Thomas Wakefeld facts for kids

Thomas Wakefeld (sometimes spelled Wakefield) was an important English scholar who lived in the 1500s. He was the very first person to hold a special teaching job at Cambridge University called the Regius Professor of Hebrew. This meant he was the main teacher of the Hebrew language there.

About Thomas Wakefeld

Thomas Wakefeld was born in a town called Pontefract in Yorkshire, England. He went to Cambridge University for his education. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in 1523. Later, he earned his Master of Arts (M.A.) degree.

In 1540, something very important happened. King Henry VIII himself chose Thomas Wakefeld for a brand-new job. This job was the Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge. Being chosen for this role also meant he became a member of Trinity College, a famous part of the university.

Sometimes, between 1549 and 1553, and again from 1569 to 1575, other people taught the Hebrew lessons instead of Wakefeld. It's thought that this might have happened because his religious beliefs were different from the official ones at the time.

Thomas Wakefeld passed away in 1575. He was buried on April 24 in a place called Chesterton, which is near Cambridge.

His Writings

Thomas Wakefeld wrote a book called Locutiones seu Phrases in Novo Testamento, quae videntur secundum proprietates linguae Hebraeae. This book was about phrases in the New Testament that seemed to follow the rules of the Hebrew language. However, this book was never officially published and stayed as a handwritten document.

His Family

Thomas Wakefeld had a brother named Robert Wakefeld who was also a very smart language scholar. Some people think that another person named John Wakefeld, who worked for Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, might have been his brother too. Thomas Wakefeld got married twice. He had a large family with nine children: three sons and six daughters.