Biographical Information

This is an expanded version of Peter Gilliver’s “Appendix II. OED Personalia”, first published in Lynda Mugglestone (ed.), Lexicography and the OED: Pioneers in the Untrodden Forest (Oxford, 2000), the text of which is © Oxford University Press, and is reproduced with permission.

An asterisk against an individual’s name indicates that he/she appears in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography; in such cases, the reader is referred to the ODNB for information beyond that given in the entry. Beside some entries in this list, there is additionally a More details link, indicating that an individual entry and a sample of their handwriting can also be seen on this site.

• Amours, François (Francis) Joseph (1841-1910). Schoolmaster (at Glasgow Academy and Glasgow High School) and man of letters. Edited texts for the Scottish Text Society. Read and annotated OED proofs from C onwards; also contributed a collection of early instances of French loanwords in English.
• *Amphlett, John (1845-1918). Historian and diarist; author of several books on Worcestershire. Reader for OED.
• Anderson, William Johnston (d. 1900). Of Markinch, Fife. Reader for OED; sub-edited in M and P.
• *Anson, William Reynell (1843-1914). Jurist, and warden of All Souls College, Oxford. Acted as consultant to OED on many legal terms.
• Apperson, George Latimer (1857-1937). School inspector and man of letters; editor of the Antiquary 1899-1915. Reader for OED (credited with 11,000 quotations in 1888); sub-edited in B and C; later drew heavily on OED in compiling his historical dictionary English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases (1929); also produced A Jane Austen Dictionary (1932).
• *Arber, Edward (1836-1912). English scholar; professor of English language and literature at Birmingham from 1881 (professor emeritus 1894). Edited many early modern texts for publication or reprinting. Friend of Murray, whom he supplied with copies of his `English Reprints’ series for reading, and with whom he corresponded on many specific points.
• Ardagh, Richard Drapes (1823-99). Soldier, serving in India and Burma; Commissioner of Pegu, 1863-78; also an authority on Burmese, which he taught at Oxford and Cambridge. Read for OED (credited with 8,400 quotations in 1884).
• Atkinson, John Christopher (1814-1900). Antiquary, and author of numerous works on Yorkshire, including a Glossary of the Cleveland Dialect (1868). Read for OED, and gave specialist advice on particular words.
• Austin, Thomas, junior. Of Oxford, Hornsey, and elsewhere. Probably the most prolific contributor of quotations to the first edition of OED (already credited with 165,000 in 1888), both as a reader and as a supplier of desiderata. Probably also the editor of Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (1888) for the EETS.
• Balk, Charles Godfrey (1857-1915). Member of Murray’s editorial staff 1885-1913. Also wrote a meditation on the meaning of life, posthumously published as Life is Growth (1922).
• Barry, Edward Milner (1819-1902). Clergyman; vicar of Scothorne, Lincs., 1852-91. Reader for OED (credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• Barry, Eleanor E. (b. 1835/6). Of London. Reader for OED (credited with 2,600 quotations in 1884).
• Bartlett, James (1823/4-1908). Tutor, of Bramley, near Guildford. Sub-edited in G, M, O, R, and S.
• Bathoe, Maria Burnley (d. 1885). Of London; daughter of the radical politician Joseph Hume. Contributed many quotations to the OED (credited with over 5,000 in 1888), including many from the novels of Dickens.
• Bayliss, Henry James (b. 1868). Son of an Oxford gardener. Joined the staff of the Bodleian library in Oxford in 1884; member of Bradley’s, and later Craigie’s editorial staff, 1891-1932 (including work on the Supplement).
• Beazeley, Alexander (1830-1905). Civil engineer, involved especially in lighthouse construction; librarian of the Royal Institute of British Architects. `A devoted friend of the Dictionary from its very commencement’ (according to Murray in his 1907 preface to the section Pennage-Plat); read for OED (ultimately credited with more than 30,000 quotations), and contributed many desiderata; consulted on terms in architecture, engineering, and associated subjects. More details »
• Beckett, William Henry (1847/8-1901). Minister of the Congregational Church of Stebbing, near Chelmsford, and writer on the English Reformation. Reader for OED; sub-edited in W.
• Birt, John Wixon (b. 1890). Joined Onions’ editorial staff in 1906, and continued (with a gap for war service 1914-19) until 1933, including work on the Supplement. Assisted Onions with various other lexicographical projects, including the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.
• *Blandford, George Fielding (1829-1911). Physician and psychiatrist. Reader for OED (credited with 2,150 quotations in 1884, including some desiderata).
• Bleeck, Charles Thring (1828/9-85). Of Bath. Reader for OED (credited with 2,300 quotations in 1884).
• Blomfield, family: James Stone Blomfield (b. 1856/7, a pupil at Mill Hill School, later a wool merchant) and his sisters Jane Charlotte (b. 1852/3), Mary Elizabeth (b. 1858/9), Emily R. (b. 1860/1), and Alice K. (b. 1862/3), all of Upper Norwood. They all read for OED (credited with a total of 6,050 quotations in 1884).
• Boulter, Walter Cousitt (1847/8-1912). Clergyman; chaplain to the Worcester Diocesan Penitentiary at Malvern Link, and vicar of Norton (near Evesham). A prolific contributor of quotations to OED (credited with over 2,000 in 1888), including many desiderata.
• Bousfield, George Benjamin Richings (1824/5-1897). Clergyman; curate of Carleton Rode, Norfolk, 1847-52, and of Swaffham 1852-3. Reader for OED (credited with 10,000 quotations in 1888); sub-edited in F, G, R, and W; also read proofs.
• Bowles, Samuel James (1826-85). Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, 1855-68, and thereafter rector of Beaconsfield. Did some sub-editing in G for Furnivall; also read for OED (credited with 6,000 quotations in 1884).
• Boyd, William. Of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reader for OED (credited with over 5,000 quotations in 1888).
• Brackebusch, L. William (1837/8-89). Schoolmaster (of the High School for Boys, Finchley Road, London; later headmaster of St Paul’s College, Stony Stratford). Sub-edited in B.
• Bradley, Eleanor Spencer (1875-1950). Daughter of Henry Bradley. Member of Bradley’s, and later Onions’ editorial staff, 1897-1932 (including work on the Supplement).
• *Bradley, Henry (1845-1923). After 20 years working as a clerk to a Sheffield cutlery firm, during which he acquired a knowledge of many languages through private study, he was appointed in 1886 to assist Murray with the letter B, having demonstrated his considerable philological acumen in a review of OED‘s first fascicle (in the Academy in 1884); became second editor in 1888 (initially working from London, but moving to Oxford in 1896), with overall responsibility for E-G, L-M, and parts of S and W; senior editor following Murray’s death in 1915. Also prepared a revised edition of Stratmann’s Middle English Dictionary (published by OUP in 1891). President of the Philological Society 1890-3, 1900-3, and 1909-10.
• Brandreth, Edward Lyall (1823-1907). Barrister. Joined the Philological Society in 1872, and regularly served on its Council. Sub-edited in G, H, K, and N; also read for OED, supplied many quotation desiderata, and assisted for many years by reading proofs and by verifying references at the British Museum.
• Britten, James (1846-1924). Botanist, working first at Kew and later in the British Museum, where he was Senior Assistant when he retired in 1909; co-author (with Robert Holland) of A Dictionary of English Plant-Names (1886). Consulted as an authority on botanical terms; also contributed quotations, and did some sub-editing in P.
• Brooks, Mrs. Of Birmingham. Reader for OED (credited with over 5,000 quotations in 1888).
• Brown, Jemima E. A. (1832/3-1907). Of Further Barton, Cirencester; published some religious writings, including a collection of sonnets Thoughts through the Year (1873). Reader for OED (credited with 4,500 quotations in 1884), and from 1882 one of its most indefatigable sub-editors, working on B, C, D, I, and P; close friend of Murray. Her sister Elizabeth (b. 1830/1) also read for OED (credited with 3,000 quotations in 1884).
• Brown, Joseph (b. 1841/2). Schoolmaster; sometime headmaster of Kendal Grammar School. The longest-serving of Furnivall’s original sub-editors; he worked on OED for over 50 years from 1860, sub-editing in M, S, and U.
• Browne, Walter Raleigh (1842-84). Civil engineer, and writer on mechanics; also one of the founders of the Society for Psychical Research in 1882. Sub-edited in S. His wife Effie also read for OED (she was credited with over 5,000 by 1888).
• *Brushfield, Thomas Nadauld (1828-1910). Physician (a pioneer of humane methods of treating the insane) and antiquarian. A prolific contributor of quotations to OED (credited with 50,000 in 1888), including many desiderata.
• Bryan, W. J. Member of Bradley’s editorial staff c.1891-3.
• Buehrle, Robert Koch (1840-1920). Educationist, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Reader for OED (credited with 2,200 quotations in 1884).
• Bumby, Frederic Edward (1859/60-1918). Member of Murray’s editorial staff 1885-7; also did some sub-editing in N; later read and annotated proofs. From 1897 taught at University College, Nottingham.
• Burton, Eliza Felicia (1821/2-1915). Of Carlisle; daughter of Charles James Burton, Chancellor of the diocese of Carlisle. A prolific contributor of quotations to OED (credited with 11,400 quotations in 1888).
• Byington, Miss A. Of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Reader for OED (credited with 2,450 quotations in 1884).
