Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lamb, James

by Gordon Goodwin

LAMB, JAMES (1599–1664), orientalist, baptised on 2 Feb. 1598–9 in All Saints parish, Oxford, was son of Richard Lamb, by his second wife. After attending Magdalen College school he matriculated as a commoner of Brasenose College on 2 July 1613 (Oxf. Univ. Reg., Oxf. Hist. Soc., vol. ii. pt. ii. p. 331), and graduated B.A. in 1615–1616, and M.A. as a member of St. Mary Hall in 1619–20 (ib. vol. ii. pt. iii. p. 341). He became chaplain to Thomas Wriothesley, earl of Southampton. On 23 July 1660 he was installed prebendary of Westminster (Le Neve, Fasti, ed. Hardy, iii. 360), was created D.D. at Oxford on 9 Aug. following, and on 4 Jan. 1662–3 was presented to the rectory of St. Andrew, Holborn. He died on 18 Oct. 1664, and was buried on the 20th in Westminster Abbey, leaving a widow, Elizabeth, of the Bromfield family of Kent (Chester, Registers of Westminster Abbey, p. 161). He bequeathed many of his books to the Abbey library. In the Bodleian Library are the following manuscripts by Lamb:

1. ‘Grammatica Arabica,’ 3 vols. 4to.
2. ‘Danielis Prophetiæ liber, Syriace,’ 4to.
3. ‘Collectanea ad Lexicon Arabicum spectantia,’ 4 vols. oblong 8vo.
4. ‘Flexio Verborum Arabicorum,’ 8vo.

[Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), iii. 668.]

G. G.