William Bedwell facts for kids

William Bedwell (born 1561 – died May 5, 1632, near London) was an English priest and a very smart scholar. He was an expert in Arabic and other languages from the Middle East, as well as in mathematics.

Bedwell went to Trinity College, Cambridge for his education. He worked for the Church of England as a church leader, first at St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate and then at All Hallows, Tottenham (which was called 'Tottenham High Cross' back then) starting in 1607. He also wrote the very first book about the history of Tottenham, called A Briefe Description of the Towne of Tottenham.

What Did William Bedwell Study?

William Bedwell was especially interested in the Arabic language. He believed that knowing Arabic was important for truly understanding ancient Hebrew, which is the language of many old religious texts.

His Work with Arabic Books

In 1612, Bedwell published a special edition of the Epistles of John (parts of the Christian Bible) in Arabic. This book also included a Latin version. It was printed in Antwerp.

He also left many Arabic handwritten books and a special typeface (a set of letters for printing) for Arabic to the University of Cambridge. Some people say that Bedwell was the first person to really bring back the study of Arabic literature in Europe.

Bedwell started working on a big Arabic dictionary, but he didn't finish it. Another scholar, Jacobus Golius, published a similar dictionary later in 1653.

His Manuscripts and Other Works

After Bedwell died, his handwritten notes were sent to the University of Cambridge. Another scholar named Edmund Castell used Bedwell's notes when he was creating his huge dictionary, Lexicon Heptaglotton, in 1669.

Bedwell also had a manuscript for a Persian dictionary. This manuscript ended up with William Laud, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and it is now kept at the Bodleian Library.

Besides his Arabic Epistles of John, one of his most famous published works was A Discovery of the Impostures of Mahomet and of the Koran, which came out in 1615.

Helping Translate the King James Bible

William Bedwell was part of a group of scholars chosen by James I of England to translate the first twelve books of the King James Version of the Bible. This was a very important project!

Bedwell's Invention

Bedwell also invented a special ruler that was used for geometry. It was similar to a tool called the Gunter's scale.

He passed away at his home near the church when he was 72 years old.