Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lawrence, Giles
LAWRENCE, GILES (fl. 1539–1584), professor of Greek at Oxford, a native of Gloucestershire, was a member of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 1539. He was a friend of Jewel, and became fellow of All Souls about 1542. He proceeded B.C.L., and afterwards (13 March 1555-6) D.C.L. In October 1550 he seems to have succeeded George Etherege [q. v.] as regius professor of Greek, but Etherege was professor again from November 1554 to 21 April 1559, when Lawrence was once more elected. In Queen Mary's time he was tutor to the children of Sir Arthur Darcy, and lived near the Tower of London. While here he assisted Jewel to escape to the continent. On 18 Sept. 1564 he became archdeacon of Wiltshire, and resigned before 10 Feb. 1577-8. In 1571 he preached Jewel's funeral sermon. On 30 Jan. 1580-1 he was appointed archdeacon of St. Albans and vicar of Rickmansworth, and resigned both preferments on 5 July 1581. The date of his death is uncertain, but he was living in 1584. John Harmer (1555?–1613) [q. v.] became the next regius professor of Greek in 1585. Lawrence has verses prefixed to Sir Thomas Wilson's translation of the 'Orations' of Demosthenes (1570), and a tract by him, 'De significatione verbi προσφερω et προσφερομαι.' is in manuscript at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
[Wood's Fasti Oxon. ed. Bliss, i. 209; Reg. Univ. Oxf. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), i. 231; Le Neve's Fasti, ii. 345, 631, iii. 516; Nasmith's Cat. of the Parker MSS. p. 136; Jewel's Works (Parker Soc), xi. xxv.; Cussans's Hertfordshire, iii. 161.]