Edward Thwaites
Encyclopedia
Edward Thwaites (1667–1711) was an English scholar of the Anglo-Saxon language. According to David C. Douglas
he was "one of the most inspiring teachers which Oxford has ever produced".
, born at Ravensworth. After schooling at Kendal
, Thwaites was admitted batler of The Queen's College, Oxford
, on 18 September 1689, and graduated B.A. in 1694 and M.A. in 1697. Before he took his master's degree Thwaites had come under the influence of George Hickes
, who came to live at Gloucester Green
in Oxford in 1696. There was already a group of Anglo-Saxon students at Queen's, among whom Thwaites was a leader.
Thwaites was ordained priest on 2 January 1698, and shortly afterwards was elected fellow and lecturer of his college, to teach Anglo-Saxon. The difficulty which he found in procuring sufficient copies of William Somner
's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1659) led to the issue of another edition, with additions by Thomas Benson, in 1701. In 1699 he was appointed dean of his college; he tried to improve college discipline, and had his windows broken.
He was promoted to be lecturer in moral philosophy in 1704, and he became Regius Professor of Greek
in March 1708. He gave his inaugural lecture on 12 May 1708.
Thomas Hearne
, once a friend, noted his decline into consumption
. During 1708 Thwaites was appointed Whyte's professor of moral philosophy. Hearne speaks of Thwaites as reduced by 1711 to a skeleton; he was suffering from a complication of disorders, and Charles Bernard, royal surgeon, was impressed by his heroism during an operation to amputate his leg; he is said to have mentioned the case to Queen Anne, who made a grant of money. Thwaites died at Littlemore
on 12 December 1711, and was buried in Iffley
. His monument is figured in John Le Neve
's Monumenta Anglicana (1717, v. 226). There is a portrait of Thwaites as St. Gregory, in an initial L, in Elizabeth Elstob
's English-Saxon Homily on the Birthday of St. Gregory.
. Before the close of 1698 Thwaites dedicated to George Hickes his Heptateuchus, Liber Job et Evangelium Nicodemi Anglo-Saxonicae: this act of loyalty by Thwaites to the nonjuror
Hickes was at some risk to his position, and attracted attention from the meddling Arthur Charlett
. The same year saw an edition of Alfred's version of Boethius (Consolationis Philosophiae lib. v.) by Thwaites's pupil at Queen's, Christopher Rawlinson, who acknowledges help from his tutor. Thwaites had already begun in a modest fashion to assist Hickes in the preparation of his Thesaurus, which was published in 1705.
In 1708 he had privately printed his Notae in Anglo-Saxonum nummos (Oxford). The coins described were from the collection of Sir Andrew Fountaine, another Oxford contemporary, friend, and fellow contributor to Hickes's Thesaurus. In 1709 appeared at Oxford an edition of Ephrem the Syrian
. In 1711 Thwaites returned to Anglo-Saxon, dedicating to his old pupil, Christopher Rawlinson, his Grammatica Anglo-Saxonica, ex Hickesanio Linguarum Septentrionalium Thesauro excerpta (Oxford).
David C. Douglas
David Charles Douglas was a historian of the Norman period at the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. He joined Oxford University in 1963 as Ford's Lecturer in English History, and was the 1939 winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.-Works:* William the Conqueror: The Norman...
he was "one of the most inspiring teachers which Oxford has ever produced".
Life
He was the son of William Thwaites of Crosby-Ravensworth, WestmorelandWestmoreland
Westmoreland is a historic county in England. It may also refer to:-Places:Australia*Westmoreland County, New South WalesCanada*Westmorland County, New BrunswickJamaica*Westmoreland, Jamaica, a parishNew Zealand...
, born at Ravensworth. After schooling at Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
, Thwaites was admitted batler of The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
, on 18 September 1689, and graduated B.A. in 1694 and M.A. in 1697. Before he took his master's degree Thwaites had come under the influence of George Hickes
George Hickes
George Hickes was an English divine and scholar.-Biography:Hickes was born at Newsham, near Thirsk, Yorkshire, in 1642...
, who came to live at Gloucester Green
Gloucester Green
Gloucester Green is a square in central Oxford, England, and the site of the city's bus station. It lies between George Street to the south and Beaumont Street to the north. To the west is Worcester Street and to the east is Gloucester Street....
in Oxford in 1696. There was already a group of Anglo-Saxon students at Queen's, among whom Thwaites was a leader.
