William Ramsay (classical scholar)
Encyclopedia
William Ramsay was a classical scholar.
He was born 6 February 1806, and was the third son of Sir William Ramsay, the seventh baronet of Bamff
. He received his first education in the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He studied Latin
, Greek
, and mathematics
at Glasgow University from 1823 to 1825. He then studied at Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he graduated BA in 1831. He returned to Glasgow University, where he was elected Professor of Humanity, Glasgow
. He married Catherine Davidson, by whom he had a daughter, Catherine Lilias Harriet. He published many works between 1833 and 1859. In May 1863 Ramsay resigned his professorship through failing health, and spent the following winter in Rome
, collating the most important manuscripts of Plautus
. He died at Sanremo
on 12 February 1865.
His principal publications are:
Ramsay also wrote a Manual of Roman Antiquities in the third division of the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana
(1848, etc.), and contributed to William Smith
's dictionaries of Classical ‘Antiquities,’ ‘Geography,’ and ‘Biography,’ including the article on Cicero
.
He was born 6 February 1806, and was the third son of Sir William Ramsay, the seventh baronet of Bamff
Ramsay Baronets
There have been five Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Ramsay, four in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2010....
. He received his first education in the Royal High School, Edinburgh. He studied 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...
, Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Glasgow University from 1823 to 1825. He then studied 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...
, where he graduated BA in 1831. He returned to Glasgow University, where he was elected Professor of Humanity, Glasgow
Professor of Humanity, Glasgow
The Professor of Humanity is a Professorship at the University of Glasgow. Under the Nova Erectio of James VI the teaching of Latin was in the responsibility of the Regents. The title of Professor of Humanity was, on occasion, attached to one of the Regents' number from 1618.A separate Chair was...
. He married Catherine Davidson, by whom he had a daughter, Catherine Lilias Harriet. He published many works between 1833 and 1859. In May 1863 Ramsay resigned his professorship through failing health, and spent the following winter in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, collating the most important manuscripts of Plautus
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus , commonly known as "Plautus", was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by the innovator of Latin literature, Livius Andronicus...
. He died at Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
on 12 February 1865.
His principal publications are:
- Hutton's "Course of Mathematics", remodelled by W. R. 1833, 8vo. 2.
- An Elementary Treatise on Latin Prosody, Glasgow, 1837, 12mo; revised 1859, 8vo. 3.
- Elegiac Extracts from Tibullus and Ovid, with notes, 1840, 12mo, and other editions.
- Cicero Pro Cluentio, edited with prolegomena, 1858, 8vo. 5.
- An Elementary Manual of Roman Antiquities, with illustrations, London and Glasgow, 1859, 8vo, and other editions.
- The Mostellaria of Plautus, with notes, 1869, 8vo (posthumous).
Ramsay also wrote a Manual of Roman Antiquities in the third division of the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana
Encyclopaedia Metropolitana
The Encyclopædia Metropolitana was an encyclopedic work published in London, from 1817 to 1845, by part publication. In all it came to quarto, 30 vols., having been issued in 59 parts .-Origins:...
(1848, etc.), and contributed to William Smith
William Smith (lexicographer)
Sir William Smith Kt. was a noted English lexicographer.-Early life:Born at Enfield in 1813 of Nonconformist parents, he was originally destined for a theological career, but instead was articled to a solicitor. In his spare time he taught himself classics, and when he entered University College...
's dictionaries of Classical ‘Antiquities,’ ‘Geography,’ and ‘Biography,’ including the article on Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
.