Wallace Lindsay
British classical scholar and palaeographer
About Wallace Lindsay
Lived 1858 – 1937 (aged 79). Wallace Lindsay was a British classical philologist, university teacher, palaeographer, latinist and philologist.
Wallace Martin Lindsay (12 February 1858 – 21 February 1937) was a Scottish classical scholar of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and a palaeographer. He was Professor of Humanity at University of St Andrews.
Biography Lindsay was born in Pittenweem, Fife, to Alexander Lindsay, a Free Church minister, and his wife Susanna Irvine (née Martin). Educated at Edinburgh Academy, the University of Glasgow, where he was Blackstone Scholar, and Balliol College, Oxford. He was a fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, from 1880 to 1899, when he was appointed as Professor of Humanity (as the professorship in Latin was called) at the University of St Andrews.
Lindsay wrote numerous studies, covering a range of topics in Latin from the works of Plautus and Martial to the development of medieval Latin. Some of his books were translated into French and German. He also wrote articles in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica and notes on the palaeography of the Cathach of St. Columba.
He pioneered the study of Latin and Celtic words. Through prolific scholarship and editing a large number of texts, including Plautus, Terence, Martial in the OCT, and Festus, and Nonius Marcellus in Teubner editions, he influenced almost every area of Latin research.
He received an honorary doctorate (LLD) from the University of Glasgow in April 1902.
Lindsay died at St Andrews after a collision with a motor bike.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Wallace Lindsay's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Wallace Lindsay's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Wallace Lindsay?
British classical scholar and palaeographer (1858-1937)
When was Wallace Lindsay born?
Wallace Lindsay was born on 12 February 1858 in Fife.
When did Wallace Lindsay die?
Wallace Lindsay died on 21 February 1937 in Fife.
What was Wallace Lindsay's occupation?
Wallace Lindsay was a classical philologist, university teacher, palaeographer, latinist and philologist.
What nationality was Wallace Lindsay?
Wallace Lindsay was British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Wallace Lindsay. https://biography.guide/wallace-lindsay/
MLA: "Wallace Lindsay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/wallace-lindsay/.
Chicago: "Wallace Lindsay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/wallace-lindsay/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:04 UTC