science

John Lemprière

John Lemprière is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John Lemprière rather than just read about it. In short: John Lemprière (c. 1765 in Jersey – 1 February 1824 in London) was an English classical scholar, lexicographer, theologian, teacher and headmaster. Life John Lemprière was the son of Charles Lemprière (died 1801), of Mont au Prêtre, Jersey.

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Reference excerpt

John Lemprière (c. 1765 in Jersey – 1 February 1824 in London) was an English classical scholar, lexicographer, theologian, teacher and headmaster.

Life John Lemprière was the son of Charles Lemprière (died 1801), of Mont au Prêtre, Jersey. He received his early education at Winchester College, where his father sent him in 1779, and from 1785 at Pembroke College, Oxford, probably on the advice of Richard Valpy, graduating BA in 1790, MA in 1792, BD in 1801, and DD in 1803. Lemprière may have been influenced by another Pembroke man, the lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson, whose famous A Dictionary of the English Language had appeared in 1755. A little over thirty years later, around 1786, Lemprière started work on his own Classical dictionary. In 1787, he was invited by Valpy to be assistant headmaster at Reading Grammar School, and in 1789, to the great pride of his father, he preached in St Helier, Jersey. He achieved renown for his Bibliotheca Classica or Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors (Reading, November 1788), which, edited by various later scholars, long remained a readable if not absolutely trustworthy reference book in mythology and classical history. Lemprière wished "to give the most accurate and satisfactory account of all the proper names which occur in reading the Classics, and by a judicious collection of anecdotes and historical facts to draw a picture of ancient times, not less instructive than entertaining." (Lemprière, Preface, 1788). It has been a handbook for teachers, journalists, dramatists and poets for almost two hundred years and John Keats is said to have known the book almost by heart. "Far from being just an ordinary dictionary, however, Lemprière's encyclopedic work is full of incidental details and stories which bring the mythical past to life." It is assumed that the great scholar Valpy helped Lemprière with the dictionary.

Lemprière held a schoolmaster's post at Bolton Grammar School in 1791 and was a curate at Radley, Oxfordshire. From 6 August 1792 until his resignation in midsummer 1809, he was headmaster of Abingdon Grammar School, and in 1800 was also appointed as vicar of that parish, serving until 1811. While occupying these two posts, he published a Universal Biography of Eminent Persons in all Ages and Countries (London, 1808). His time at Abingdon School has been recorded as being a period of negligence on his part, which resulted in a decline of the School during the period. Numbers at the School began to decline in 1795 and the number of scholars (Charity boys) never exceeded two and there were only some six or so boarders. He failed to make use of the Bennett's endowment as a route towards Pembroke College and excluded the town boys from mixing with his boarders out of hours. He also failed to repair any of the School buildings. On 20 July 1798, the Borough records show that George Knapp (the Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames and a former Abingdon School pupil) headed a committee to confer with Lemprière regarding the Roysse's Ordinances. Lemprière has been the subject of complaints stating he had been negligent in his duties at the School and at St Nicolas' Church. In 1799 he was deprived of his benefice and was persuaded to resign from the school in 1809. In 1809 he succeeded to the headmastership of Exeter Free Grammar School and held this post until 1819. On retiring from this school, following a disagreement with the trustees, he received the living of Meeth in Devon, which, together with that of Newton St Petrock, he held until his death from a stroke in the Strand, London. He is buried in Meeth, where his grave can be found. Two of his sons were also rectors of Meeth: Francis Drocus Lemprière (born 1794) and Everard Lemprière (born 1800). His daughter Caroline, who died at the age of twenty-seven, was the first wife of John Bathurst Deane.

Publications "Bibliotheca Classica" or "Classical Dictionary containing a full Account of all the Proper Names mentioned in Ancient Authors", (Reading,1788) "Sermon preché dans le Temple de la Paroisse de St. Helier, à Jersey, le deuxième d'Août." (1789) "A Sermon preached at the opening of St. Peter's Chapel, Swinton, in the parish of Eccles, Lancashire, on Sunday, April 10, 1791." "Herodotus" (a translation, Book 1 only), (1792) (References in: The Histories by Herodotus. G. C. Macaulay (1890) Reprint: Barnes and Noble, 2004) "Universal Biography of Eminent Persons in all Ages and Countries", (London, 1808)

Posthumous publications Bibliotheca classica: or, A classical dictionary: containing a copious account of the principal proper names mentioned in ancient authors; with the value of coins, weights, and measures, used among the Greeks and Romans; and a chronological table, Volume 2 (1833) A classical dictionary, available in Project Gutenberg, published in United Kingdom by George Routledge and Sons in 1904.

Lemprière in fiction The 1991 prize-winning novel Lemprière's Dictionary by Lawrence Norfolk has as its background Lemprière's writing of his dictionary, as well as the places the Lemprière family came from. The main character is John Lemprière, author of the Classical Dictionary, and also his father, Charles Lemprière. The rest of the story is fiction. The poet Tony Harrison refers to Lemprière as the source of Keats's classical knowledge in his poem "A Kumquat for John Keats" in the line "Flora asphyxiated by foul air / unknown to Keats or Lemprière." The character Mr. Scogan expresses his admiration for Lemprière's work as a biographer and lexicographer in Aldous Huxley's novel Crome Yellow (ch. XIV). In George Orwell's Keep The Aspidistra Flying there is "You'll find it in Lempriere", a snark remark made by protagonist at Rosemary. In Gilbert and Sullivan's first joint operetta Thespis there are several references to Lempriere when the cast are arguing about their rightful positions in ancient Greek mythology. In Virginia Woolf's Between The Acts, there is a reference to Lempriere to help find the origin of "Touch wood."

See also Bibliotheca Classica HMS Bellerophon (1786) Lawrence Norfolk

References

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Lemprière

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Lemprière claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John Lemprière before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John Lemprière ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John Lemprière

In research: John Lemprière appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John Lemprière in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John Lemprière is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1760s births, 1824 deaths, English classical scholars, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Lemprière outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John Lemprière in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is John Lemprière in simple terms?

John Lemprière (c. 1765 in Jersey – 1 February 1824 in London) was an English classical scholar, lexicographer, theologian, teacher and headmaster. Life John Lemprière was the son of Charles Lemprière (died 1801), of Mont au Prêtre, Jersey.

Why does John Lemprière matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John Lemprière?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John Lemprière.