Tennant, William, 1784-1848 (Scholar of oriental languages and poet)

Dates

• Existence: 1784 - 1848

Biography

Tennant, William (1784–1848), scholar of oriental languages and poet, was born in Anstruther, Fife. He lost the use of both feet in childhood, and used crutches throughout his life. He studied at St Andrews University for two years (1799-1801), but left before graduating, for financial reasons. He began the study of Hebrew about this time, while continuing to improve on his knowledge of Latin and Greek. However, his chief interest was in poetry, and with Anster Fair (1812) he found instant fame, although his later poems were not so well received. In 1813 he formed, along with others, the Anstruther Musomanik Society, the main purpose of which was to recite verse, much of which was freshly composed for the meetings. In 1813 Tennant was appointed parish schoolmaster of Dunino, near St Andrews, and this enabled him to develop his Hebrew scholarship and gain a knowledge of Arabic, Persian, and Syriac. In 1819 he began teaching classical and oriental languages at the Dollar Academy, Clackmannanshire, and held the post until 1834, when he was appointed professor of Hebrew and oriental languages in St Mary's College, St Andrews. He retired, owing to ill health, in 1848, and died later that year (ODNB). Edinburgh University Library holds Tennant's MS extracts in various languages 'taken from his wide reading', begun in 1815, and also donated to the Library by David Laing (La.III.531)

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