Thomas Twining (scholar)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Twining was an English
classical scholar and cleric.
merchant of London, he was originally intended for a commercial life, but his distaste for it and his fondness for study decided his father to send him to the university. He entered Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
in 1755, and became a fellow in 1760. He took orders and was married in 1764 to Elizabeth Smythies (1739-1796), daughter of Palmer Smythies, rector of St Michael's, Colchester
, who had taught him at Colchester Free Grammar School
. Twining spent the remainder of his life as incumbent of Fordham, Essex
, and in plurality as vicar of White Notley
(from 1772) and rector of St Mary's, Colchester (from 1788), where he lived from 1790 until his death on 6 August 1804.
Twining's reputation as a classical scholar was established by his translation, with notes, of Aristotle
's Poetics (1789). His epitaph was composed by a lifelong friend and fellow scholar, Samuel Parr
, and another such friend, the musicologist Charles Burney
, composed an obituary.
and head of the tea company in The Strand
, was also intimate with the Burney family and one of seven of them, including Thomas, to subscribe to Fanny's novel Camilla
in 1795. Thomas later sent a double-folio sheet of corrections of punctuation and usage to Fanny Burney, she incorporated into a second edition of the novel in 1802. As she put it, "I am proud that HE thinks the work worth flagellating.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
classical scholar and cleric.
Scholarship
The son of Daniel Twining, teaTea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
merchant of London, he was originally intended for a commercial life, but his distaste for it and his fondness for study decided his father to send him to the university. He entered Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1755, and became a fellow in 1760. He took orders and was married in 1764 to Elizabeth Smythies (1739-1796), daughter of Palmer Smythies, rector of St Michael's, Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, who had taught him at Colchester Free Grammar School
Colchester Royal Grammar School
Colchester Royal Grammar School is a grammar school in Colchester, Essex, founded in AD 1206 and granted two Royal Charters by Henry VIII and by Elizabeth I .-Admissions:...
. Twining spent the remainder of his life as incumbent of Fordham, Essex
Fordham, Essex
Fordham is a village and a civil parish in the Colchester District, in the English county of Essex. Fordham, near the town of Colchester, has a post office, a school, a place of worship and two pubs. The noted classical scholar Thomas Twining of the tea-merchant family held the curacy of the church...
, and in plurality as vicar of White Notley
White Notley
White Notley is a parish in Essex, England. The settlement lies equidistant between the towns of Witham and Braintree amongst arable farmland, 4 miles in each direction...
(from 1772) and rector of St Mary's, Colchester (from 1788), where he lived from 1790 until his death on 6 August 1804.
Twining's reputation as a classical scholar was established by his translation, with notes, 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...
's Poetics (1789). His epitaph was composed by a lifelong friend and fellow scholar, Samuel Parr
Samuel Parr
Samuel Parr , was an English schoolmaster, writer, minister and Doctor of Law. He was known in his time for political writing, and as "the Whig Johnson", though his reputation has lasted less well that Samuel Johnson's, and the resemblances were at a superficial level, Parr being no prose stylist,...
, and another such friend, the musicologist Charles Burney
Charles Burney
Charles Burney FRS was an English music historian and father of authors Frances Burney and Sarah Burney.-Life and career:...
, composed an obituary.
Musicianship
Twining was also an accomplished musician, and assisted Charles Burney in writing his remarkable History of Music. His calls on the Burney family in London in 1775 were vividly and affectionately described by Charles Burney's daughter Fanny:"He is a man of learning, very fond of music, and a good performer both on the harpsichord and the violin. He commenced a correspondence with my father upon the publication of his German Tour, which they have kept up with great spirit ever since; for Mr. Twining, besides being deep in musical knowledge, is a man of great humour and drollery." Thomas's half-brother Richard Twining (1749-1824), a director of the East India CompanyEast India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
and head of the tea company in The Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
, was also intimate with the Burney family and one of seven of them, including Thomas, to subscribe to Fanny's novel Camilla
Camilla
-People:* Camilla , including a list of people with the name* Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the wife of Charles, Prince of Wales-Arts and literature:* Camilla , daughter of King Metabus and Casmilla in Roman mythology...
in 1795. Thomas later sent a double-folio sheet of corrections of punctuation and usage to Fanny Burney, she incorporated into a second edition of the novel in 1802. As she put it, "I am proud that HE thinks the work worth flagellating.