Benjamin Heath facts for kids
Benjamin Heath (born April 10, 1704 – died September 13, 1766) was an English expert in classical studies. He was also a great collector of books.
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About Benjamin Heath
Benjamin Heath was born in Exeter, England. He was the oldest of three sons. His father, also named Benjamin Heath, was a successful merchant.
Benjamin Heath loved to travel and collect books. He became the town clerk of Exeter in 1752. This was an important job where he managed the city's official records. He held this job until he passed away.
His Work and Ideas
Helping with the Cider Tax
In 1763, the government added a new tax on cider and perry (a drink made from pears). This tax made these drinks more expensive, especially in places like Devon where a lot of cider was made. Many people were upset about this new tax.
Benjamin Heath wrote a pamphlet called The Case of the County of Devon. In this paper, he argued that the cider tax should be removed. His efforts helped lead to the tax being cancelled three years later.
His Love for Classical Studies
Benjamin Heath was well-known for his deep knowledge of ancient Greek and Roman writings. He wrote detailed notes about Greek plays. Because of his excellent work, he received an honorary degree from Oxford University in 1752.
He also wrote notes on the works of famous ancient writers like Virgil, Euripides, and Hesiod. He sometimes used the fun pen name Dexiades Ericius for his notes.
Heath also wrote a book called Revisal of Shakespear's Text in 1765. In this book, he shared his own ideas about William Shakespeare's plays.
Ideas on Existence
In 1740, Heath wrote a book called Essay towards a Demonstrative Proof of the Divine Existence, Unity and Attributes. He wrote this book to share his thoughts about God and existence. He wanted to respond to the ideas of thinkers like Voltaire and David Hume.
His Family
In 1732, Benjamin Heath married Rose Marie Michelet. They had a large family with seven sons and six daughters.
Two of his sons became headmasters of famous schools:
- Benjamin Heath Jr. was the headmaster of Harrow School from 1771 to 1785.
- George Heath was the headmaster of Eton College from 1796 to 1802.
Benjamin Heath's collection of rare classical books became the start of his son Benjamin's famous library. This library was known as Bibliotheca Heathiana.
