Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Metcalfe, Frederick
METCALFE, FREDERICK (1815–1885), Scandinavian scholar, fifth son of Morehouse Metcalfe of Gainsborough, was born in 1815, and elected scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1834, whence he graduated B.A. in 1838 as junior optime, with a second class in classics. On 28 Nov. 1844 he was incorporated at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he held a fellowship from 1844 to 1885. In 1845 he graduated M.A. and was ordained deacon, receiving priest's orders in the following year. For a short time he was head-master of Brighton College, and on his return to Oxford in 1849 became bursar of Lincoln College and incumbent of St. Michael's, Oxford, a living in the gift of his college. In 1851 he became sub-rector, and in 1853 Greek lecturer at Lincoln, and in 1855 he graduated B.D. He died on 24 Aug. 1885.
Metcalfe, who was an accomplished Scandinavian scholar, was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the professorship of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford. He frequently spent his summer holidays in Norway, Sweden, or Iceland, and his books had considerable influence in bringing these countries to the notice of the student, the sportsman, and the tourist. His principal works are:
- 'The Oxonian in Norway,' 1856; 2nd ed. 1857.
- 'The Oxonian in Thelemarken,' 2 vols. 1858.
- 'A History of German Literature,' 1858.
- 'The Oxonian in Iceland,' 1861.
- ' The Englishman and the Scandinavian,' 1880.
He also translated Bekker's 'Charicles' and 'Gallus,' and edited some classical school books.
[Works in Brit. Mus. Libr.; Cat. Cambridge Graduates, 1800-84; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1715–1886; Oxford Mag. 21 Oct. 1885; Times, 29 Aug. 1885.]