Henry Hervey Baber (1775–28 March 1869) was an English

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

. He was born in

Slingsby Slingsby may refer to: * Slingsby (surname) * Slingsby, North Yorkshire * Slingsby Aviation, formerly Slingsby Sailplanes, a manufacturer of gliders and other aircraft * Slingsby Channel Slingsby Channel is a strait on the north side of Bramham Isl ...

, Yorkshire the second son of Thomas, a London Attorney of the Inner Temple, and Elizabeth (née Berriman) Baber and was educated at

St Paul's School, London (''By Faith and By Learning'') , established = , closed = , type = Independent school Public school , religion = Church of England , president = , h ...

. He entered All Souls College, Oxford and graduated MA in 1805. After working for a while as a sub-librarian at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, he became in 1807 Assistant Librarian at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. In 1812 he was promoted to Keeper of the Printed Books. The crown rewarded him with the rectory of

St James' Church, Stretham St James' Church, Stretham, is an active Anglican church in the village of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded in the 12th century, it was heavily restored by the architect J. P. St Aubyn in 1876. English Heritage, a ...

, Cambridgeshire in 1827, for his work on a three-volume edition of the Old Testament part of the

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

. He was elected in May 1816 a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

When the museum trustees decided in 1837 that their staff should no longer hold other remunerated posts, Baber resigned from his museum post but remained rector of Stretham until his death aged 94. He had married in 1809 Ann Smith, the daughter of Harry Smith. They had two sons and three daughters. His published works include: *''Librorum Impressorum Qui in Museo Britannico Adservantur Catalogus ...'' (Latin Edition) - Paperback (26 February 2010) by Henry Ellis, Henry Hervey Baber *''The New Testament: Translated From The Latin In The Year 1380 By John Wiclif'' (1810) - Hardcover (23 May 2010) by John Wycliffe and Henry Hervey Baber

References

1775 births 1869 deaths People from Ryedale (district) British philologists Fellows of the Royal Society Employees of the British Library {{UK-linguist-stub