Joseph Bickersteth Mayor (24 October 1828 – 29 November 1916) was an English writer and scholar. He was best known for his books ''Greek for Beginners'' (1880), ''Sketch of Ancient Philosophy'' (1881), and ''Chapters on English Metre'' (1886).

Early life and education

Mayor was born in

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

''1911 England Census'' while his parents returned from

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. He was the fourth son and eighth child of twelve born to Rev. Robert Mayor (1791–1846) and Charlotte Bickersteth (1792–1846). His mother came from the prominent Bickersteth family and was the sister of

Henry Bickersteth, 1st Baron Langdale Henry Bickersteth, 1st Baron Langdale, PC (18 June 1783 – 18 April 1851), a member of the prominent Bickersteth family, was an English physician, law reformer, and Master of the Rolls. Early life and education Langdale was born on 18 June ...

and Rev. Edward Bickersteth. John E. B. Mayor was his elder brother. Mayor was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

and

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

(

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 ...

, 1851;

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 ...

, 1853).

Career

Mayor was ordained as a deacon in 1859 and as a priest the following year. He became a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of St. John's in 1852 and lectured until 1863, and served as a tutor from 1860. He became Headmaster of Kensington Proprietary School (1863–69) before returning to higher education at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, where he was Professor of Classical Literature (1870–79) and of Moral Philosophy (1879–83). Mayor served as the first editor of the ''

Classical Review The Classical Association (CA) is an educational organisation which aims to promote and widen access to the study of classical subjects in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1903, the Classical Association supports and advances classical learning ...

'' (1887–94), and published and edited several volumes on the classics and philosophy, including ''Greek for Beginners'' (1880), ''Sketch of Ancient Philosophy'' (1881), and ''Chapters on English Metre'' (1886). He edited several works by

John Grote John Grote (5 May 1813, Beckenham – 21 August 1866, Trumpington, Cambridgeshire) was an English moral philosopher and Anglican clergyman. Life and career The son of a banker, John Grote was younger brother to the historian, philosopher and ...

(his wife's uncle), including ''Exploratio Philosophica'' (1865) and the posthumous ''An Examination of Utilitarian Philosophy'' (1870) and ''A Treatise on the Moral Ideals'' (1876). His theological works included ''The Epistle of St. James: Greek Text with Introductory Notes and Comments'' (1892), ''The Epistle of St. Jude'', and ''The Second Epistle of St. Peter''.

Personal life

He married Alexandrina Jessie Grote, daughter of Andrew Grote and niece of historian

George Grote George Grote (; 17 November 1794 – 18 June 1871) was an English political radical and classical historian. He is now best known for his major work, the voluminous ''History of Greece''. Early life George Grote was born at Clay Hill near Be ...

, philosopher

, and colonial administrator

Arthur Grote Arthur Grote (29 November 1814 – 4 December 1886) was an English colonial administrator. Life He was born on 29 November 1814 at Beckenham in Kent, England. He was the son of George Grote (1760–1830), a London banker, and Selina Peckwell (177 ...

. They had two sons, civil servant

Robert John Grote Mayor Robert "Robin" John Grote Mayor (20 August 1869 – 19 June 1947) was a British civil servant at the Education Department and philosopher. Early life and education Mayor was born in Twickenham, Surrey, into two prominent families. His father was ...

(1869–1947) and Henry Bickersteth Mayor (1870–1948) and twin daughters, author

Flora MacDonald Mayor Flora Macdonald Mayor (20 October 1872, Kingston Hill, Surrey – 28 January 1932, Hampstead, London), was an English novelist and short story writer, who published under the name F. M. Mayor. Life and work Flora MacDonald Mayor was born on 20 O ...

(1872–1932) and Alice MacDonald Mayor (1872–1961).''1871 England Census''''1881 England Census''''London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1917'' Teresa Mayor Rothschild (1915–1996), wife of the 3rd Baron Rothschild, was his granddaughter.

References

External links

Joseph Bickersteth Mayor's manuscripts
at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayor, Joseph Bickersteth 1828 births 1916 deaths People educated at Rugby School Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Classical scholars of the University of Cambridge English classical scholars English male writers Scholars of Latin literature Bickersteth family Academics of King's College London 19th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English Anglican priests