• *Bywater, Ingram (1840-1914). Greek scholar; regius professor of Greek at Oxford 1893-1908. Delegate of the OUP from 1879 until his death; was associated with OED for longer than any other Delegate. Member (with York Powell) of a subcommittee appointed in 1896 by the Delegates which considered the issue of the scale of OED as compared to Webster’s dictionary; supplied information on particular words for many years.
• Caland, A. (c.1854/5-1910). Dutch schoolmaster; from 1893 Leerar of English in the State High School and Royal Agricultural College, Wageningen. Reader for OED; read proofs from G onwards; also verified quotations, and supplied many desiderata. Became a close friend of Murray, who like him was a keen philatelist.
• Caldwell, J. W. Of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Read for OED (credited with 2,400 quotations in 1884).
• Campbell, Mrs G. M. E. Of Peckham. Reader for OED (credited with 4,000 quotations by 1884).
• Carline, George Reginald (1885-1932). Member of Bradley’s editorial staff c.1908-1914; later read and annotated proofs; assistant curator at museums in London and Oxford, 1914-25, and thereafter Keeper of the Halifax County Borough Museums; published numerous articles on anthropology and folklore.
• *Chapman, Robert William (1881-1960). Secretary to the Delegates of the OUP 1920-42; made many small contributions to the Dictionary and Supplement. Also an authority on, and editor of, Johnson and Jane Austen, and a writer on lexicographical matters, including some tracts for the Society for Pure English.
• Chester, Albert Huntington (1843-1903). American chemist and mineralogist; consulted as an authority on mineralogical terms; later went on to compile A Dictionary of Names of Minerals (1896).
• *Clark, Andrew (1856-1922). Clergyman and antiquary. Published important editions of Aubrey’s Brief Lives (1898) and the works of the Oxford antiquary Anthony Wood; also wrote a history of Lincoln College, Oxford, and published widely on Essex history. Gave specialist advice on particular words.
• *Coleridge, Derwent (1800-83). Divine, educationist, and linguist. Son of Samuel Coleridge the poet. Took a keen interest in the Philological Society’s plans for OED; spoke in favour of generous inclusion of dialect, and of a regulative function for the Dictionary, in a paper given to the Society in 1860.
• *Coleridge, Herbert (1830-61). Grandson of Samuel Coleridge; his mother Sara was Derwent Coleridge’s sister, and his father was also a nephew of the poet. Appointed in 1857 to the Philological Society’s `Unregistered Words’ Committee; in 1859 was appointed editor of the Society’s proposed dictionary, and drafted the `Canones Lexicographici’ (closely following the principles of Trench’s paper `On some Deficiencies’), a revised version of which was published in 1860; this became the basis, albeit with modifications, of OED‘s editorial policy, although Coleridge himself died from consumption before he had prepared more than a few entries.
• Countryman, Franklin (b. 1849). Of New Haven, Connecticut; Congregationalist minister of North Branford from 1882. Read for OED (credited with 2,050 quotations in 1884).
• *Craigie, William Alexander (1867-1957). Philologist. Studied classics and philosophy at St Andrews, and Icelandic, Scandinavian, Celtic, and Germanic languages at Oxford; held a succession of professorial posts in Latin, Scandinavian languages, and Anglo-Saxon at St Andrews and Oxford; published widely on Scottish language and literature and Icelandic; in 1897 was invited to join Bradley’s staff working on OED; became third editor in 1901, with overall responsibility for N, Q, R, U, V, and parts of S and W, and co-edited (with Onions) the 1933 Supplement. In 1919 he proposed to the Philological Society a series of dictionaries treating the English of particular periods and regions according to the same principles as OED but in greater depth, two of which (the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (1931-) and the Dictionary of American English (1936-44)) he worked on simultaneously with OED; accepted an English Chair at Chicago University in 1925 as an American base for his editorship of the latter; edited the Supplement to the second edition (1957) of Cleasby and Vigfusson’s Icelandic-English Dictionary. His wife Jessie (d. 1947) also worked on the arrangement of U in 1917-18.
• Crane, William John E. (b. c. 1833). Of Brixton; author of books on bookbinding and metalwork. Did some sub-editing in O for Furnivall.
• Dadley, Percival T. J. (b. 1891/2). Of Liverpool. Member of Onions’ editorial staff 1910-16.
• Davies, Thomas Lewis Owen (1833/4-1918). Clergyman; vicar of Jesus Chapel, near Southampton, 1860-1917. Author of Bible English (1875) and A Supplementary English Glossary (1881); placed quotations from the latter, and further quotations collected by him, at the disposal of OED; continued to supply quotations, and gave advice on particular words.
• Dawson, Benjamin. Philologist and man of letters. Joined the Philological Society in 1867, and served as its Treasurer for many years. Reader for OED; took on some of the unfinished reading left by Fitzedward Hall and W. C. Minor. Also published A Terminational Dictionary of Latin Substantives (1850).
• Deedes, Cecil (1843-1920). Clergyman (vicar of St Mary Magdalen, Oxford, 1872-6), missionary, and antiquary; latterly prebendary and librarian of Chichester Cathedral. Contributed quotations to OED (credited with over 2,000 in 1888), including many desiderata.
• Dixon, James (1813-96). Ophthalmic surgeon; author of Diseases of the Eye (1855). In 1870, because of his wife’s illness, he gave up his London practice and retired to Dorking, Surrey, taking up literary and historical interests. Contributed quotations to OED, including many desiderata; in the help he gave with the history of medical terms he was second only to William Sykes (q.v.), according to Murray’s affectionate obituary in Notes and Queries.
• Dixon, James Main (1856-1933). English scholar; lectured on English literature at the Imperial University, Tokyo (1886-92); subsequently took up a chair in English at Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, and finally (1905-31) taught at the University of Southern California. Published widely on English, including an important Dictionary of Idiomatic English Phrases (1890), based on a large collection of quotations which he made available to OED.
• Doble, Charles Edward (1847-1914). Assistant Secretary to the Delegates of the OUP, 1879-1909, during which time he worked closely with James Murray and the other Editors. He also contributed quotations to OED (credited with 3700 quotations by 1884), and gave advice on particular words.
• Dobson, Thomas (b. 1862/3). Journalist, of South Shields. Reader for OED (credited with 2,200 quotations in 1884).
• Dodgson, Edward Spencer (1857-1922). Basque scholar; published editions of many previously obscure Basque texts. Read for OED.
• Dormer, John. Of London, Horsham, Eastbourne, and elsewhere. Sub-edited or arranged material in C, D, and S; contributed many quotations for scientific terms; also compiled many of the `Lists of Special Wants’, which listed words for which earlier or later quotations were wanted. In 1907 was apparently institutionalized because of mental illness.
• Douglas, William. Of London. One of the most productive readers for OED; credited with 136,000 quotations in 1888, including many from biological and medical texts but also much from Dickens, Lytton, and other contemporary novelists.
• *Dowden, Edward (1843-1913). Literary scholar; professor of English literature (first occupant of the chair) at Trinity College, Dublin, from 1867. Did some sub-editing of O for Furnivall; subsequently gave advice on specific points. He and his wife also read for OED.
• Drown, Thomas Messinger (1842-1904). American chemist and metallurgist; professor of analytical chemistry at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, 1874-81. Read for OED (credited with 1,800 quotations in 1884).
• *Druitt, Robert (1814-83). Physician and medical writer; author of the enormously successful Surgeon’s Vade-Mecum (1839). Read for OED, as did several other members of his family (they were jointly credited with 6,800 quotations in a list of 1884).
• *Eastwood, Jonathan (1823-64). Clergyman; curate of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, and Eckington, Derbyshire, and vicar of Hope, Staffordshire, from 1862 until his death. Recruited by Furnivall to read books for the Dictionary in 1857, even before the publication of the Philological Society’s Proposal, and remained an enthusiastic reader for the rest of his life; he was among the most prolific contributors of readers during the Dictionary’s early years.
• Eisdell, Sophia Louisa (1825-1908). Of Colchester. Reader for OED (credited with 5,000 quotations in 1884).
• *Ellis, Alexander John (1814-90). Philologist and mathematician. Met Murray in 1868 and became a close friend. President of the Philological Society in 1872-4 and 1880-2; was in the chair, and spoke in favour, at the meeting in 1879 when the Society resolved to accept the proposed agreement with the OUP to publish OED. Continued to provide advice on phonological matters.
• *Ellis, Robinson (1834-1913). Classical scholar, perhaps best known for his edition of Catullus. Close friend of Murray, whom he often accompanied on holidays abroad; regularly consulted for advice on particular words; also read for OED.
• *Elworthy, Frederick (Fred) Thomas (1830-1907). Philologist and antiquarian. Wrote extensively on Somerset and Devon, including The West Somerset Word-Book (1886). Close friend of Murray. He and his family read for OED (credited between them with 12,900 quotations in 1884), and sub-edited part of D.
• Erlebach, Alfred (1850-1899). Schoolmaster; sometime assistant master at Mill Hill. Reader for OED; sub-edited part of A; engaged by Murray in 1881 to work with him in the Scriptorium; left in 1885 to become joint principal (with his brother Henry Arthur Erlebach (b. 1854/5)) of Woodford House School in Kent, but remained deeply interested in the Dictionary until his death, reading and revising proofs for Murray and Bradley and sometimes returning to the Scriptorium to deputize for Murray. He and his brother also read for OED.
• *Evans, Daniel Silvan (1818-1903). Welsh scholar; compiler of An English and Welsh Dictionary (1852-8) and an incomplete Dictionary of the Welsh Language (A-E, 1887-1906). Advised OED on many points of Welsh philology.
