author

Richard Francis Weymouth

1822–1902

Best known for bringing the New Testament into clear, everyday English, this Victorian scholar spent a lifetime teaching languages and studying the text closely. His work helped open biblical reading to a wider audience beyond specialists and clergy.

24 Audiobooks

About the author

Born on October 26, 1822, near Plymouth Dock in Devon, Richard Francis Weymouth was an English schoolmaster, philologist, and Baptist layman. He studied at University College London and built his career around language, literature, and careful scholarship.

Weymouth is most remembered for his work on the Greek New Testament and for the translation later published as The New Testament in Modern Speech. His aim was to express the meaning of the original in natural, readable English, making the text more accessible to ordinary readers. That practical, reader-friendly approach gave his work a lasting place in the history of English Bible translation.

Alongside his biblical studies, he was also an educator and served for many years in academic life, including at University College London. He died on December 27, 1902, in Brentwood, Essex. A suitable verified portrait image could not be confirmed from the sources reviewed, so no profile image is included.