Jonathan Toup

Jonathan Oannes Toup (December 1713 – 19 January 1785) was an English philologist, classical scholar and critic.

Early life and education

Toup was born at St Ives, Cornwall in December 1713 and baptised on 5 January 1714. After the death of his father in 1721, Toup's mother Prudence (née Busvargus) remarried, and Toup was adopted by her brother, William, the last male of the Busvargus family. Toup had one full sister, Mary, and two half-sisters, Prudence and Ann. After the death of Toup's stepfather in 1763, Toup's mother and all three of her daughters lived with him.

Toup was educated at St. Ives grammar school, and afterwards by the Rev. John Gurney, who kept a private school at St Merryn in Cornwall. From 15 March 1733 to 13 November 1739, Toup was battellar of Exeter College, Oxford, where John Upton was his tutor. He graduated B.A. on 14 October 1736, and later received his M.A. from Cambridge in 1756. He never married.

Church positions

Toup was ordained a deacon on 6 March 1736, and three days later was licensed to the curacy of Philleigh in his native county. After two years, on 29 May 1738, he was licensed as curate of Buryan, also in Cornwall, having proceeded to priest's orders on the previous day. Through the influence of his uncle Busvargus, he was presented on 28 July 1750 to the rectory of St. Martin's-by-Looe, which position he held until his death.