• Evans, Herbert Arthur (1846-1923). Literary scholar; published widely on English renaissance drama, including editions of some Shakespeare plays. Read for OED (credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• Farr, C. J. Of Broadchalke, near Salisbury. Reader for OED (credited with 2,500 quotations in 1884, including some desiderata).
• Fayers, Arthur P. (b. 1851/2). Clergyman of Rawdon, near Leeds. Sub-edited in B and N.
• Fennell, Charles Augustus Maude (1843-1916). Classicist and lexicographer; editor of the Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised Words and Phrases (1892), for which reading was carried out on a basis similar to that for OED, and by many of the same readers. Wrote an important (anonymous) early review of OED. Made some of his quotations available to OED, and gave advice on specific points.
• Fenwick, George Lee (1836/7-1911). Chief Constable of Chester 1864-98; also published a History of Chester (1896). Read for OED (credited with 2,200 quotations in 1884).
• Fowler, Joseph Thomas (1833-1924). Surgeon, divine, antiquarian, and naturalist; vice-principal of Bishop Hatfield’s Hall, Durham, 1870-1917; Hebrew lecturer at Durham University; honorary canon of Durham Cathedral from 1897. Edited several texts for the Surtees Society. Reader for OED; supplied many desiderata; read and revised proofs from C onwards.
• Foxall, Miss A. Of Edgbaston. Reader for OED (credited with 11,250 quotations in 1884).
• Friedrichsen, George Washington Salisbury. Member of Murray’s editorial staff 1909-14; later read and annotated proofs. Went on to assist Onions in the compilation of the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (1966), which he saw through to publication after Onions’ death (in collaboration with Robert Burchfield, editor of the four-volume Supplement), and revised the etymologies in the third edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.
• *Furnivall, Frederick James (1825-1910). Scholar and editor. Read mathematics at Cambridge and studied law at Lincoln’s Inn; joined the Philological Society in 1847, and was its sole Secretary from 1862 until his death; appointed in 1857 to the Society’s `Unregistered Words’ Committee; took over the editorship of OED in 1861 on the death of Coleridge, in which capacity he organized the work of readers and sub-editors; his energies became increasingly diverted from work on OED by other literary activities, including the founding of the EETS (1864), the Chaucer Society (1868), the New Shakspere Society (1873), and numerous other literary societies, and the editing of many texts for publication by these societies; nevertheless remained actively involved with the Dictionary until his death, as an advocate of the project, as a constant source of advice, by research in the British Museum, and as a tireless contributor of quotations (already credited with `about 30,000′ in 1888), including a great many taken from his ordinary daily reading of newspapers and magazines. More details ».
• Garrison, Wendell Phillips (1840-1907). American journalist; editor of the Nation, 1881-1906. Read for OED; also gave specialist advice on items of American vocabulary.
• Gasquoine, Thomas (1833/4-1913). Congregationalist minister (serving at Oswestry, Northampton, and elsewhere) and antiquary. Read for OED (credited with 3,750 quotations in 1884).
• Gee, William (b. 1835/6). Banker, of Boston, Lincolnshire. Sub-edited in B (his list of headwords for B was printed as a pamphlet in 1863); also did some reading for Furnivall, as did “Miss E. Gee” and “Miss L. Gee” (possibly his sisters).
• Gell, Philip Lyttelton (1852-1926). Secretary to the Delegates of the OUP 1884-98, during which time he appointed Henry Bradley to assist Murray; constantly sought to improve the rate of production.
• Gerrans, Henry Tresawna (1858-1921). Mathematician; vice-provost of Worcester College, Oxford. Gave advice on mathematical words. Was also briefly appointed to act as Secretary to the Delegates of the OUP when Gell fell ill in 1897.
• *Gibbs, Henry Hucks, first Baron Aldenham (1819-1907). Businessman (director of the Bank of England 1853-1901; Governor 1875-7) and man of letters. Joined the Philological Society in 1859, and remained closely involved with OED for the rest of his life; became a close friend of Murray, whom he advised and helped in respect of both editorial and practical aspects of the work. Reader for OED; sub-edited in C, K, and Q; read and annotated the proofs of the first fascicle, and continued to help in this way for many years; consulted as an authority on financial terms. Also edited texts for the EETS and other societies. His two sons, *Vicary Gibbs (1853-1932) and Kenneth Francis Gibbs (1856-1935), also read for OED. More details »
• Giffard, Mary (b. 1839/40). Of Leatherhead. Reader for OED (credited with 2,900 quotations in 1884).
• Gosselin (later Gosselin-Grimshawe), Hellier Robert Hadsley (1849-1924). Of Hertford; Mayor of Hertford, 1897-9. Reader for OED (credited in 1897, jointly with his sister Geraldine Hadsley Gosselin (b. 1857/8), with 3,500 quotations).
• Grahame, William Francis. Of Dublin; worked for many years in the Indian Civil Service. Did some sub-editing in M for Furnivall.
• Gray, Charles (b. 1831/2). Physician, of Wimbledon. Prolific reader for OED (credited with 29,000 quotations in 1888); did research on quotations at the British Museum from 1879; supplied further quotation desiderata, and many 18th-century examples of function words; sub-edited in S; gave help on specific points, particularly in relation to military and naval terms. His wife also read for OED.
• Green, Robert Frederick (b. 1856/7). Of Liverpool. Sub-edited in N. Also wrote books on chess and whist.
• Greene, Godfrey George Roundell (1888-1956). Member of Murray’s editorial staff 1913-15. Subsequently lectured in English at the University of Helsinki.
• Gregor, Walter (1825-97). Clergyman and Scots scholar; minister of Pitsligo, Banffshire, from 1863 until his death. Wrote on Scottish matters, including The Dialect of Banffshire (1866), and edited texts for the Scottish Text Society. Sub-edited in J; also read for OED.
• Griffith, Robert William (d. 1891). Cardiff solicitor; later secretary to the Bishop of Llandaff. Sub-edited in B for Furnivall; also read for OED.
• *Grosart, Alexander Balloch (1827-1899). Literary scholar and theologian; edited many Elizabethan and Jacobean texts for publication or reprinting. Reader for OED.
• Gunthorpe, Edward (b. 1852/3). Of Sheffield. Sub-edited in A and B; later worked as Bradley’s assistant, verifying quotations in the British Museum.
• Haig, Margaret (later Mrs. Alexander Stuart). Of Blairhill, Perthshire, later of Edinburgh. Reader for OED; sub-edited in O.
• Hailstone, Arthur (b. 1846/7). Solicitor, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, and later Bradford. Sub-edited in C and N; also read for OED, and supplied quotation desiderata.
• *Hall, Fitzedward (1825-1901). Sanskrit scholar and philologist. Born and educated in America (originally as an engineer), he studied Indian languages in India after being shipwrecked there in 1846; professor of Sanskrit at Benares Government College from 1853, and at King’s College London from 1862; edited many Sanskrit and Hindi texts for publication. Also showed an interest in English philology from an early age, and published widely in the field, including Modern English (1873). Largely withdrew from public life after being the subject of various accusations, beginning in 1869 with his expulsion from the Philological Society; was, however, persuaded by Skeat to assist with OED, and became one of Murray’s closest friends and advisers (although the two men never met) and one of the most important contributors to the Dictionary, devoting over 4 hours every day from 1881 until his death to `the critical examination of the proof-sheets and the filling up of deficiencies whether in the vocabulary or the quotations: there is scarcely a page which he has not thus enriched by his contributions’ (according to Murray in his 1887 preface to Part III; his services are acknowledged in similar terms in many later prefaces). More details »
• Hall, Henry F. (b. 1839/40). Liverpool coal merchant. Reader for OED (credited with 2,050 quotations in 1884).
• Hallam, Thomas (1819-95). Phonetician. Active linguistic fieldworker on behalf of Alexander Ellis and Murray, and writer on dialect and educated speech. Consulted by Murray during preparatory work on phonetic notation for OED.
• Hampden-Cook, Ernest (1860-1932). Congregationalist minister (serving in New Zealand and New South Wales) and religious writer. Published a version of the New Testament in modern English, based on that by R. F. Weymouth; remained closely attached to Mill Hill School. Read for OED (credited with 2,400 quotations in 1884), and provided specialist advice on particular words.
• Hardy, Charles F. (b. 1828/9, d. ante 1891). London stockbroker. Reader for OED (credited with 2,900 quotations in 1884).
• *Harraden, Beatrice (1864-1936), novelist (author of the bestselling Ships that Pass in the Night, 1893) and suffragette. Friend of Furnivall, who arranged for her to visit the offices of the Dictionary; she subsequently wrote a novel, The Scholar’s Daughter (1906), whose principal characters are at work on or connected with `a dictionary which was to be the abiding pride of the Anglo-Saxon race’.
• Harrison, G. Of Manchester. Reader for OED (credited with 2,600 quotations in 1884).
• Hart, Henry Chichester (1847-1908). Shakespeare scholar. Read and annotated OED proofs, supplying many additional quotations from 16th and 17th century dramatists. Also wrote on the dialect and flora of County Donegal.
• Hartley, Miss A. Of London. Reader for OED (credited with 2,500 quotations in 1884).
• *Hazlitt, William Carew (1834-1913). Bibliographer; author of a Hand-Book to the Popular Poetical and Dramatic Literature of Great Britain (1867). Prepared editions of many early modern English texts, and also compiled a book of English proverbs (1869). Reader for OED.
