James Lamb (or Lambe; 1599 – 18 October 1664), was an English clergyman and orientalist. Lamb was baptised on 2 February 1598/9 in the parish of

All Saints' Church, Oxford All Saints Church is a former church on the north side of the High Street in central Oxford, England, on the corner of Turl Street. It is now the library of Lincoln College. This former church is Grade I listed. History The original All Saint ...

, the son of Richard Lamb. He was educated at Magdalen College School, and entered

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

in 1613, graduating

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

1615,

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

1619 ( incorporated M.A. at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

1628),

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (i.e., Christian theology and ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the English-speaking world than elsewhere. In the United Kin ...

(from

St Mary Hall, Oxford St Mary Hall was a medieval academic halls of the University of Oxford, academic hall of the University of Oxford. It was associated with Oriel College, Oxford, Oriel College from 1326 to 1545, but functioned independently from 1545 until it ...

) 1660. He was chaplain to

Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, KG ( ; 10 March 1607 – 16 May 1667), styled Lord Wriothesley before 1624, was an English statesman, a staunch supporter of King Charles II who after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 ...

. In the church, he held the following livings: * Rector of

Botley, Hampshire Botley is a historic village in Hampshire, England, approximately east of Southampton. It was developed as a natural crossing point for the River Hamble, and received its first market charter from Henry III in 1267. The village grew on the su ...

, 1639–60 * Canon of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, 1660–64 * Rector of

Kings Worthy Kings Worthy is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hampshire, England, approximately two miles north-east of Winchester, Hampshire, Winchester. Kings Worthy was a Tithe, tithing of Barton Stacey when the Domesday Book was w ...

, Hampshire, 1661 * Rector of

St Andrew's, Holborn The Church of St Andrew, Holborn, is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without. History Roman and medieval Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 exc ...

, London, 1662–64 He died on 18 October 1664, and was buried on 20 October in Westminster Abbey. He bequeathed many of his books to the library of

; the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

holds manuscripts by him, including a three-volume grammar of Arabic.

Family

Lamb was married to Elizabeth Beeston (daughter of Arthur Bromfield and widow of

William Beeston William Beeston (1606? – 1682) was an English actor and theatre manager, the son and successor to the more famous Christopher Beeston. Early phase William was brought up in the theatrical world of his father; he became an actor, and also his ...

). They had no children, but he was step-father to Sir William Beeston, lieutenant-governor of Jamaica, and Henry Beeston, Headmaster of Winchester College and Warden of New College, Oxford.

References

1599 births 1664 deaths English orientalists People educated at Magdalen College School, Oxford Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford English male non-fiction writers {{UK-academic-stub