John Frederick Stanford (1815–1880) was an English barrister, literary scholar and politician.
Life
He was the youngest son of Major Francis William Stanford of the
1st Life Guards
The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated w ...
, from
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Coun ...
, and his second wife Mary, daughter of William Gorton.
He was half-brother to Sir Robert Stanford (1806–1877). He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...
, and was admitted a pensioner of
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
in 1832. He did not reside there, and was admitted to
Christ's College in 1834, matriculating in 1834, and graduating B.A. in 1838, M.A. in 1842.
Stanford was admitted to
Lincoln's Inn in 1841, was
called to the bar in 1844, and that year became a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematic ...
. He was elected Member of Parliament for
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in 1849, serving until 1852.
He belonged to the s.
Legacy
Stanford left £5,000 to the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
which went to support the creation of a dictionary of anglicised words which was finally published as Charles Fennell's ''Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised Words and Phrases''. The project was intended to complete his own ''Etymological Dictionary'' dealing with words and phrases from other languages adopted in English, a work that had consumed Stanford in the final years of his life. Stanford had struggled to find a home for the project: it had been rejected by the
Philological Society
The Philological Society, or London Philological Society, is the oldest learned society in Great Britain dedicated to the study of language as well as a registered charity. The current Society was established in 1842 to "investigate and pro ...
in the 1870s and, when it was offered to Cambridge,
Edward Byles Cowell
Edward Byles Cowell, (23 January 1826 – 9 February 1903) was a noted translator of Persian poetry and the first professor of Sanskrit at Cambridge University.
Cowell was born in Ipswich, the son of Charles Cowell and Marianne Byles. Elizabet ...
,
Walter Skeat
Walter William Skeat, (21 November 18356 October 1912) was a British philologist and Anglican deacon. The pre-eminent British philologist of his time, he was instrumental in developing the English language as a higher education subject in th ...
and
Aldis Wright Aldis may refer to:
*Aldis (name), a masculine given name
*Aldis SRL, a Romanian meat and smallgoods processing company
* Aldis lamp, a type of signal lamp
* ALDIS (Austrian Lightning Detection & Information System) a lightning detection sensor netw ...
all considered that the bequest should be rejected, but they were not in the majority when it came to a vote.
He also left £25,000 to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington and £5,000 to the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
, for a boat named after his mother Mary. There have been two such boats,
RNLB Mary Stanford (ON 661)
RNLB ''Mary Stanford'' (ON 661) was a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Liverpool-class pulling and sailing type lifeboat stationed in Rye Harbour.
On 15 November 1928 the ''Mary Stanford'' capsized, drowning the entire crew of 17. T ...
and
RNLB Mary Stanford (ON 733).
Works
Stanford wrote pamphlets on
political economy
Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...
.
His works included:
*''Outlines of a Plan of National Education'' (1839)
*''Rambles and Researches in Thuringian Saxony'' (1842)
*''On the Suppression of Mendicancy in the Metropolis'' (1847), speech
*''The Patriots of Italy: an Appeal in Their Behalf'' (1847)
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanford, John Frederick
1815 births
1880 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Reading
Fellows of the Royal Society
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1847–1852
English barristers