Peter Elmsley (born Hampstead, London, 5 February 1774 – died Oxford, 8 March 1825)[1] was an English classical scholar.
He was educated at Westminster School (from 5 June 1788) and then at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated as a BA in 1794, later being promoted to a Master of Arts in 1797, and receiving the degrees of BD on 30 October 1823 and DD on 7 November 1823.
He inherited a fortune in 1802 from his uncle, also named Peter Elmsley, a well-known bookseller in the Strand, and devoted himself to the study of classical authors and manuscripts.
In 1819 he was commissioned, with Sir Humphry Davy, to decipher the papyri found at Herculaneum, but the results proved insignificant.
Editors who have worked in the same field have praised his careful method and diligence in drawing together authorities for the purposes of illustration.