Thwaites was ordained priest on 2 January 1698, and shortly afterwards was elected fellow and lecturer of his college, to teach Anglo-Saxon. The difficulty which he found in procuring sufficient copies of William Somner
William Somner
William Somner was an English antiquarian scholar, the author of the first dictionary of the Anglo-Saxon language.-Life:He was baptised in the church of St. Margaret, Canterbury, on 5 November 1598, but according to a statement of his widow and surviving relatives, the date of his birth was 30...
's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1659) led to the issue of another edition, with additions by Thomas Benson, in 1701. In 1699 he was appointed dean of his college; he tried to improve college discipline, and had his windows broken.
He was promoted to be lecturer in moral philosophy in 1704, and he became Regius Professor of Greek
Regius Professor of Greek (Oxford)
The Regius Professorship of Greek is a professorship at the University of Oxford in England.Henry VIII founded the chair by 1541. He established five Regius Professorships in the University , the others being the Regius chairs of Divinity, Medicine, Civil Law and Hebrew.-List of holders:* John...
in March 1708. He gave his inaugural lecture on 12 May 1708.
Thomas Hearne
Thomas Hearne
Thomas Hearne or Hearn , English antiquary, was born at Littlefield Green in the parish of White Waltham, Berkshire.-Life:...
, once a friend, noted his decline into consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. During 1708 Thwaites was appointed Whyte's professor of moral philosophy. Hearne speaks of Thwaites as reduced by 1711 to a skeleton; he was suffering from a complication of disorders, and Charles Bernard, royal surgeon, was impressed by his heroism during an operation to amputate his leg; he is said to have mentioned the case to Queen Anne, who made a grant of money. Thwaites died at Littlemore
Littlemore
Littlemore is a district of Oxford, England. It has a parish council that also represents parts of Rose Hill. It is about southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and Sandford-on-Thames.-History:...
on 12 December 1711, and was buried in Iffley
Iffley
Iffley is a village in Oxfordshire, England, within the boundaries of the city of Oxford, between Cowley and the estates of Rose Hill and Donnington, and in proximity to the River Thames . Its most notable feature is its original and largely unchanged Norman church, St Mary the Virgin, which has a...
. His monument is figured in John Le Neve
John Le Neve
John Le Neve was an English antiquary, known for his Fasti Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ, a work of English church biography that has seen several subsequent editions.-Life:...
's Monumenta Anglicana (1717, v. 226). There is a portrait of Thwaites as St. Gregory, in an initial L, in Elizabeth Elstob
Elizabeth Elstob
Elizabeth Elstob , the 'Saxon Nymph,' was born and brought up in the Quayside area of Newcastle upon Tyne, and, like Mary Astell of Newcastle, is nowadays regarded as one of the first English feminists...
's English-Saxon Homily on the Birthday of St. Gregory.
Works
His first project seems to have been to edit, with a commentary and translation, King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon version of the Universal History of Orosius, and this plan had Hickes's approval. He substituted, in the course of 1697, an edition of Dionysius PeriegetesDionysius Periegetes
Dionysius Periegetes was the author of a description of the habitable world in Greek hexameter verse written in a terse and elegant style...
. Before the close of 1698 Thwaites dedicated to George Hickes his Heptateuchus, Liber Job et Evangelium Nicodemi Anglo-Saxonicae: this act of loyalty by Thwaites to the nonjuror
Nonjuring schism
The nonjuring schism was a split in the Church of England in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, over whether William of Orange and his wife Mary could legally be recognised as King and Queen of England....
Hickes was at some risk to his position, and attracted attention from the meddling Arthur Charlett
Arthur Charlett
Dr Arthur Charlett was an Oxford academic and administrator. He was Master of University College, Oxford for thirty years until his death in 1722...
. The same year saw an edition of Alfred's version of Boethius (Consolationis Philosophiae lib. v.) by Thwaites's pupil at Queen's, Christopher Rawlinson, who acknowledges help from his tutor. Thwaites had already begun in a modest fashion to assist Hickes in the preparation of his Thesaurus, which was published in 1705.
In 1708 he had privately printed his Notae in Anglo-Saxonum nummos (Oxford). The coins described were from the collection of Sir Andrew Fountaine, another Oxford contemporary, friend, and fellow contributor to Hickes's Thesaurus. In 1709 appeared at Oxford an edition of Ephrem the Syrian
Ephrem the Syrian
Ephrem the Syrian was a Syriac and a prolific Syriac-language hymnographer and theologian of the 4th century. He is venerated by Christians throughout the world, and especially in the Syriac Orthodox Church, as a saint.Ephrem wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as...
. In 1711 Thwaites returned to Anglo-Saxon, dedicating to his old pupil, Christopher Rawlinson, his Grammatica Anglo-Saxonica, ex Hickesanio Linguarum Septentrionalium Thesauro excerpta (Oxford).