert Norwood (St. John's). **Honourably mentioned: B.H. Dobson (Emmanuel) and W.B. Anderson (Trinity). *1904: Thomas Irving Ward Wilson (King's). *1905:

Edward Gordon Selwyn Edward Gordon Selwyn (6 July 1885 – 11 June 1959) was an English Anglican priest and theologian, who served as Warden of Radley College from 1913 to 1919; Rector of Red Hill, near Havant. He was Dean of Winchester from 1931 to 1958. He wrote se ...

(King's). *1906: Awarded both Stuart Kelson Brown (King's) and to Andrew Sydenham Farrar Gow (Trinity). *1907: Andrew Sydenham Farrar Gow (Trinity). **''Proxime accessit'': D.S. Robertson (Trinity). *1908: Charles Ambrose Storey (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: A.S.F. Gow (Trinity). *1909: Francis Winstanley Haskins (Trinity). **''Proxime accessit'': J.R.M. Butler (Trinity). *1910:

James Ramsay Montagu Butler Sir James Ramsay Montagu Butler, (20 July 1889 – 1 March 1975) was a British politician and academic. He was a member of parliament for Cambridge University from 1922 to 1923. He was Regius Professor of Modern History (Cambridge), Regius Prof ...

(Trinity). *1911: Francis Winstanley Haskins (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: W.B. Chope (Peterhouse). *1912: Gordon Kerr Montagu Butler (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: E.O.Lee (King's). *1913: Edward Owen Lee (King's). *1914: Frank Laurence Lucas (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: J.O. Thomson (Trinity). *1915:

Edward Hallett Carr Edward Hallett Carr (28 June 1892 – 3 November 1982) was a British historian, diplomat, journalist and international relations theorist, and an opponent of empiricism within historiography. Carr was best known for '' A History of Soviet Russ ...

(Trinity). *1916: Not awarded. *1917: Not awarded. *1918: Not awarded. *1919: Not awarded. *1920: Victor Joseph Dunstan (Pembroke).''The Historical Register of the University of Cambridge: Supplement, 1929-30''
Cambridge University Press, 1932, p. 88. Retrieved 16 July 2020. **Honourably mentioned: B.C.C. Olivier (King's) and E.H. Warmington (Peterhouse). * 1921: Joseph Vivian Wilson (Trinity). **''Proxime accessit'': P. W. Duff (Trinity) and B. C. C. Olivier (King's). **Honourably mentioned: A. D. Nock (Trinity). * 1922: William Smart Wright (King's). **''Proxime accessit'': William le B. Egerton (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: P. W. Duff (Trinity) and J. H. N. Lawson (Pembroke). * 1923: Desmond Francis Haslett Macbride (King's) and Eric Cecil Prussia (King's), ''aeq''. **''Proxime accessit'': William le B. Egerton (Trinity) and H. S. Kenward (King's), ''aeq''. * 1924: Einar Athelstan Gordon Caroe (Trinity). **''Proxime accessit'': E. C. Prussia (King's). * 1925: David Edward Eichholz (Emmanuel). **Honourably mentioned: W. H. J. Christie (King's) and K. W. Luckhurst (Emmanuel). * 1926: Pierson John Dixon (Pembroke). **''Proxime accessit'': W. E. Philip (King's). * 1927: William Elmslie Philip (King's). **Honourably mentioned: P. H. Vellacott (Magdalene). * 1928: Walter Hamilton (Trinity) **''Proxime accessit'': P. H. Vellacott (Magdalene). * 1929: Walter Hamilton (Trinity)."Cambridge Appointments", ''

'', 13 March 1929, p. 16. Retrieved 16 July 2020. **Honourably mentioned: S. Chapman (Trinity), L. H. M. Gulland (Peterhouse) and D. E. W. Wormell (St. John's). * 1930: Francis Anthony Kendrick (Trinity)."University News", ''

