John Conington

John Conington (10 August 1825 – 23 October 1869) was an English classical scholar. In 1866 he published his best-known work, the translation of the Aeneid of Virgil into the octosyllabic metre of Walter Scott. He was Corpus Professor of Latin at the University of Oxford from 1854 until his death.

Early life and education Conington was born on 10 August 1825 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England, to the Revd Richard Conington and Jane ( Thirkhill). He is said to have learned the alphabet at fourteen months, and to have been reading well at three and a half.

In 1854, he had a personal and spiritual crisis. He began to attend chapel assiduously, only read religious books on Sundays, and to espouse conservative political views. He also became a follower of Edward Bouverie Pusey, one of the leaders of the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement.

Personal life Conington never married nor had any children.

On 23 October 1869, Conington died in Boston, Lincolnshire, following an illness caused by "a malignant pustule on the lip". He was aged 44. He was buried at Fishtoft, Lincolnshire.

The Conington Prize, an award for the best dissertation by an undergraduate in the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford, was named in his honour.