• Helwich, Hartwig Richard (d. 1900). Philologist of Vienna. Prolific reader for OED; credited with 50,000 quotations in 1888, including the bulk of the quotations taken from the most frequently cited work in the Dictionary, the medieval poem Cursor Mundi. Also gave advice on specific points.
• Henderson, Thomas (b. 1852). Headmaster of Bedford County School 1881-1900. A prolific contributor of quotations to OED (credited with 48,000 in 1888), including many desiderata; also sub-edited in B and C.
• Herrtage, Sidney John Hervon (b. 1844/5). English scholar; edited several texts for the EETS, including the late 15th-century glossary Catholicon Anglicum (published 1881), and for the English Dialect Society. Reader for OED; appointed by Murray as his first assistant in the Scriptorium in 1879, but was dismissed in 1882. Subsequently prepared many of the entries in Robert Hunter’s Encyclopaedic Dictionary (1879-88).
• Heslop, Richard Oliver (1842-1916). Of Corbridge, Northumberland; iron and steel merchant and antiquarian. Published several works on Northumberland dialect, including an important glossary (1892). Supplied quotations; gave advice to OED on dialect words, and also on terms in mining and engineering.
• *Hodgson, William Ballantyne (1815-1880). Educationist and economist. He collected quotations for use in a planned English dictionary of his own, which was never published, although his work Errors in the Use of English did appear posthumously (1881); his widow made his collections available for the use of OED.
• Hooper, John Willmore (b. 1837/8). Clergyman; rector of St John’s, Gateshead Fell, and (from 1886) of St Cuthbert’s, Shadforth, Co. Durham. Read for OED (credited with 6,000 quotations in 1897).
• Howell, John D. Of London. Sub-edited in D for Furnivall; also read for OED.
• *Hughes, Thomas John (1853-1927), Welsh political journalist. Read for OED (credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• Hulme, Edward Charles (1821/2-1900). Of South Kensington. `One of the best workers for the Dictionary’ (according to Murray’s 1885 preface to Part II); sub-edited in C and L; also read for OED. His son Edward Wyndham Hulme, librarian of the Patent Office, also supplied information on specific points.
• Humphreys, Jennett (1829/30-1917). Of Cricklewood; writer of books for children. Prolific reader for OED (credited with 18,700 quotations in 1888); also wrote a lengthy article on the Dictionary for Fraser’s Magazine in 1882, and continued to send in quotations and information on particular words, in some cases relating to her collection of materials for a book on early cookery (never published).
• *Ingleby, Clement Mansfield (1823-86). Literary scholar; compiled an important collection of early allusions to Shakespeare (Shakespeare’s Century of Prayse, 1874). An important contributor of quotations, mainly desiderata.
• Ireland, Dennis Clayfield (b. 1857/8). Barrister, of Brislington Hall in Somerset. Read for OED (credited with 3,200 quotations in 1884).
• Irvine, Aiken (d. c.1881). Irish clergyman and antiquary. Read for OED.
• Jackson, Benjamin Daydon (1846-1927). Botanist; secretary of the Linnean Society for many years. Compiler of the Index Kewensis (published 1892-5 after 10 years of preparation), and author of a Glossary of Botanic Terms (1900). Gave advice on botanical terms.
• Jackson, Edward Steane (b. 1826/7). Schoolmaster, of Walthamstow and Plymouth. Read, and sub-edited in E, for Furnivall; also read for Murray (credited with 10,000 quotations in 1888); helped to replace the quotations for Pa- after the original materials were largely lost.
• Jacob, Philip Whittington (1805-89). Alderman (later Mayor) of Guildford, and author of Hindoo Tales (1873), a translation from Sanskrit. Sub-edited in D, E, P, Q, R, and S (including the famously large entry for Set); also read for OED.
• Jenkinson, William Wilberforce (b. 1843/4). Land agent and auctioneer, of London. Reader for OED; also verified quotations in the British Museum, and read proofs.
• Johnston, James Brown (1862-1953). Minister of Falkirk Free Church 1888-1928. Author of many works on place names, including Place-Names of Scotland (1892) and The Place-Names of England and Wales (1915). Reader for OED (credited with 6,800 quotations in 1884); after a brief period in the Scriptorium as Murray’s assistant in 1883, continued to help by reading and annotating proofs until 1927; joined the staff of the Scottish National Dictionary in 1931.
• Joicey, George (b. 1850/1). Of Gateshead. Read for OED (credited with 8,500 quotations in 1897).
• *Jowett, Benjamin (1817-93). Classicist and educationist; regius professor of Greek at Oxford from 1855 until his death, and master of Balliol College from 1870. While Vice-Chancellor of the University (1882-6) he took a particular interest in the OUP; in 1883, after studying the proofs of the first fascicle of OED, he suggested a number of changes in editorial policy which brought him into conflict with Murray; later, however, he became a close friend of Murray, who was made an honorary fellow of Balliol in 1885 and even christened one of his sons Jowett. Supplied advice on specific words.
• Kemlo, A. Of Aberdeen. Reader for OED (credited with 2,500 quotations in 1884).
• *Key, Thomas Hewitt (1799-1875). Latin scholar; professor of Latin at London University 1828-42, and headmaster of University College School 1832-75 (jointly until 1842). Founder member of the Philological Society, and its joint secretary (with Furnivall) 1853-62; member of the Committee set up by the Society in 1859 to formulate OED‘s editorial policy. His incomplete Latin-English Dictionary was published in 1888.
• Kingsmill, William Major (b. 1824/5). Clergyman; sometime rector of Bredicot and Tibberton, Worcestershire. Reader for OED (credited with 10,000 quotations in 1888).
• Kluge, Friedrich (1856-1926). Germanic philologist; Ordinarius in German language and literature at Freiburg from 1893. Compiler of the important Etymologisches Wörterbuch der Deutschen Sprache (1883); also published widely on English and Anglo-Saxon. Gave etymological advice on particular words.
• Knowles, Edward Hadarezer (c.1820/1-99). Of St Bees; clergyman and schoolmaster. Headmaster of Kenilworth Grammar School from 1864, and principal of St Bees Theological College 1871-96. Did some sub-editing in R for Furnivall; later read for OED.
• *Laughton, John Knox (1830-1915). Naval historian; professor of history at King’s College, London, 1885-1914. Gave advice on nautical and naval terms; also read for OED.
• Lecky, James (1855-90). Phonetician. Offered advice on phonetic notation to Murray during preparatory work for OED; continued to correspond about particular words, and also did some reading.
• Lees, William (1827-94). Rector of Sidlow Bridge, Surrey, 1861-94. Prolific contributor of quotations for OED (credited with 18,500 in 1888), including many desiderata.
• *Legg, John Wickham (1843-1921). Physician and liturgical scholar; published an important treatise on haemophilia, and edited several liturgical texts for publication. Read for OED (credited with over 1,000 quotations in 1888, including many special quotations), and gave advice on particular points.
• Lewis, Wilfrid James (b. 1868). Son of an Oxford college servant. Member of Bradley’s, and later Onions’ editorial staff, 1889-1933 (including work on the Supplement). Also compiled a historical dictionary of cricket (The Language of Cricket, 1934).
• *Liddell, Henry George (1811-98). Greek scholar and lexicographer; dean of Christ Church, Oxford, 1855-91. With Robert Scott he published A Greek-English Lexicon (1843), which was originally based on a Greek-German dictionary by Franz Passow and which familiarized English readers with Passow’s historical approach to lexicography, an approach closely followed by Trench in his paper `On some Deficiencies’ and hence having considerable influence on OED. As a Delegate of the OUP he took an interest in OED, and was a member (with Max Müller and Mark Pattison) of the literary committee set up at Murray’s request in 1879; collaborated with Jowett in studying Murray’s proofs in 1883.
• Lloyd, Richard John (1859/60-c. 1906). Phonetician; sometime honorary reader in phonetics at University College, Liverpool. Reader for OED; sub-edited in H. Also wrote a book on Northern English (1899).
• Loane, George Green (1865-1945). Schoolmaster at St Paul’s School. His A Thousand and One Notes on “A New English Dictionary” (privately printed 1920) listed earlier and later quotations, omitted words, and other suggested revisions, many of which were made use of in the 1933 Supplement; he went on to compile two similar collections, “A Thousand and Two Notes on ‘N.E.D.'” (published in the Transactions of the Philological Society in 1931) and “A Third Thousand Notes on ‘N.E.D.'” (published in Notes and Queries in 1937).
• Lord, Halkett. Of Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Read for OED (credited with 4,000 quotations in 1897).
• Lord, Robert H. (b. 1859/60). Member of Murray’s editorial staff c.1884-87. Subsequently became a Congregationalist minister (at Westhoughton, Lancashire, from 1891).
• *Love, Augustus Edward Hough (1863-1940). Mathematician and geophysicist; Sedleian professor of natural philosophy at Oxford from 1898 until his death. Gave help on specific points, particularly in relation to mathematical and physical terms.
• Löwenberg, William Joseph (1841/2-99). Rector of Bury, Lancashire. Sub-edited in O and P; also read for OED (credited with over 5,000 quotations in 1888), and supplied quotation desiderata.
• Lyall, A. Of Manchester. Reader for OED; sub-edited in T; also supplied quotation desiderata.
