James Redhouse
Encyclopedia
Sir James William Redhouse KCMG
(30 December 1811- 4 January 1892) authored the original and authoritative Ottoman
- English
dictionary. He was commissioned by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
for his dictionary. His work was later used as the basis for many Turkish
- English
dictionaries.
from 1819 to 1826. In 1826 he toured the Mediterranean, Smyrna
and Constantinople
. He was offered a post by the Turkish government as a draftsman, and as a result learnt Turkish. In 1830 he visited Russia and returned to England in 1834 to publish a Turkish-English dictionary.
In 1838 Redhouse returned to work for the Turkish government as an interpreter to the Grand Vizier
and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He transferred to the Turkish Admiralty in 1840, became a member of the Naval Council, and went to Syria to help communications between the English Austrian and Turkish fleets which were running a blockade. He received the Sultan's Imperial Order Nişanı-Ifitkhar
in 1841. In 1843 he was appointed secretary and interpreter to the British Commissioner William Fenwick Williams, who was arranging a peace treaty between Turkey and Persia. Redhouse was also involved in peace negotiations at Erzurum in 1847 and was awarded the Persian Order of the Lion and the Sun
. He returned to Constantinople until 1853. He was appointed oriental translator to the Foreign Office in 1854 and went to Paris to help negotiate a treaty with Persia.
Redhouse retired from the Foreign Office to concentrate on literary work. He joined the Royal Asiatic Society
in 1854 and was its secretary from 1861 to 1864. He lived at Kilburn where he compile a dictionary of Arabic, Persian and Turkish languages. In 1884 he was given an honorary doctorate at Cambridge University. He was made CMG
in 1885 and knighted in 1888.
Redhouse married firstly Jane Carruthers Slade, daughter of Thomas Slade of Liverpool, who died in 1887. He married again in 1888 to Eliza Colquhoun, daughter of Sir Patrick Colquhoun
.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(30 December 1811- 4 January 1892) authored the original and authoritative Ottoman
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
- English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dictionary. He was commissioned by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
for his dictionary. His work was later used as the basis for many Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
- English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dictionaries.
Biography
Redhouse was born near London, the eldest son of James Redhouse and his wife Elizabeth Saunders. He was orphaned and educated at Christ's HospitalChrist's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
from 1819 to 1826. In 1826 he toured the Mediterranean, Smyrna
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
and Constantinople
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. He was offered a post by the Turkish government as a draftsman, and as a result learnt Turkish. In 1830 he visited Russia and returned to England in 1834 to publish a Turkish-English dictionary.
In 1838 Redhouse returned to work for the Turkish government as an interpreter to the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
and the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He transferred to the Turkish Admiralty in 1840, became a member of the Naval Council, and went to Syria to help communications between the English Austrian and Turkish fleets which were running a blockade. He received the Sultan's Imperial Order Nişanı-Ifitkhar
Order of the Crescent
The Imperial Order of the Crescent was a chivalric order of the Ottoman Empire. It was instituted in 1799 by Sultan Selim III when he wished to reward Horatio Nelson, an Anglican Christian, for his victory at the Battle of the Nile...
in 1841. In 1843 he was appointed secretary and interpreter to the British Commissioner William Fenwick Williams, who was arranging a peace treaty between Turkey and Persia. Redhouse was also involved in peace negotiations at Erzurum in 1847 and was awarded the Persian Order of the Lion and the Sun
Order of the Lion and the Sun
The Order of the Lion and the Sun was instituted by Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar Dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials who had rendered distinguished services to Persia. In 1925, under the Pahlavi dynasty the Order continued as the Order of Homayoun with new insignia, though based on the...
. He returned to Constantinople until 1853. He was appointed oriental translator to the Foreign Office in 1854 and went to Paris to help negotiate a treaty with Persia.
Redhouse retired from the Foreign Office to concentrate on literary work. He joined the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
in 1854 and was its secretary from 1861 to 1864. He lived at Kilburn where he compile a dictionary of Arabic, Persian and Turkish languages. In 1884 he was given an honorary doctorate at Cambridge University. He was made CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1885 and knighted in 1888.
Redhouse married firstly Jane Carruthers Slade, daughter of Thomas Slade of Liverpool, who died in 1887. He married again in 1888 to Eliza Colquhoun, daughter of Sir Patrick Colquhoun
Patrick Colquhoun (lawyer)
Sir Patrick Colquhoun QC was a British diplomat, legal writer and sculler who was considered the father of Cambridge rowing....
.
Works
- Grammaire raisonné de la langue Ottomane (1846)
- Vade mecum of the Ottoman colloquial language (1855)
- Turkish vade mecum (1877)
- A simplified grammar of the Ottoman-Turkish (1884)
- Müntehabatı lügatı Osmaniye (1838)
- A dictionary of Arabic and Persian words used in Turkish (1853)
- A Turkish and English lexicon shewing the English significations of the Turkish terms (1890)
- Kitabı maanii lehçe li James Redhouse el İngilizi (1890)
- The Mesnevi (1881)
- A Vindication of the Ottoman Sultans title of caliph (1877)
- On the history, system and varieties of Turkish poetry (1879)