John Harmar ca.1555-1613

John HARMAR ca.1555-1613

Biographical Note

Born at Newbury, Berkshire; his family background is unknown. BA and fellow, New College, Oxford 1577, MA 1582, regius professor of Greek 1586, BD and DD 1605. He published an English translation of Calvin's sermons in 1579, and in 1586 the first Greek book printed at Oxford, an edition of sermons by St John Chrysostom. He was headmaster of Winchester College 1588-95, and warden from 1595 onwards. He became a prebendary of Winchester in 1595 and held several parochial livings. He was one of the translators of the King James Bible, working on several parts of the New Testament.

Books

Harmar was active during his years at Winchester in developing the Fellows' Library there, encouraging donations; at least a hundred volumes were added during his time as Warden. In his will, he bequeathed his collection of foreign language Bibles to Winchester College, and a number of Greek books to New College; he also directed that various specified books be distributed around members of his family. A list of the surviving books at Winchester is included an as appendix in Geoffrey Day's book (see Sources below).

Characteristic Markings

The books given to Winchester were marked in various ways, including a donation inscription, gilt letters on the covers, or a printed label underneath a transparent horn plaque mailed to the front board. Such plaques were also regularly used for other donations to the Library, and Winchester has a particularly fine collection of surviving labels under horn of this kind.

Sources

• Wiull of John Harmar, The National Archives PROB 11/123/43.
• Botley, P., and N. G. Wilson. "Harmar, John (c. 1555–1613), Greek scholar." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Day, Geoffrey, John Harmar translator, Winchester, 2016.