• Madan, Falconer (1851-1935). Librarian and palaeographer; Bodley’s Librarian 1912-1919 (Sub-Librarian 1880-1912). Published widely on bibliographical and literary matters, including a history of the OUP (1908). Read many 17th-century texts for OED, and gave help on other specific points. His sister Edith (b. 1854/5) also read for OED (credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• *Maitland, Frederic William (1850-1906). Jurist and legal historian. Gave advice on many legal and historical terms.
• Major, Samuel Dobell (1835/6-d. ante 1888). Accountant, of Bath. Compiled a popular hymn book, A Book of Praise for Home and School (1869). A prolific contributor of quotations to OED (credited with 16,000 in 1888).
• Maling, Arthur Thomas (b. 1858). Member of Murray’s, and later Onions’ editorial staff, 1886-1927 (including work on the Supplement). Was also a keen Esperantist.
• March, Francis Andrew (1825-1911). Philologist; professor of English Language and Comparative Philology at Lafayette College, Pennsylvania (the first chair of its kind in America) from 1857. Published an important Comparative Grammar of the Anglo-Saxon Language in 1870. From 1879 co-ordinated the work of American readers for the Dictionary. Later collaborated with Isaac Funk on his Standard Dictionary of 1895, whose definitions were occasionally made use of by OED in the same way, though less frequently, as those of the Century Dictionary (regarding which see Whitney, William Dwight). Continued to correspond with Murray on aspects of OED.
• *Margoliouth, David Samuel (1858-1940). Orientalist; Laudian professor of Arabic at Oxford 1889-1937. Gave advice on points of Semitic philology.
• Marsh, George Perkins (1801-82). Diplomat and man of letters; United States minister to Turkey, 1849-54, and to Italy from 1861 until his death. Published books in a wide range of fields, including the popular Lectures on the English Language (1860), the important ecological text Man and Nature (1864), a grammar of Icelandic, and a treatise on the camel. Responsible for co-ordinating the American component of the early phase (from 1859) of reading for OED, before this task was taken over by Francis March.
• *Martineau, Russell (1831-98). Orientalist; assistant keeper of the British Museum Library 1884-96. Nephew of the writer Harriet Martineau, who was an early supporter of OED. Member of Philological Society from 1867. Read and annotated proofs; gave advice on specific points.
• Matthews, Albert (1860-1946). Massachusetts historian. Reader for OED (credited with 28,000 quotations in 1897); investigated the history of many American words and meanings (publishing many of his findings in Notes and Queries).
• *Max Müller, Friedrich (1823-1900). Orientalist and philologist; Taylorian professor of modern European languages at Oxford 1854-68, and professor of comparative philology (first occupant of the chair) from 1868 until his death. His popular lectures at the Royal Institution in 1861 and 1863 were later published as The Science of Language. As a Delegate of the OUP, he was closely involved in negotiations with Murray in 1877; subsequently gave advice on specific points.
• Mayhew, Anthony Lawson (1842-1916). Philologist; chaplain of Wadham College 1880-1912. Close friend of the diarist Francis Kilvert. Reader for OED; also gave etymological advice on particular words. Published various glossaries, including an edition of Promptorium Parvulorum for the EETS; collaborated with Skeat on A Concise Dictionary of Middle English (1888), and contributed to his Etymological Dictionary; also prepared his A Glossary of Tudor and Stuart Words for posthumous publication (1914).
• Meyer, Marie-Paul-Hyacinthe (1840-1917). French palaeographer (who was called upon to examine documents in connection with the Dreyfus affair in 1898) and Romance philologist; member of the Institut de France. Published widely on medieval French. Principal adviser to OED on matters of Romance philology; read proofs and supplied comprehensive notes, especially of an etymological nature.
• Middleton, Joseph Empson (1806-1885). Clergyman; taught at St Bees Theological College (1845-71); vicar of Belton, Leicestershire, 1873-85. Sub-edited Q for Furnivall (and subsequently returned his materials to Murray).
• Minor, William Chester (1835-1920). American surgeon and soldier; served with the Union forces during the Civil War. Acquired lexicographical experience by contributing to the 1864 edition of Webster’s dictionary (working with James D. Dana on the vocabulary of geology and natural history). Suffered from a form of schizophrenia, which led to his killing a man while on a visit to England in 1872; was consigned to Broadmoor for life; became one of the most valued contributors of quotations to OED, concentrating on the 16th and 17th centuries and lending many rare books of his own; kept in close touch with Murray (who became a friend and sometimes visited him) and Bradley so as to be able to look out specifically for words currently being worked on; by 1902 obliged by failing health to cut back on his work; in 1910 was permitted to return to America, where he remained in custody until his death. More details »
• Mitchell, John (1858/9-1894). A valued member of Murray’s editorial staff from 1883; also read and commented on Bradley’s proofs. His death in a climbing accident affected his colleagues deeply: Murray wrote of their `unspeakable grief’ in his 1895 preface to the section D-Depravation.
• Moore, Elizabeth O. (b. 1858/9). Of Addlestone, Surrey. Reader for OED (credited with 2,200 quotations in 1884).
• Moore, William (1838/9-1907). Schoolmaster; headmaster of the Philological School, Marylebone. Reader for OED (credited with 3,800 quotations in 1884).
• *Morfill, William Richard (1834-1909). Slavonic scholar; professor of Russian and Slavonic languages at Oxford from 1900. Gave advice on points of Slavonic philology.
• Morris, Edward Ellis (1843-1902). Headmaster of Bedford County School, and subsequently (1875-82) headmaster of Melbourne Church of England Grammar School; professor of modern languages and literature at Melbourne from 1884. Compiled a dictionary of Australian words, Austral English (1898); made duplicates of the quotations he collected for this work available to OED.
• Morris, J. Of Durham. Reader for OED (credited with 2,300 quotations in 1884).
• *Morris, Richard (1833-94). English scholar and philologist. Close friend of Furnivall; published widely on English and Pali. In 1876, while President of the Philological Society, approached the publisher Alexander Macmillan about the possibility of publishing the Society’s dictionary, and suggested Murray as editor; also read for OED.
• Morris, Rupert Hugh (1844-1918). Schoolmaster (headmaster of Godolphin School, Hammersmith, 1876-84), clergyman (vicar of St Gabriel’s, Pimlico, from 1894), and antiquarian. Author of several works on the history of Chester. Sub-edited in I, and gave advice on particular words.
• Moule, Horatio (Horace) Mosley (1832-73). Classical scholar and close friend of Thomas Hardy. Did some sub-editing in H; also read for OED.
• Mount, Charles Bridges (b. 1827). Clergyman; rector of Heyford Warren, Oxfordshire, 1865-78. Reader for OED (credited with 10,000 quotations in 1884); sub-edited in A-D, J, P, and V; also researched many specific points in the Bodleian Library and elsewhere, and read proofs.
• *Murray, James Augustus Henry (1837-1915). Principal editor of OED from 1879 until his death. Studied for an external B.A. from London University, but did not take any formal philological qualification; spent some years as a schoolmaster (he was on the staff of Mill Hill School 1870-85) and bank clerk; joined the Philological Society in 1868 (president 1878-80, 1882-4, and 1907-9); edited many texts for the EETS; published The Dialect of the Southern Counties of Scotland in 1873. Originally approached by Macmillan about the possibility of editing their proposed new dictionary; subsequently the Philological Society turned to the OUP and Murray’s name was again put forward. Edited those volumes of the OED containing the letters A-D, H-K, O, P, and T.
  — Murray’s eleven children all assisted their father in his work on the Dictionary, if only by sorting quotation slips; the most substantial contributions were made by Hilda (1875-1951), Elsie (1882-1952) (later Mrs. R. A. Barling), and Rosfrith (1884-1973), who all worked on the editorial staff as Assistants (for over 20 years in the case of Elsie and Rosfrith), and by Harold (1868-1955), who was a prolific reader for the Dictionary (credited with 27,000 quotations by 1888), and was consulted as an authority on chess terms. Hilda also revised her father’s article on the English Language for the 1910 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. See also Ruthven, Ada Agnes.
• *Murray, Margaret Alice (1863-1963). Egyptologist and folklorist. Reader for OED (credited with over 2,000 quotations in 1888).
• Napier, Arthur Sampson (1853-1916). Philologist; Merton professor of English language and literature at Oxford from 1885, and later also Rawlinsonian professor of Anglo-Saxon. Gave advice on many points of Germanic philology.
• *Newton, Alfred (1829-1907). Zoologist; professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at Cambridge from 1866 until his death. Published widely on ornithology, including A Dictionary of Birds (1893-6). Consulted as an authority on bird names.
• *Nicholson, Edward Williams Byron (1849-1912). Bodley’s librarian 1882-1912. He and his successors, Falconer Madan (q.v.) and Arthur Cowley, co-operated with OED by allowing staff to research in the Bodleian library, as well as by supplying information themselves on particular points.
• Nicol, Henry (c.1845-1881). Philologist, specializing in French phonology. Cousin of Sweet. Persuaded in 1871 by Furnivall to undertake the editorship of OED, but prevented by ill-health and other projects from taking up work.
• O’Flahertie, Theobald Richard (1818-94). Clergyman (vicar of Capel, Surrey, 1848-94) and John Donne scholar. Read for OED.
