Information about Herbert Coleridge

Herbert Coleridge (1830-April 23, 1861) was a British philologist, technically the first editor of what ultimately became the Oxford English Dictionary.

He was son of Sara Coleridge and so a grandson of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He earned a double first in Classics and mathematics at Balliol College, Oxford. After graduation, he became a barrister, but, living off a small annuity, devoted most of his time and energy in linguistics studies. He was appointed to undertake the great dictionary project at the age of mere 27. A dedicated editor, he died of tuberculosis after completing some fundamental work for the project, at the age of 31.

Works

• A Glossarial Index to the Printed English Literature of the Thirteenth Century. London: Trubner & Co., 1859.
• A Dictionary of the First, or Oldest Words in the English Language: from the Semi Saxon Period of A.D. 1250 to 1300. Consisting of An Alphabetical Inventory of Every Word Found in the Printed English Literature of the 13TH Century. London: John Camden Hotten, 1863.

References

• The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary, Simon Winchester, Oxford University Press, 2003, hardcover, ISBN 0-19-860702-4. See pp.50-58

• The Genealogy of Coleridge Family and Coleridge links