Henry Coxe | |
|---|---|
_by_George_Frederic_Watts.jpg) | |
| Born | 20 September 1811  Bucklebury |
| Died | 8 July 1881 (aged 69) Oxford |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | |
| Employer |
|
| Spouse(s) | Charlotte Esther Turner |
Henry Octavius Coxe (20 September 1811 inBucklebury, Berkshire, England – 8 July 1881 inOxford) was an English librarian and scholar.[1][2]
The eighth son of Rev. Richard Coxe and Susan Smith,[3] he was educated atWestminster School andWorcester College, Oxford. Immediately on taking his degree in 1833, he began work in the manuscript department of theBritish Museum, became in 1838 sub-librarian of theBodleian Library in Oxford, and in 1860 succeeded Dr.Bulkeley Bandinel as head librarian, an office he held until his death in 1881.[2]
Having proved himself an ablepalaeographer, he was sent out by the British government underHenry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston to inspect the libraries in themonasteries of theLevant in 1857. He discovered some valuable manuscripts, but the monks were too wise to part with their treasures. One valuable result of his travels was the detection of the forgery attempted byConstantine Simonides. He was the author of various catalogues, and under his direction that of theBodleian, in more than 720 volumes, was completed. He publishedRogri de Wendover Chronica, 5 vols (1841–44); theBlack Prince, an historical poem written in French byChandos Herald (1842); andReport on the Greek Manuscripts yet remaining in the Libraries of the Levant (1858).[2]
He was not only an accurate librarian but an active and hardworking clergyman, and was for the last twenty-five years of his life in charge of the parish ofWytham, near Oxford. He was likewise honorary fellow of Worcester andCorpus Christi.[2]
In 1839 he married Charlotte Esther, daughter ofTomkyns Hilgrove Turner, and fathered five children, of whom Susan Esther (1842–1894) marriedJohn Wordsworth, futureBishop of Salisbury.[1]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Coxe, Henry Octavius".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 354.| Librarians |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Related articles | ||