• *Onions, Charles Talbut (1873-1965). Grammarian and lexicographer. In 1895, while in his final year at Mason College, Birmingham, he was introduced by Edward Arber to Murray, who invited him to join his staff; between 1906 and 1913 he also worked under Bradley and Craigie, with special responsibility for parts of M, N, R, and S, and in 1914 he became fourth editor, with overall responsibility for parts of S and W and for X-Z (and was thus responsible for `the last word’, Zyxt, although the last fascicle to be published was Wise-Wyzen in 1928); also co-edited (with Craigie) the 1933 Supplement. His editorship was interrupted in 1918 by military service in naval intelligence. Also took over the editorship of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary from William Little on his death in 1922 (first published 1933; 3rd ed. 1944) and edited the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (published posthumously, 1966; see also Friedrichsen, George Washington Salisbury); published many other books and articles on lexicographical and grammatical matters, including An Advanced English Syntax (1904) and A Shakespeare Glossary (1911).
• Paine, Cornelius (b. 1809/10, d. ante 1890). Colonial broker, of Surbiton, later of Brighton. Reader for OED (credited with over 5,000 quotations in 1888); also did some sub-editing in R for Furnivall.
• Peacock, Edward (1831-1915). Antiquarian, published widely on local history, archaeology, and dialect, including a glossary of Lincolnshire dialect and many articles in Notes and Queries; also wrote several novels. Reader for OED; also supplied many quotation desiderata, and gave help on other specific points.
• Pearson, Howard S. (b. 1838/9). Schoolmaster, of Edgbaston. Read for OED (credited with 2,250 quotations in 1884).
• Peto, John (1810/1-1892). Builder, of Godalming. Sub-edited in C, F, and H; also read for OED.
• *Petrie, William Matthew Flinders (1853-1942). Egyptologist. Read for OED (credited with 2,450 quotations in 1884).
• Philips, George Morris (1851-1920). Mathematician and educator; principal of the West Chester State Normal School, Pennsylvania, from 1881 until his death, and author of numerous textbooks. He was also a keen book collector. Reader for OED (credited with 10,000 quotations in 1884); he also contributed to Webster’s dictionary.
• Phillips, Henry (1838-95). Of Philadelphia. Numismatist and linguist; published numerous works on American currency. As Secretary of the American Philosophical Society, he investigated the merits of Volapük as an international language; he was more impressed, however, by Esperanto, and in 1889 published an English translation of an important early paper by its inventor L. L. Zamenhof. Reader for OED (credited with 10,000 quotations in 1884).
• Pierson, Job (1824-96). Presbyterian minister of Ionia, Michigan; librarian of Alma College, Michigan. Prolific reader for OED (credited with 46,000 quotations in 1888).
• Platt, James (1861-1910). Linguist. Showed an extraordinary facility with languages from an early age; a prolific contributor of articles to the Athenaeum and Notes and Queries; also a writer of fiction (his Tales of the Supernatural were published in 1894). Corresponded occasionally with Murray at least from 1882, but from 1899 became OED‘s most important consultant on the more obscure languages of Africa, America, and Asia.
• *Platts, John Thompson (1830-1904). Persian scholar and lexicographer; compiler of a Hindustani-English Dictionary (1881). Regularly gave advice to OED on the etymology of words of Persian and Indian origin.
• *Pollock, Frederick (1845-1937). Jurist; author of several classic law textbooks. Gave advice on a great many specific points, particularly in relation to legal terms.
• Porter, Richard T. (b. 1834/5). Engineer, of Beckenham. Reader for OED (credited with 3,650 quotations in 1884).
• Potts, Cuthbert Young (1823/4-1909). Minister of the Congregational Chapel at Ledbury. Sub-edited in L; also read for OED (credited with 2,100 quotations in 1884).
• *Powell, Frederick York (1850-1904). Historian and Icelandic scholar; regius professor of modern history at Oxford 1894-1904. Published widely on history and Scandinavian literature. Member (with Ingram Bywater) of a subcommittee appointed in 1896 by the Delegates which considered the issue of the scale of OED as compared to Webster’s dictionary; was instrumental in the appointment of Craigie as third Editor. Gave advice on specific historical matters.
• *Powell, Lawrenceson (Lawrence) Fitzroy (1881-1975). Literary scholar and librarian. Despite having no academic qualifications, was taken on as a boy helper in the library of Brasenose College, Oxford; joined the staff of the Bodleian Library in 1895. Joined Craigie’s editorial staff in 1901. Left in 1921 to take up the librarianship of the Taylorian Institution; became an authority on Boswell and Johnson. See also Steane, Ethelwyn Rebecca.
• Poynter, Henrietta May (b. 1851/2). Of Oxford; daughter of the architect Ambrose Poynter. Reader for OED (credited with 2,500 quotations in 1897, and later taking on some of the unfinished reading left by Fitzedward Hall and W. C. Minor); she also helped in other ways, including the arrangement of materials into alphabetical order. Also wrote novels (Scarlet Town, 1893, and Madamscourt, 1902), and other fiction.
• *Price, Bartholomew (1818-98). Mathematician; Sedleian professor of natural philosophy at Oxford 1853-98, and master of Pembroke College, Oxford, 1891-8. Secretary to the Delegates of the OUP 1868-84, during which time he negotiated the terms of the Press’s agreements with Murray and the Philological Society regarding OED.
• Price, Hereward Thimbleby (1880-1964). Philologist and English scholar. Member of Murray’s editorial staff 1896-1904; subsequently studied at Bonn University; became a German citizen after marrying a German in 1911; conscripted into the German army in 1915; recounted his war experiences, including capture by the Russians, imprisonment in Siberia, and escape to China, in his memoir Boche and Bolshevik (1919). Appointed to an English professorship at the University of Michigan in 1929, and published widely on Shakespeare; also served as Associate Editor of the Dictionary of Early Modern English (one of the series of dictionaries proposed by Craigie (q.v.), which however was abandoned before much had been published), and was for some time in informal charge of the Middle English Dictionary.
• Prior, Richard Chandler Alexander (1809-1902). Botanist; author of On the Popular Names of British Plants (1863). Also published a collection of translations of Danish ballads (1860) and a book on croquet (1872). Read for OED (credited with 11,700 quotations in 1888), and gave advice on some plant names and botanical terms.
• Prosser, Richard Bissell (1838-1908). Patent officer and industrial historian; Chief Examiner of Patents at the Patent Office 1883-8. Gave help on many points relating to scientific and technical words, including searching in patent specifications for early quotations. Also wrote many articles on figures in science and industry for the DNB.
• Pye-Smith, Philip Henry (1839-1914). Physician, long connected with Guy’s Hospital. Gave advice on medical and biological words.
• Reed, Thomas A. (b. 1836/7). Of London. Reader for OED (credited with 2,700 quotations in 1884).
• *Rhs, John (1840-1915). Celtic scholar; Jesus professor of Celtic at Oxford (first occupant of the chair) from 1877, and principal of Jesus College from 1895. Principal adviser to OED on matters of Celtic philology.
• Richardson, Mrs C. F. Of New York. Reader for OED (credited with 3,100 quotations in 1884).
• *Richardson, Sir John (1787-1865). Physician, naturalist, and Arctic explorer. Did some reading for Furnivall.
• *Rieu, Charles Pierre Henri (1820-1902). Orientalist; professor of Arabic and Persian at University College, London, and Adams professor of Arabic at Cambridge 1894-1902. Gave advice on points of Semitic philology.
• Rope, Henry Edward George (1880-1978). Member of Murray’s, and from 1905 of Craigie’s editorial staff. Later became a Catholic priest, with missions at Morley Hall, Shropshire, and elsewhere; continued for the rest of his life to contribute quotations for the Dictionary and its Supplements. Also published poetry, and wrote on topography and Catholic history. More details »
• *Roscoe, Henry Enfield (1833-1915). Chemist; profess of chemistry at Owens College, Manchester, 1857-85 (and subsequently MP for South Manchester). Gave advice to OED on specific chemical terms.
• *Rossetti, William Michael (1829-1919). Art critic and man of letters. Reader for OED (credited with 3,000 quotations in 1884); sub-edited in B and L , originally for Furnivall; also gave advice on art terms and other specific points.
• Rossiter, William (d. 1897). Of Holborn. Son of a trunk-maker; studied with Furnivall at the Working Men’s College, later becoming a Fellow of the College, and the manager of the South London Working Men’s College, where he was instrumental in the founding of the South London Art Gallery (now the South London Gallery) in 1891. An important contributor to the Dictionary in its earliest years, he undertook to provide a concordance to the works of Edmund Burke as a basis of comparison for the language of the modern period, although this does not appear to have been completed.
• Rowe, L. Of London. Reader for OED (credited with 4,000 quotations in 1884).
• Ruthven, Ada Agnes (later Mrs. James Murray) (1845-1936). Of Kendal. Married James Murray in 1867, and became closely involved with many of her husband’s scholarly projects (assisting, for example, in the compilation of the glossary to his edition of The Complaynt of Scotlande for the EETS in 1872); was instrumental in his decision to accept the editorship of OED, and acted as his unpaid secretary for many years; the first Scriptorium at Mill Hill was built following her suggestion. Read for OED, sought out quotation desiderata, and assisted in many other ways.
• Ruthven, Herbert Frederick Peel (1852/3-98). Brother-in-law of James Murray, and his second assistant (with Herrtage) in the Scriptorium; he later emigrated to Australia. He and his wife also read for OED.
