Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Crakelt, William
CRAKELT, WILLIAM (1741–1812), classical scholar, was born in 1741. From about 1762 until his death he held the curacy of Northfleet in Kent. He was also master of the Northfleet grammar school, and was presented in 1774 to the vicarage of Chalk in Kent. He died at Northfleet on 22 Aug. 1812, aged 71. Crakelt published various editions of Entick's Dictionaries, as follows: 1. ‘Entick's New Spelling Dictionary, a new ed., enlarged by W. C.,’ 1784, 12mo; other editions in 1787 obl. 12mo, 1791 8vo, 1795 12mo (with a grammar prefixed). 2. ‘Entick's New Latin-English Dictionary, augmented by W. C.,’ 1786, 12mo. 3. ‘Tyronis Thesaurus; or Entick's New Latin-English Dictionary; a new edition revised by W. C., 1796,’ 12mo; another ed. 1836, obl. 12mo. 4. ‘Entick's English-Latin Dictionary … to which is affixed a Latin-English Dictionary … revised and augmented by W. C.,’ 1824, 16mo. 5. ‘Entick's English-Latin Dictionary by W. C., 1825,’ 12mo. 6. ‘Entick's English-Latin Dictionary’ (with ‘an etymological paradigm’ annexed), 1827, 4to. He also published (1792, 8vo) a revised edition of Daniel Watson's English prose translation of ‘Horace,’ and translated (1768, 8vo) Mauduit's ‘New … Treatise of Spherical Trigonometry.’ Crakelt was intimate with Charles Dilly the bookseller, who left a legacy to his wife and to her daughter, Mrs. Eylard.
[Nichols's Lit. Anecd. iii. 191–2, viii. 438; Gent. Mag. 1812, vol. lxxxii. pt. ii. p. 298; Brit. Mus. Cat.]