Richard Latewar facts for kids

Richard Latewar (born 1560, died 1601) was an English churchman and a smart person who studied a lot. He was also known for writing poems in Neo-Latin, which is a fancy way of saying Latin written after the Middle Ages.

Richard Latewar's Life

Richard was the son of Thomas Latewar from London. When he was about 11 years old in 1571, he went to Merchant Taylors' School. Later, in 1580, he earned a scholarship to St John's College, Oxford. This meant he was a top student and eventually became a fellow there, which is like being a senior member or teacher.

He earned several degrees from Oxford University:

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in 1584
• Master of Arts (M.A.) in 1588
• Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) in 1594
• Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) in 1597

In 1593, Richard Latewar was a "proctor" at the university. This was an important role in managing the university's rules and discipline. At that time, he was also the rector (a type of church leader) of Hopton, Suffolk. In 1596, Oxford University suggested him as a possible professor for a new teaching position in divinity. Later, in 1599, he became the rector of Finchley, Middlesex.

Richard Latewar also worked as a chaplain (a priest for a specific group of people) for Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy. He went with Lord Mountjoy on a trip to Ireland. Sadly, Richard Latewar died on July 17, 1601. He had been hurt the day before in a battle near Benburb, County Tyrone. He was buried in a church in Armagh.

His Monument

After Richard Latewar died, his father put up a special monument to remember him in the chapel at St John's College. The monument incorrectly says he died on July 27, not July 17.

The actual words on the monument can be found in a book called History and Antiquities of the University of Oxford by Anthony Wood. Some people think the words on the monument were written by Matthew Gwinne.

His Writings

Richard Latewar was known as a great preacher and a talented poet who wrote in Latin. John Stow, another writer from that time, mentioned how good he was at poetry.

Samuel Daniel, a friend of Latewar, said that Richard had written a play about the same topic as Daniel's own play, Philotas. Daniel heard that Latewar's play was performed at St. John's College and was very popular.

Latewar also wrote poems for a special book from Oxford University that honored Sir Philip Sidney after he died. He also wrote:

• Carmen apomnēmoneutikon, Coll. S. Johan. Bapt.: This was a poem about St. John's College. It was later improved by another fellow of the college, Richard Andrews.
• Concio Latina ad Academicos Oxon, 1594: This was a sermon he gave in Latin to the students and teachers at Oxford. He preached it when he received his Bachelor of Divinity degree, and it was printed in 1594.

A letter written by Richard Latewar to Robert Bruce Cotton is kept in the Cotton Library. Also, a poem written to remember him is in a book called Affaniæ by Charles Fitzgeffrey.