• Sanders, Samuel John Woodhouse (1846-1915). Clergyman and schoolmaster; vice-master of Bedford County School, 1868-72, and headmaster of Northampton Grammar School, 1872-93. Reader for OED (credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• Saunders, Eliza M. (b. 1819/20). Of Dulwich. Reader for OED (credited with 3,300 quotations in 1884).
• Saunders, Emily (b. 1826/7) and Grace E. (b. 1834/5). Of Addlestone, Surrey. Readers for OED (credited with 9,300 quotations between them in 1884).
• Schrumpf, Gustavus Adolphus (1844/5-1892). Schoolmaster (at University College School from 1884; before that at Tettenhall College, near Wolverhampton) and philologist. Sub-edited in A and H; also read for OED, and carried out research in the British Museum.
• Scott, Adrian (1850-1905). Of Blackstone, Massachusetts. Germanic philologist; taught at Brown University, where he was an associate professor from 1894. Reader for OED (credited with 5,000 quotations in 1884).
• Scott, Frances E. (b. 1849/50). Of Leamington. Read for OED (credited with 3,300 quotations in 1884).
• Sheppard, Thomas Henry (1814-88). Chaplain of Exeter College from 1851. Sub-edited in M, U, and V (his list of headwords for U-V was printed as a pamphlet in 1865); also read for OED.
• Sievers, Eduard (1850-1932). Phonetician and Germanic philologist; holder of professorships at Jena, Tübingen, Halle, and Leipzig. Published widely on phonetics and Germanic philology, including the important Angelsächsische Grammatik (1882; Eng. transl. 1885). Principal adviser to OED for many years on the etymology of words of Germanic origin.
• Sisam, Kenneth (1887-1971). English scholar and publisher. Worked briefly with Bradley on OED before embarking on his anthology Fourteenth Century Verse and Prose (1921; separate Glossary provided by J. R. R. Tolkien 1922); gave advice on particular words. Worked closely with R. W. Chapman at OUP (appointed Junior Assistant Secretary to the Delegates in 1922; Secretary 1942-8).
• *Skeat, Walter William (1835-1912). Philologist and editor. Read mathematics and theology at Cambridge; returned there to lecture in mathematics, but took up Anglo-Saxon, and became skilled enough to be elected in 1878 as the first Elrington and Bosworth professor of Anglo-Saxon, a post he held until his death. Published many important works in English philology, perhaps most notably the Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (1882). Joined the Philological Society in 1863, and took an early interest in OED; sub-edited in R for Furnivall. Founded the English Dialect Society in 1873, through which he encountered Murray and became a close friend and adviser; collaborated with Murray during his approach to Macmillan about publishing OED, and subsequently gave him constant support (memorably in the form of humorous poems celebrating Murray’s reaching particular letters), as well as practical help, by reading books, seeking out quotations, giving etymological advice on particular words, and reading proofs.
• Slater, John (b. 1847/8). Architect; sometime vice-president of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Reader for OED (credited with 2,050 quotations in 1884); also gave advice on specialist terms.
• Smallpeice, John (1830/1-1900). Clergyman; taught at St Bees Theological College 1858-96. Sub-edited in M, X, Y, and Z; also read for OED.
• *Smith, Lucy Toulmin (1838-1911). Scholar; librarian of Manchester College, Oxford, 1894-1911. Edited many texts for the EETS and other societies. Gave advice on specific points; also read for OED, and collated quotations in the British Museum. Was also a regular reviewer of OED fascicles.
• Smith, R. T. Of Putney. Reader for OED (credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• Smith, W. Of Edinburgh. Reader for OED (credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• Southwell, Clara (b. 1856/7). Of London. Reader for OED (credited with 2,400 quotations in 1884).
• Sprange, Alfred D. (1829/30-1869). Of London; a successful private tutor. Read for OED; also did some sub-editing for Furnivall.
• *Squire, William Barclay (1855-1927). Music scholar, critic, and librarian. Read for OED(credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884); also gave specialist advice on particular words.
• *Stainer, John (1840-1901). Organist and composer; professor of music at Oxford 1889-99. Consulted as an authority on musical terms.
• Steane, Ethelwyn Rebecca (later Mrs. L. F. Powell) (1873-1941). Daughter of an Oxford wine merchant. Member of the editorial staff of the Dictionary 1901-32 (including work on the Supplement); she married a fellow assistant, L. F. Powell, in 1909.
• *Stephens, George (1813-95). Runic archaeologist; also Professor of English and Anglo-Saxon in the University of Copenhagen from 1855. Placed his own collection of quotations at the disposal of OED.
• Stephenson, Miss M. Of London. Reader for OED (credited with 2,450 quotations in 1884).
• *Stevenson, William Henry (1858-1924). Writer on the history of Nottingham and Gloucester, and philologist. Read and annotated proofs for many years; also gave advice on specific points.
• Stoffel, Cornelis (1845-1908). Dutch philologist; taught English at the Handelsschool (Commercial School) in Amsterdam. Wrote widely on English language and literature, including Studies in English (1894) and many articles on particular English words. Read for OED (credited with 2,200 quotations in 1884), and supplied many miscellaneous quotations from his own research.
• *Stubbs, William (1825-1901). Historian (regius professor of history at Oxford 1866-84), and bishop successively of Chester and (from 1888) Oxford. Gave advice on many historical terms.
• Sugden, Edward Holdsworth (1854-1935). Methodist minister and educationist. Reader for OED; sub-edited in I; continued to send in quotations after moving from Bradford to Melbourne in 1887 to become master of the new Queen’s College. Later published a Topographical Dictionary to the Works of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries (1925).
• Sweatman, Frederick John (1873-1936). Son of an Oxford printer-foreman. Joined the staff of the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 1888; member of Murray’s, and later Onions’ editorial staff, 1890-1933 (including work on the Supplement). Also assisted Onions with the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.
• *Sweet, Henry (1845-1912). Phonetician and philologist; author of many important texts in these fields, including the History of English Sounds (1874) and the Anglo-Saxon Reader (1876). In 1877, as President of the Philological Society, he wrote to Bartholomew Price with the proposal which later formed the basis of the agreement between the OUP, the Philological Society, and James Murray regarding OED; gave advice on etymology, pronunciation, and other editorial matters.
• Sykes, George Frederic Holley (1829/30-1910). Member of Murray’s, and later (from 1887) Bradley’s editorial staff, 1885-1903. Also edited The Owl and the Nightingale for the EETS (published posthumously in 1935), and published school English and Latin grammars and translations of Thucydides and Euripides.
• Sykes, William (1851/2-1906). Physician (practising at Mexborough, Yorkshire, and later at Gosport) and antiquarian. After being an early critic of OED in Notes and Queries, became an enthusiastic and valued helper; a prolific contributor of quotations and supplier of information on specific points, especially in relation to medical words; also read proofs.
• Tabor, Henry Samuel (1836/7-1923). Farmer and landowner of Bocking, Essex. Read for OED (credited with 2,100 quotations in 1884), and gave help in arranging materials in alphabetical order.
• Talbot, Benjamin (1827-99). Teacher at Institutions for the Deaf and Dumb in Ohio and Iowa, and latterly Congregationalist minister. Reader for OED (credited with 16,600 quotations by 1888).
• Tanner, family: *Joseph Robson Tanner (1860-1931, a pupil at Mill Hill School, later a historian) and his brothers Edgar R. (b. 1861/2), Russell R. (b. 1863/4), and Lanfear R. (b. 1865/6), of Clifton. They all read for OED (credited with a total of 2,240 quotations in 1884).
• *Thiselton-Dyer, William Turner (1843-1928). Botanist; director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 1885-1905. Regularly consulted as an authority on botanical terms.
• Thomas, Edward Joseph (1869-1958). Member of Murray’s, later Craigie’s editorial staff, from 1900; subsequently joined the staff of the University Library in Cambridge, where he continued to give help by verifying quotations and by providing advice on specific points. Later published widely on Buddhism, including The History of Buddhist Thought (1933).
• *Thompson, Edith (1848-1929). Historian. Wrote a popular History of England (1873) for schools. Gave advice to OED on historical terms, and sought out quotations for particular words. She and her sister *Elizabeth Perronet Thompson (1857-1930) (who also wrote A Dragoon’s Wife, subtitled `a romance of the 17th century’) were readers for OED (credited with 15,000 quotations in 1888), and gave help throughout its period of publication, including sub-editing in C, and reading proofs from D onwards. More details »
• Thompson, John J. Of London. Reader for OED; took on some of the unfinished reading left by Fitzedward Hall and W. C. Minor.
• Thompson, Joseph (1833-1909). Alderman of Manchester City Council from 1870. Reader for OED (credited with 6,000 quotations in 1884).
• Tole, Frederick A. (b. 1852/3). Of Northampton. Reader for OED (credited with 2,500 quotations in 1884).
• *Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel (1892-1973). Fantasy writer and philologist. Member of Bradley’s editorial staff 1919-20. Went on to publish A Middle English Vocabulary (1922) and much else on Old and Middle English; later Rawlinson and Bosworth professor of Anglo-Saxon, then Merton professor of English language and literature, at Oxford.
• *Toynbee, Paget Jackson (1855-1932). Literary scholar, specializing in the works of Dante; published a large Dictionary of Proper Names and Notable Matters in the Works of Dante (1898) and a life of Dante (1900). Reader for OED (credited with 5,000 quotations in 1884).
