William George Clark (1821 – 1878) English classical and Shakespearean scholar.

He was born at Barford Hall, Darlington. He was educated at Sedbergh School, Shrewsbury School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was elected Fellow. In 1857 he was appointed Public Orator. He travelled much during the long vacations, visiting Spain, Greece, Italy and Poland.

In 1853 Clark had taken orders, but left the Church after the passing of the Clerical Disabilities Act 1870, of which he was one of the promoters. He also resigned the public oratorship in the same year and in consequence of illness left Cambridge in 1873. He died at York on 6 November 1878.

He bequeathed a sum of money to his old college for the foundation of a lectureship in English literature. Hugh Andrew Johnstone Munro in Journal of Philology (viii. 1879) described Clark as "the most accomplished and versatile man he ever met".

Source: Wikipedia