George Cecil Renouard
Encyclopedia
George Cecil Renouard was an English classical and oriental scholar.
, on 7 September 1780, was the youngest son of Peter Renouard (d. 1801) of Stamford, adjutant in the Rutland
militia
, by Mary, daughter of John Henry Ott, rector
of Gamston, Nottinghamshire
, and prebendary
of Richmond and Peterborough.
George entered St. Paul's School, London, in 1793, and in the same year, on the nomination of George III, was admitted on the foundation of Charterhouse School
. From there, in 1798, he proceeded firstly to Trinity College, Cambridge
, and then, in 1800, migrated to Sidney Sussex
. He graduated B.A.
in 1802, and per literas regias M.A. in 1805, and B.D.
in 1811.
After obtaining a fellowship in 1804, he became chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople
. In 1806 he returned to England, and served as curate of Great St. Mary's, Cambridge.
From January 1811 to 1814 he was chaplain to the factory at Smyrna
. During his residence there he discovered on a rock near Nymphio a figure which he identified with the Sesostris
of Herodotus
. In 1815 he returned to Cambridge to fill the post of Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic, which he held till 1821. For a time he also acted as curate of Grantchester
, near Cambridge, but in 1818 was presented to the valuable college living of Swanscombe
, Kent
.
While at Smyrna in 1813 he baptised John William Burgon
, with whom in after life he was very intimate. He looked over the manuscript of Burgon's prize essay on "The Life and Character of Sir Thomas Gresham", and publicly read the essay at the Mansion House, London
, on 14 May 1836. Burgon corresponded with him from 1836 to 1852, and dedicated to him his "Fifty Smaller Scriptural Cottage Prints" in 1851.
Renouard died unmarried at Swanscombe rectory on 15 February 1867, and was buried in Swanscombe churchyard on 21 February.
, German
and Italian language
, and gained during his sojourn in the East an intimate knowledge of the Arabic
, Turkish
and Hebrew
languages.
Although his publications were few, he obtained a wide reputation as a linguist, geographer and botanist. During the forty-nine years that he resided at Swanscombe he maintained a voluminous correspondence with the most distinguished orientalists and geographers of Europe, and was an industrious contributor to the journals of learned societies.
For the British and Foreign Bible Society
he corrected the proofs of the translations of the scriptures into Turkish and other eastern languages. He was a leading member of the translation committee of the Royal Asiatic Society
, to which he was elected in 1824, revising many of its publications. His paper on the language of the Berbers
was communicated to the society in 1836. From 1836 to 1846 he was honorary foreign secretary of the Royal Geographical Society
, and actively interested himself in the Syro-Egyptian Society and the Numismatic Society.
In the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana
, third division, "History and Biography", he contributed to the "History of the Roman Republic", 1852 (chapters vii, viii, and x) and to the "History of Greece, Macedonia, and Syria", 1852 (chapter iii).
Biography
Renouard, born at Stamford, LincolnshireStamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, on 7 September 1780, was the youngest son of Peter Renouard (d. 1801) of Stamford, adjutant in the Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, by Mary, daughter of John Henry Ott, rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Gamston, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, and prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Richmond and Peterborough.
George entered St. Paul's School, London, in 1793, and in the same year, on the nomination of George III, was admitted on the foundation of 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...
. From there, in 1798, he proceeded firstly to 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...
, and then, in 1800, migrated to Sidney Sussex
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
. He graduated B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1802, and per literas regias M.A. in 1805, and B.D.
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
in 1811.
After obtaining a fellowship in 1804, he became chaplain to the British Embassy at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. In 1806 he returned to England, and served as curate of Great St. Mary's, Cambridge.
From January 1811 to 1814 he was chaplain to the factory at Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
. During his residence there he discovered on a rock near Nymphio a figure which he identified with the Sesostris
Sesostris
Sesostris was the name of a legendary king of ancient Egypt who led a military expedition into parts of Europe, as related by Herodotus.-Account of Herodotus:...
of Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
. In 1815 he returned to Cambridge to fill the post of Lord Almoner's Professor of Arabic, which he held till 1821. For a time he also acted as curate of Grantchester
Grantchester
Grantchester is a village on the River Cam or Granta in Cambridgeshire, England. It is listed in the Domesday Book as Grantesete and Grauntsethe...
, near Cambridge, but in 1818 was presented to the valuable college living of Swanscombe
Swanscombe
Swanscombe is a small town, part of the Borough of Dartford on the north Kent coast in England. It is part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe.-Prehistory:...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
While at Smyrna in 1813 he baptised John William Burgon
John William Burgon
John William Burgon was an English Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He is remembered for his passionate defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis and of Biblical inerrancy in general.-Biography:Burgon was born at Smyrna, the son of an English...
, with whom in after life he was very intimate. He looked over the manuscript of Burgon's prize essay on "The Life and Character of Sir Thomas Gresham", and publicly read the essay at the Mansion House, London
Mansion House, London
Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in London, England. It is used for some of the City of London's official functions, including an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer customarily gives a speech – his...
, on 14 May 1836. Burgon corresponded with him from 1836 to 1852, and dedicated to him his "Fifty Smaller Scriptural Cottage Prints" in 1851.
Renouard died unmarried at Swanscombe rectory on 15 February 1867, and was buried in Swanscombe churchyard on 21 February.
Works
Renouard was an admirable classical scholar, was acquainted with FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and gained during his sojourn in the East an intimate knowledge of the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, 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,...
and Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
languages.
Although his publications were few, he obtained a wide reputation as a linguist, geographer and botanist. During the forty-nine years that he resided at Swanscombe he maintained a voluminous correspondence with the most distinguished orientalists and geographers of Europe, and was an industrious contributor to the journals of learned societies.
For the British and Foreign Bible Society
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world....
he corrected the proofs of the translations of the scriptures into Turkish and other eastern languages. He was a leading member of the translation committee of 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...
, to which he was elected in 1824, revising many of its publications. His paper on the language of the Berbers
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
was communicated to the society in 1836. From 1836 to 1846 he was honorary foreign secretary of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, and actively interested himself in the Syro-Egyptian Society and the Numismatic Society.
In 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:...
, third division, "History and Biography", he contributed to the "History of the Roman Republic", 1852 (chapters vii, viii, and x) and to the "History of Greece, Macedonia, and Syria", 1852 (chapter iii).