T. Rice Holmes
Encyclopedia
Thomas Rice Edward Holmes (24 May 1855 – 4 August 1933), who usually published as T. Rice Holmes or T.R.E. Holmes, was a scholar best known for his extensive and "fundamental" work on Julius Caesar
and his Gallic War commentaries
.
Holmes was born at Moycashel (today Castletown-Geoghegan
), Ireland
. He was the fifth son of Robert Holmes, a landed proprietor and a descendant of John Arbuthnot
, a friend of Alexander Pope
and Jonathan Swift
.
Holmes was educated at Merchant Taylors' School
and Christ Church, Oxford
. He was assistant master at Lincoln Grammar School (1878–80), Blackheath Proprietary School
(1880–85), and St. Paul's School (beginning in 1886). In 1888, he married Isabel Isaacs, the daughter of Lionel Isaacs of Mandeville, Jamaica
. They lived at 11 Douro Place, Kensington
.
In addition to his books, Holmes published a number of articles in the English Historical Review, Classical Quarterly, and other journals. He died at age 78 in Roehampton
, London
.
in hypertext
editions:
Holmes' "The Battle-field of Old Pharsalus," Classical Quarterly 2 (1908) 271–292 is also republished at LacusCurtius.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CQ/2/4/Battlefield_of_Old_Pharsalus*.html
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
and his Gallic War commentaries
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
.
Holmes was born at Moycashel (today Castletown-Geoghegan
Castletown-Geoghegan
Castletown Geoghegan in County Westmeath, Ireland, lies south west of Lough Ennell near the county town of Mullingar. Castletown was the seat of the Geoghegan family of the medieval Barony of Moycashel, County Westmeath. The family were descendants of the Southern Ui Neill. They were major...
), Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was the fifth son of Robert Holmes, a landed proprietor and a descendant of John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot
John Arbuthnot, often known simply as Dr. Arbuthnot, , was a physician, satirist and polymath in London...
, a friend of Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
and Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
.
Holmes was educated at Merchant Taylors' School
Merchant Taylors' School
There are three schools in England known as 'Merchant Taylors' School':*Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, Founded 1561*Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby, Founded 1620*Merchant Taylors' Girls' School, Crosby, Founded 1888...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. He was assistant master at Lincoln Grammar School (1878–80), Blackheath Proprietary School
Blackheath Proprietary School
The Blackheath Proprietary School was an educational establishment founded in 1830 that was noted in the contemporary press as an extremely successful school in terms of its education but is perhaps most notable for its profound influence on the game of football, in both Association and Rugby codes...
(1880–85), and St. Paul's School (beginning in 1886). In 1888, he married Isabel Isaacs, the daughter of Lionel Isaacs of Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville, Jamaica
Mandeville is the capital and largest town in the parish of Manchester in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. In 2005, the town had an estimated population of 50,000, and including the immediate suburbs within a radius of the total population is about 72,000. It is located on an inland plateau at an...
. They lived at 11 Douro Place, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
.
In addition to his books, Holmes published a number of articles in the English Historical Review, Classical Quarterly, and other journals. He died at age 78 in Roehampton
Roehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Books
- A History of the Indian Mutiny (1888), Internet Archive and Google Books.
- Caesar's Conquest of Gaul: An Historical Narrative (1903), Internet Archive and Google Books; review of revised second edition of 1911 by H. Stuart Jones, English Historical Review 27 (1912) at LacusCurtius.
- Ancient Britain and the Invasions of Julius Caesar (1907), Internet Archive and Google Books; review by H. Stuart Jones, English Historical Review 24 (1909) at LacusCurtius.
- The Roman Republic and the Founder of the Empire (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1928), Google Books
Articles
Holmes wrote several articles, and Bill Thayer has documented "a flurry of argument and counter-argument" among Holmes and other scholars on the identity of the Portus Itius named by Caesar. These appear at LacusCurtiusLacusCurtius
LacusCurtius is a website specializing in ancient Rome, currently hosted on a server at the University of Chicago. It went online on August 26, 1997; in January 2008 it had "2786 pages, 690 photos, 675 drawings & engravings, 118 plans, 66 maps." The site is the...
in hypertext
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
editions:
- F.J. Haverfield, review of Holmes' Caesar's Conquest of Gaul (1899) and Camille JullianCamille JullianCamille Jullian was a French historian, philologist, archaeologist and historian of French literature, student of Fustel de Coulanges, whose posthumous work he published.-Biography:Jullian was born in Marseille...
's VercingétorixVercingetorixVercingetorix was the chieftain of the Arverni tribe, who united the Gauls in an ultimately unsuccessful revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars....
(1901), Engish Historical Review 18 (1903) 332–336.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/EHR/18/reviews/Holmes_and_Jullian_on_Gaul*.html#Portus_Itius - T. Rice Holmes, "Last Words on Portus Itius," Classical Review 23 (May 1909) 77–81.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CR/23/3/Last_Words_on_Portus_Itius*.html
- H. Stuart Jones takes Holmes to task while reviewing Ancient Britain and the Invasions of Julius Caesar in English Historical Review 24 (1909) 115–116 and 604http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/EHR/24/reviews/Holmes_on_Britain_and_Caesar*.html
- T. Rice Holmes, "An Explanation," Classical Review 26 (March 1912) 70.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CR/26/2/Portus_Itius*.html
- F.J. Haverfield, "Portius Itius," Classical Review 27 (December 1913) 258–260.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CR/27/8/Portus_Itius*.html
- T. Rice Holmes, "F.H. on Portius Itius," Classical Review 28 (March 1914) 45–47.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CR/28/2/Portus_Itius*.html
- F.J. Haverfield, "Portus Itius," Classical Review 28 (May 1914) 82–84.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CR/28/3/Portus_Itius*.html
- T. Rice Holmes, "Portus Itius," Classical Review 28 (September 1914) 193–196.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CR/28/6/Portus_Itius*.html
- E.E. Genner, "Portus Itius," Classical Review 32 (May 1918) 70.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CR/32/3_and_4/Portus_Itius*.html
Holmes' "The Battle-field of Old Pharsalus," Classical Quarterly 2 (1908) 271–292 is also republished at LacusCurtius.http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/journals/CQ/2/4/Battlefield_of_Old_Pharsalus*.html
Biographical sources
- Nature 132 (2 September 1933) 342, obituary (partial text)
- Who's Who 1900 (London: Adam & Charles Black, 1900), vol. 52, p. 532 online.