Janus: Henry Jackson (1839-1921): notebook and letters relating to the 'Greek Question'

Manuscripts contains:
<-- See earlier
MS Add.73	Notes on sermons
MS Add.730	Samuel Sandars: Transcripts from British Library Add. MS 6261
MS Add.7308	Correspondence of Charles Taylor (1840-1908), Master of St. John's College, Cambridge
MS Add.731	Samuel Sandars: Transcripts of original papers concerning the English Civil Wars
MS Add.7319	Henry Jackson (1839-1921): papers and letters dealing with the 'Greek Question'
MS Add.7320	Henry Jackson (1839-1921): notebook and letters relating to the 'Greek Question'
MS Add.7333	Charitessi 1911
MS Add.734	Collection of forms and precedents in the ecclesiastical courts of Exeter, Bath and Wells, Hereford, and Bristol dioceses
MS Add.7341	Sir Donald MacKenzie Wallace: Papers
MS Add.7342	William Thomson, Lord Kelvin: Papers
MS Add.7347	Arthur Bernard Cook: Notebooks and Theocritus Material
See later -->

Henry Jackson (1839-1921): notebook and letters relating to the 'Greek Question'

Title	Henry Jackson (1839-1921): notebook and letters relating to the 'Greek Question'
Reference	GBR/0012/MS Add.7320
Creator	Jackson, Henry (1839-1921)
Covering Dates	1879–1880
Extent and Medium	1 volume; paper
Repository	Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives

Content and context

Henry Jackson entered Trinity College, Cambridge from Cheltenham College in 1858. He was elected to a fellowship in 1864, and was appointed Assistant Tutor in 1866 and Praelector in ancient philosophy in 1875. A considerable Greek scholar with a particular interest in Plato, he also became one of the most influential and popular teachers of Classics in the University, and in 1906 succeeded Sir Richard Jebb as Regius Professor of Greek. For the greater part of his career he was a prominent supporter of educational and constitutional reform within the University. The papers catalogued below illustrate two stages in the long campaign to relax the hold of compulsory Greek on the examination system at Cambridge: the Greek Syndicate of 1879-80, to which Jackson acted as secretary, and which achieved no change in the existing state of affairs [1]; and the Studies and Examinations Syndicate a generation later [2].

These papers were found in Cambridge University Library in 1951. A conspectus of Henry Jackson's papers in the University Library forms an appendix to the catalogue of MSS Add.6322-23.

Notebook including meeting minutes with letters to Henry Jackson concerning the place of Greek in the University of Cambridge's curriculum and examinations at the University 1878-80 and 1904-06

[1] An account of the movement for examination reform in the 1870s and of the work of the Greek Syndicate is given in D.A. Winstanley, 'Later Victorian Cambridge' (1947), chapter V. Further papers of Jackson concerning the Syndicate are at MS Add.5944/25 and 39.

[2] A scrapbook made by A.C. Seward dealing with the 'Greek Question' in 1904-05 will be found at Cam. b. 905.20.

Found in Cambridge University Library in 1951

Access and Use

Please cite as Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives, Henry Jackson (1839-1921): notebook and letters relating to the 'Greek Question', MS Add.7320

Further information

The cataloguing content of this record derives from the work of Stephen G. Roberts in 2010 November. The data was converted by Krista Siemens in 2011 November and uploaded with minor editorial additions by Adam Perkins, 2012 July 02.

Index Terms

Jackson, Henry (1839-1921) classicist

Manuscripts/MS Add.7320 contains:

Notebook containing copy of memorial to the Vice-Chancellor and Council by Henry Jackson. Notebook containing a copy by HJ of a memorial to the Vice-Chancellor and Council, signed by 11 public school headmasters and 27 distinguished literary men, scientists and politicians, asking that the University authorities consider means whereby candidates for honours degrees might be relieved of the obligation to pass an examination in Greek, [3 December 1878]; a copy by HJ of the Grace by which a Syndicate was set up to consider this matter, 20 March 1879; minutes taken by HJ at meetings of the Syndicate, 12 May 1879-5 June 1880; and printed drafts of a circular letter from the Vice-Chancellor to headmasters, asking a series of questions about the teaching of Greek at their schools, May 1879. Mounted at the end of this volume are two letters (MSS.Add.7320/2 and /3).

1878–1879

Letter from James Maurice Wilson to Edward Henry Perowne, Clifton College.

29 Oct. 1880

Letter from Edward Henry Perowne to Henry Jackson, Corpus Christi College.

1 Nov. 1880