'', 12 March 1930, p. 8. Retrieved 16 July 2020. **''Proxime accessit'': John Hensley (Trinity). **Honourably mentioned: Frederick Willoughby Allen (Trinity) and William Lethbridge Gorell Barnes. * 1932: John Enoch Powell (Trinity). * 1933: Frederick William Clayton (King's). * 1934: Leonard Abraham Jones (Christ's)."University News", ''

'', 28 February 1938, p. 12. Retrieved 16 July 2020. **Honorably mentioned: Richard Portway Dobson (King's). * 1935: W. A. Edward (Clare) and F. H. Stubbings (Emmanuel) ''aeq''. * 1936: M. Grant (Trinity). * 1937: G. M. Lee (Trinity). * 1938: A. Mayor (Trinity). **Honorably mentioned: C. Ellenbogen (King's). * 1939: C. J. Wiles (Christ's)."University News", ''

'', 7 March 1939, p. 20. Retrieved 16 July 2020. **''Proxime accessit'': H. V. Brandon (King's). * 1942: David Mervyn Jones (Trinity). * 1947: Edward Albert Vincent (Trinity). * 1948: M. D. Macleod (Pembroke)."University News", ''

'', 21 February 1948, p. 3. Retrieved 15 July 2020. **Honorably mentioned: M. W. M. Pope (Magdalene). * 1949: Charles Garton (King's). * 1950: M. M. Willcock (Pembroke). * 1951: W. G. Arnott (Pembroke). * 1952: William G. Arnott (Pembroke). * 1955: Roger David Dawe (Caius). * 1956: Roger David Dawe (Gonville and Caius). * 1960: Colin Peter Sydenham (King's) for Arnold's ''Merope'' 1904-1965. * 1961: David Blackman (Trinity) * 1962:

Colin François Lloyd Austin Colin François Lloyd Austin, FBA (26 July 1941 – 13 August 2010) was a British scholar of ancient Greek. Biography Colin Austin was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1941, the second son of Lloyd James Austin (1915–1994) and of Jeanne-Fra ...

(Jesus). * 1965:

James Diggle James Diggle, (born 1944) is a British classical scholar. He was Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Cambridge between 1995 and 2011. Early life and education Born in 1944, Diggle was educated at St John’s College, Cambridge; he ...

(St. John's)."University News", ''

'', 12 March 1965, p. 7. Retrieved 15 July 2020. **''Proxime accessit'' ("or nearly equal to successful Candidate"): D. M. Forrester (King's). * 1970: Richard G. A. Buxton (King's) for ''Richard II'' 3.2. * 1976: Giovanni Remo Franceso Ferrari (King's) and James Frederick Warren (Jesus) ''aeq''. **Honorably mentioned: Adrian Merlin Daniels (Trinity). * 1977: James Frederick Warren (Jesus). * 1992: N. J. G. Lane (Trinity). * 1993: N. J. G. Lane (Trinity). * 1994: N. J. G. Lane (Trinity). * 1996: Matthew Oliver McCullagh (Trinity). * 1998: C. C. F. Barker (Trinity). * 2000: G. M. Lee (Trinity). * 2008: Thomas Ford (Downing)Curriculum Vitae: Thomas Ford
uni-koeln.academia.edu. Retrieved 13 January 2018. * 2016: N. C. Hess (Trinity). * 2017: N. C. Hess (Trinity). * 2020: M. Sargent (Trinity) and M. A. Hardy (Girton) ''aeq''.

References

{{reflist

Sources

* Tanner, Joseph Robinson. ''The Historical Register of the University of Cambridge.'' Cambridge:

CUP A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

, 1917. Page 317. *''The Historical Register of the University of Cambridge: Supplement, 1911-20.'' Cambridge: CUP, 1922 (no author given). Page 45. *''Translations Which Have Obtained the Porson Prize in the University of Cambridge from the Year 1817.'' Cambridge: Johnson, 1871 (no author given). Awards and prizes of the University of Cambridge British literary awards Awards established in 1817

Winners of the Porson Prize

See also

References

Sources