Henry Liddell
Henry George Liddell (1811–1898) was an important English scholar and church leader. He was Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, from 1855 to 1891, and he served as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1870 to 1874. Earlier, he was Headmaster of Westminster School from 1846 to 1855; Westminster later named a house after him. Liddell wrote A History of Ancient Rome (1855) and, with Robert Scott, co-authored the Greek–English Lexicon known as Liddell and Scott; this dictionary became a standard reference for learners of Greek. Lewis Carroll wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for Liddell's daughter Alice, helping Carroll become famous.
Liddell studied at Charterhouse and Christ Church, Oxford, where he earned a double first in 1833. He then became a college tutor and was ordained in 1838. The Lexicon project began in 1834, with the first edition appearing in 1843 and the 8th edition in 1897.
As Dean, Liddell helped modernize Christ Church and oversaw the building of a new choir school and classrooms for Christ Church Cathedral School. He also supported the study of art at Oxford, earning the admiration of Ruskin. In 1859 he welcomed the Prince of Wales to Christ Church, the first time a prince had matriculated there since Henry V.
Liddell resigned as Dean in 1891 and spent his last years at Ascot, where he died on 18 January 1898. To honor him and Lewis Carroll, two Ascot streets—Liddell Way and Carroll Crescent—were named after them. He came from a notable family; his father, also named Henry Liddell, was the Rector of Easington, and he married Lorina Reeve in 1846; they had ten children.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:58 (CET).