Richard Claverhouse Jebb
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb, OM
, FBA (27 August 1841 – 9 December 1905) was a British classical scholar and politician.
He was born in Dundee, Scotland. His father was a well-known barrister, and his grandfather a judge. His sister was the social reformer Eglantyne Louisa Jebb
, founder of the Home Arts and Industries Association
; his niece, Eglantyne's daughter Eglantyne Jebb
, co-founded the Save the Children Fund
and wrote the Declaration of the Rights of the Child
.
He was educated at Charterhouse School
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
. He won the Porson and Craven scholarships, was senior classic in 1862, and became fellow and tutor of his college in 1863. From 1869 to 1875 he was public orator of the university; Professor of Greek
at Glasgow
from 1875 to 1889, and Regius Professor of Greek
at Cambridge from 1889 until his death. His successor was Henry Jackson
. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1902.
In 1891 he was elected Member of Parliament
for Cambridge University
; he was knight
ed in 1900. Jebb was acknowledged to be one of the most brilliant classical scholars of his time, a humanist
and an unsurpassed translator from and into the classical languages. A collected volume, Translations into Greek and Latin
, appeared in 1873 (ed. 1909). He received many honorary degrees from European and American universities, and in 1905 was made a member of the Order of Merit
. In 1874, he married the widow of General Adam J. Slemmer
, of the United States
army; she survived him.
The most important of Jebb's publications are:
His translation of the Rhetoric of Aristotle
was published posthumously under the editorship of J. E. Sandys (1909). A selection from his Essays and Addresses, and a subsequent volume, Life and Letters of Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb (with critical introduction by A. W. Verrall) were published by his widow in 1907; see also an appreciative notice by J. E. Sandys, History of Classical Scholarship, iii. (1908).
He is buried at the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground
in Cambridge. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College
holds a collection of his papers.
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
, FBA (27 August 1841 – 9 December 1905) was a British classical scholar and politician.
He was born in Dundee, Scotland. His father was a well-known barrister, and his grandfather a judge. His sister was the social reformer Eglantyne Louisa Jebb
Eglantyne Louisa Jebb
Eglantyne Louisa Jebb was a social reformer. Born in Killiney, Ireland, she married her cousin Arthur Trevor Jebb , a barrister and landowner from Ellesmere, Shropshire. Her brother was the classicist Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb...
, founder of the Home Arts and Industries Association
Home Arts and Industries Association
The Home Arts and Industries Association was an organisation that functioned as a precursor to the Art Workers Guild in the development of the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain. It was founded in 1884 by Eglantyne Louisa Jebb who was inspired by an initiative of Charles Godfrey Leland in...
; his niece, Eglantyne's daughter Eglantyne Jebb
Eglantyne Jebb
Eglantyne Jebb was a British social reformer.- Early life :She was born in 1876 in Ellesmere, Shropshire, and grew up on her family's estate. The Jebbs were a well-off family and had a strong social conscience and commitment to public service...
, co-founded the Save the Children Fund
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
and wrote the Declaration of the Rights of the Child
Declaration of the Rights of the Child
The Declaration of the Rights of the Child is the name given to a series of related children's rights proclamations drafted by Save the Children founder Eglantyne Jebb in 1923....
.
He was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He won the Porson and Craven scholarships, was senior classic in 1862, and became fellow and tutor of his college in 1863. From 1869 to 1875 he was public orator of the university; Professor of Greek
Professor of Greek, Glasgow
University of GlasgowUnder the Nova Erectio of King James VI the teaching of Greek was the responsibility of the Regents and from 1581 one of the Regents was sometimes given the title 'Professor of Greek'...
at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
from 1875 to 1889, and Regius Professor of Greek
Regius Professor of Greek (Cambridge)
The Regius Professorship of Greek is one of the oldest professorships at the University of Cambridge. The chair was founded by Henry VIII in 1540 with a stipend of £40 per year, subsequently increased in 1848 by a canonry of Ely Cathedral....
at Cambridge from 1889 until his death. His successor was Henry Jackson
Henry Jackson (classicist)
Henry Jackson, OM, , was an English classicist. He served as the vice-master of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1914 to 1919, praelector in ancient philosophy from 1875 to 1906 and Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge from 1906 to 1921, and was awarded the Order of Merit on 26...
. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1902.
In 1891 he was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Cambridge University
Cambridge University (UK Parliament constituency)
Cambridge University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950.-Boundaries, Electorate and Election Systems:...
; he was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1900. Jebb was acknowledged to be one of the most brilliant classical scholars of his time, a humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
and an unsurpassed translator from and into the classical languages. A collected volume, Translations into Greek and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, appeared in 1873 (ed. 1909). He received many honorary degrees from European and American universities, and in 1905 was made a member of the Order of Merit
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...
. In 1874, he married the widow of General Adam J. Slemmer
Adam J. Slemmer
Adam Jacoby Slemmer was an officer in the United States Army during the Seminole Wars and the American Civil War, as well as in the Old West.-Early years:...
, of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
army; she survived him.
The most important of Jebb's publications are:
- The Characters of TheophrastusTheophrastusTheophrastus , a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He came to Athens at a young age, and initially studied in Plato's school. After Plato's death he attached himself to Aristotle. Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings, and...
(1870), text, introduction, English translation and commentary (re-edited by JE SandysJohn Edwin SandysSir John Edwin Sandys FBA , was a classical scholar.He was born at Leicester on 19 May 1844, a son of the Reverend Timothy Sandys of the Church Missionary Society and Rebecca . Living at first in India, he returned to England at the age of eleven, and was educated at the Church Missionary Society...
, 1909) - The Attic Orators from Antiphon to Isaeus (2nd ed., I893), with companion volume, Selections from the Attic Orators (2nd ed, 1888)
- BentleyRichard BentleyRichard Bentley was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge....
(1882) - Sophocles (3rd ed., 1893) the seven plays, text, English translation and notes, the promised edition of the fragments being prevented by his death
- BacchylidesBacchylidesBacchylides was an Ancient Greek lyric poet. Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of nine lyric poets which included his uncle Simonides. The elegance and polished style of his lyrics have been a commonplace of Bacchylidean scholarship since at least Longinus...
(1905), text, translation, and notes - HomerHomerIn the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
(3rd ed., 1888), an introduction to the IliadIliadThe Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
and OdysseyOdysseyThe Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature... - Modern Greece (1901)
- The Growth and Influence of Classical Greek Poetry (1893).
His translation of the Rhetoric of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
was published posthumously under the editorship of J. E. Sandys (1909). A selection from his Essays and Addresses, and a subsequent volume, Life and Letters of Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb (with critical introduction by A. W. Verrall) were published by his widow in 1907; see also an appreciative notice by J. E. Sandys, History of Classical Scholarship, iii. (1908).
He is buried at the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground
Ascension Parish Burial Ground, Cambridge
The Ascension Parish Burial Ground, formerly St Giles and St Peter's Parish, is a cemetery just off Huntingdon Road near the junction with Storey's Way in the northwest of Cambridge, England. It includes the graves of many Cambridge academics and non-conformists of the 19th and early 20th century...
in Cambridge. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
holds a collection of his papers.
External links
- Richard Claverhouse Jebb Papers, Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
- Works by Richard Claverhouse Jebb at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Richard Claverhouse Jebb at Find-A-Grave
- British Academy Fellowship entry