Henry Thomas Colebrooke | |
|---|---|
 A bust of Henry Thomas Colebrooke currently owned by theRoyal Asiatic Society | |
| Born | (1765-06-15)15 June 1765 London, England |
| Died | 10 March 1837(1837-03-10) (aged 71) London, England |
| Occupation | Orientalist |
| Known for | Sanskrit scholar, one of the founders of theRoyal Asiatic Society, one of the founders and second president of theRoyal Astronomical Society |
| Father | George Colebrooke |
Henry Thomas ColebrookeFRSFRSEFLS (15 June 1765 – 10 March 1837) was an Englishorientalist and botanist. He has been described as "the first greatSanskrit scholar in Europe".[1]
Henry Thomas Colebrooke was born on 15 June 1765. His parents wereSir George Colebrooke, 2nd Baronet,MP forArundel and Chairman of theEast India Company from 1769, and Mary Gaynor, daughter and heir of Patrick Gaynor ofAntigua. He was educated at home,[2] and from the age oftwelve to sixteen he lived in France.[3]
In 1782 Colebrooke was appointed through his father's influence to awritership with the East India Company inCalcutta. In 1786 and three years later he was appointed assistant collector in the revenue department atTirhut. He wroteRemarks on the Husbandry and Commerce of Bengal,[3] which was privately published in 1795, by which time he had transferred toPurnia. This opposed the East India Company's monopoly on Indian trade, advocating instead for free trade between Britain and India, which caused offence to the East India Company's governors.[2]
He was appointed to the magistracy ofMirzapur in 1795 and was sent toNagpur in 1799 to negotiate an allowance with the Raja of Berar. He was unsuccessful in this, due to events elsewhere, and returned in 1801.On his return was made a judge of the new court of appeal in Calcutta, of which he became president of the bench in 1805. Also in 1805,Lord Wellesley appointed him honorary professor ofHindu law and Sanskrit at thecollege ofFort William.[3] In 1807 he became a member of council, serving for five years, and was elected President of theAsiatic Society of Calcutta. Colebrooke married Elizabeth Wilkinson in 1810. The marriage was short-lived and she died in 1814.[1] He returned to England in 1815.[2]
In 1816 he was elected to the fellowship of both theRoyal Society and theRoyal Society of Edinburgh[1] In 1820 he was a founder of theRoyal Astronomical Society. He often chaired the society's meetings in the absence of the first president,William Herschel, and was elected as its second president on Herschel's death, serving 1823–1825. In 1823 he was also a founder of theRoyal Asiatic Society, chairing its first meeting although he declined to become its president.[2][4][5][6]
After eleven years of residence in India, Colebrooke began the study of theSanskritlanguage; and to him was entrusted the translation of the majorDigest of Hindu Laws, a monumental study ofHindu law which had been left unfinished bySir William Jones. He translated the two treatises, theMitacshara ofVijnaneshwara and theDayabhaga ofJimutavahana, under the titleLaw of Inheritance. During his residence at Calcutta he wrote hisSanskrit Grammar (1805), some papers on the religious ceremonies of the Hindus, and hisEssay on theVedas (1805), for a long time the standard work in English on the subject.[3] A posthumous essay on his father's life was published by Sir T. E. Colebrooke in 1873 as part of a reprinting ofMiscellaneous Essays.
He collected plants in theSylhet Division and sent plants and drawings toWilliam Jackson Hooker andAylmer Bourke Lambert. Colebrooke's botanical specimens are stored atKew Gardens.[7]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Colebrooke, Henry Thomas".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 665.