• *Trench, Richard Chenevix (1807-86). Philologist, churchman, and man of letters. Dean of Westminster, later archbishop of Dublin. Important popularizer of the study of language, especially through his books On the Study of Words (1851) and English Past and Present (1855). Joined the Philological Society in 1857, and was appointed to its Unregistered Words Committee; later that year he read two papers `On some Deficiencies in our English Dictionaries’, which were published, with a revised and enlarged edition appearing in 1860. These are now widely credited with having both provided the inspiration for the Philological Society’s decision to launch its proposal for a new English Dictionary (published in 1859), and also set out the principles on which such a dictionary should be based. Subsequently appointed (with Coleridge and Furnivall) to the Literary and Historical Committee set up to advise on editorial policy, although he had ceased to play an active role by the time Murray became editor.
• Trimmer, Kirby (1804-87). Norwich clergyman and antiquary. Published a Flora of Norfolk (1866), and a study of the obsolete vocabulary in the Authorized Version of the Bible (Notes Upon Crystal, 1864). Read for the OED (credited with 5,000 quotations in 1888), and made available his own collection of examples of rare words.
• *Turle, Henry Frederic (1835-83). Editor of Notes and Queries 1878-83, which under his editorship (and that of his successor Joseph Knight) became an important forum for discussion of matters relating to OED, notably through publication of lists of words for which additional quotations were sought.
• *Tylor, Edward Burnett (1832-1917). Anthropologist; keeper of the University Museum at Oxford from 1883, and professor of anthropology there (the first to occupy the chair) 1896-1909. Author of the classic study Primitive Culture (1871). Consulted for advice on the meaning and origin of numerous loanwords relating to indigenous cultures he had studied.
• Walkey, Louisa G. (b. 1832/3). Clergyman’s wife, of Leamington and elsewhere. Sub-edited in D and W; also read for OED, and gave help in arranging materials in alphabetical order for many years.
• Walter, Prudence (b. 1858/9). Of Wellington, Somerset. Reader for OED (credited with 3,700 quotations in 1884).
• Ward, James Langfield (1847/8-1934). Burnley schoolmaster. Read for OED (credited with 6,600 quotations in 1884).
• Ward, Thomas (b. 1835/6). Manager of Ashton’s Salt Works in Northwich, Cheshire, and (from 1888) General Manager of the Salt Union; subsequently co-founded the Northwich Salt Museum. Read for OED (credited with 3,350 quotations in 1884).
• *Warren, Thomas Herbert (1853-1930). Classicist, man of letters, and educationist; president of Magdalen College, Oxford, 1885-1928, and professor of poetry 1911-16 (published volumes of poetry in 1897 and 1907). Influential, like his mentor Jowett, in many aspects of Oxford life; University correspondent of the Times (for which he wrote Murray’s obituary in 1915, from notes made in personal interviews). Consulted by Murray for advice on many matters, including particular words.
• Watson, George Marr (1876-1950). Member of Craigie’s editorial staff 1907-27 (including work on the Supplement), with special responsibility for part of U. Moved to Chicago in 1927 to join Craigie on the staff of the Dictionary of American English. Also wrote on Scottish dialect (his Roxburghshire Word-Book was published in 1923), and was a keen local historian (member of the Hawick Archaeological Society from 1900).
• Webb, William Woodham (b. 1812/3). Physician, of Kirkley, near Lowestoft. Lectured on histology at Middlesex Hospital Medical College; later served as a surgeon in the Franco-Prussian War. Read for OED (concentrating on early medical texts), and sub-edited in I and J for Furnivall.
• *Wedgwood, Hensleigh (1803-91). Grandson of Josiah Wedgwood. Founder member of the Philological Society; published an important Dictionary of English Etymology in 1857; member of the Committee set up by the Society in 1859 to formulate OED‘s etymological policy; continued to give etymological advice to the Dictionary’s editors for many years.
• Westmacott, Miss M. Of London. Read for OED (credited with 2,500 quotations in 1884); also gave help in arranging the materials for part of T in chronological order.
• *Weymouth, Richard Francis (1822-1902), philologist and New Testament scholar. Headmaster of Mill Hill School 1869-86. Met Murray at a Philological Society meeting in 1870 and subsequently invited him to join his staff; arranged for him to be partially released from his school duties to work on OED; gave advice on many specific points.
  — Several other members of his family also read for OED, including his son, Edward Sprague Weymouth (b. 1856/7), and the Misses A. S., B. M., and R. Weymouth, who between them are credited with 3,350 quotations in a list of 1884.
• Wheelwright, George (1813/4-1875). Vicar of Crowhurst, Surrey. Reader and sub-editor for OED under Furnivall. In 1875, concerned at the apparent stagnation of the project, he published his pamphlet `An appeal to the English-speaking public on behalf of a new English dictionary’, together with a specimen of his own sub-edited material for part of the letter F; the pamphlet’s title was echoed in that of the title of the Appeal issued in 1879 on behalf of the Philological Society asking for volunteers to read books for the Dictionary.
• White, George Henry (1817-89). Banking official; travelled worldwide as a representative of Barings before retiring to Torquay. Reader for OED; also sub-edited part of C.
• White, Richard Grant (1822-85). American literary scholar, journalist, and writer on language. Published widely on Shakespeare, including the important edition of Shakespeare’s works, published in 12 volumes (1857-66), which became known as the “Riverside Shakespeare”; also wrote Words and Their Uses (1872) and Every-Day English (1880). Read for OED.
• Whitney, William Dwight (1827-94). Philologist and lexicographer; professor of Sanskrit at Yale from 1854, and first president of the American Philological Association. Well-known through his critiques of Max Müller’s theories and his book Language and the Study of Language (1867); elected an honorary member of the Philological Society in 1874. Assisted in preparation of the 1864 edition of Webster’s dictionary; editor-in-chief of the Century Dictionary (1889-91), which from the appearance of its first fascicles was scrutinized carefully by the OED editors, and drawn upon for vocabulary for which quotations were lacking; its definitions were from time to time quoted verbatim (correctly attributed, but without other published acknowledgement) in OED entries. OED‘s `List of Spurious Words’ published at the end of OED, whose compilation was announced by Murray in 1891, includes a high proportion of words found in the Century Dictionary, and may have been prompted by it.
• Whitwell, Robert Jowitt (1859-1928). Medievalist. A prolific contributor of quotations to OED (credited with 33,000 in 1888), including many in response to particular requests; researched in the Bodleian and other libraries and in the Public Record Office, both verifying quotations, advising on legal and historical terms, and proofreading. In 1913 he proposed, at the Historical Congress held in London, that a dictionary of medieval Latin be compiled on a similar basis to OED; this initiative was later taken up by the British Academy, and eventually bore fruit in the form of the one-volume Medieval Latin Word-List from British and Irish Sources (1934) and the more extensive Dictionary of Medieval Latin (1975-), to which he was a prolific contributor of quotations.
• Wight, William Ward (1852-1931). Lawyer and educationist of Milwaukee. Read for OED (credited with 1,750 quotations in 1884).
• Wilkinson, Isabel E. (b. 1841/2) and Gunning, Catherine (b. 1845/6). Of Cambridge. Readers for OED (credited jointly with 7,500 quotations in 1884).
• Wilks, Theodore Chambers (1828/9-76). Clergyman and historian of Hampshire; vicar of Woking 1866-76. Sub-edited in G for Furnivall.
• Wilson, Robert Dobie (b. 1836). Barrister, of London. Reader for OED credited with 2,000 quotations in 1884).
• Wilson, Thomas (b. 1840/41). Of Harpenden. Read for OED; also sub-edited in I and T.
• Wilson, William Bruce Robertson (b. 1843). Presbyterian minister of Dollar, Clackmannanshire. Reader for OED; was also a most durable sub-editor, working in C, T, V, and W; also read proofs for Bradley, and contributed many quotations to the Supplement.
• Winchester, Charles Blake (1850/1-1908). Former member of the Indian Civil Service. Sub-edited in P, S, and V; also read for OED, and verified quotations in the British Museum.
• Woods, William Noel (1856-92). Of Blackheath, later of Addiscombe, Surrey. With his wife he sub-edited in B, C, and H; also read for OED.
• Worrall, Walter (1862-1943). Of Liverpool; son of the minor painter Joseph Edward Worrall (1829-1913). Member of Murray’s, and later Bradley’s and Onions’ editorial staff, 1885-1933 (including work on the Supplement); took special responsibility for parts of W after the death of Bradley. Also published editions of Bacon’s Essayes or Counsels and Milton’s sonnets, and some articles of textual criticism.
• *Wright, Joseph (1855-1930). Philologist; Corpus Christi professor of comparative philology at Oxford 1901-24. Despite starting work in a Bradford quarry at the age of six, he managed to acquire sufficient education to study comparative philology at Heidelberg; came to Oxford at the instigation of Max Müller in 1888; editor and publisher of the English Dialect Dictionary (1896-1905). Became a close friend of Murray; gave occasional advice on etymological matters.
• Yockney, Felix Arthur (b. 1877/8). Member of Murray’s editorial staff 1906-15.
• *Yonge, Charlotte Mary (1823-1901). Novelist; also wrote a History of Christian Names (1863). Sub-edited part of N, in collaboration with her cousin Henry Hucks Gibbs.
• *Yule, Henry (1820-89). Engineer, Indian administrator, and writer on Asia. Made available to OED the proofs of his well-known glossary of Anglo-Indian, Hobson-Jobson (1886), and gave advice on matters of Oriental philology, and on Indian English.

Peter Gilliver, Associate Editor, Oxford English Dictionary