GAISFORD

gaisford, thomas (1779-1855), english classical scholar, was born at iford, wiltshire, on the 22nd of december 1779. proceeding to oxford in 1797, he became successively student and tutor of christ church, and was in 1811 appointed regius professor of greek in the university. taking orders, he held (1815-1847) the college living of westwell, in oxfordshire, and other ecclesiastical preferments simultaneously with his professorship. from 1831 until his death on the 2nd of june 1855, he was dean of christ church. as curator of the bodleian and principal delegate of the university press he was instrumental in securing the co-operation of distinguished european scholars as collators, notably bekker and dindorf. among his numerous contributions to greek literature may be mentioned, hephaestion's _encheiridion_ (1810); _poetae graeci minores_ (1814-1820); stobaeus' _florilegium_ (1822); _herodotus_, with variorum notes (1824); suidas' _lexicon_ (1834); _etymologicon magnum_ (1848); eusebius's _praeparatio_ (1843) and _demonstratio evangelica_ (1852). in 1856 the gaisford prizes, for greek composition, were founded at oxford to perpetuate his memory.