Portal:British Museum



The British Museum in London was founded in 1753, to house collections donated by Sir Hans Sloane. Over two and a half centuries it has given rise to two other institutions, the Natural History Museum, and the British Library. This portal is to collect in one place related texts. These include numerous author pages for writers who worked at the museum, as well as biographies of other heads and staff.

Works about the Museum

 * The past, present, and future of the British Museum Catalogue
 * The British Museum Catalogue as the basis of a Universal Catalogue
 * On the system of classifying books on the shelves followed at the British Museum
 * Three Years in Europe by William Wells Brown (Letter IX.)

Works from the Museum's collections

 * The Book of the Dead by E. A. Wallis Budge
 * Account of a thunderstorm by Thomas Browne
 * Commonplace notebooks by Thomas Browne
 * On fossil remains in Norfolk by Thomas Browne
 * To an illustrious friend on his wearisome Chatterer by Thomas Browne
 * Notes on Cookery of the ancients by Thomas Browne
 * Upon the darke thick miste by Thomas Browne
 * A Catalogue of the Telugu Books in the Library of the British Museum by Lionel David Barnett

Principal librarians and directors

 * 1756–1772	Gowin Knight Knight, Gowin (DNB00)
 * 1772–1776	Matthew Maty Maty, Matthew (DNB00)
 * 1776–1799	Charles Morton Morton, Charles (1716-1799) (DNB00)
 * 1799–1827	Joseph Planta Planta, Joseph (1744-1827) (DNB00)
 * 1827–1856	Sir Henry Ellis Ellis, Henry (1777-1869) (DNB00)
 * 1856–1866	Anthony Panizzi Panizzi, Anthony (DNB00), Sir Anthony Panizzi, K.C.B.
 * 1866–1873	John Winter Jones Jones, John Winter (DNB00), The late John Winter Jones, V.P.S.A.
 * 1873–1888	Edward Augustus Bond Bond, Edward Augustus (DNB01)

Keepers

 * Printed Books
 * 1803-1806 Beloe, William (DNB00) Keeper
 * 1806-1812 Henry Ellis
 * 1812-1837 Baber, Henry Hervey (DNB00), Keeper
 * 1837- Anthony Panizzi
 * 1866-1869 Watts, Thomas (DNB00), Keeper
 * 1870-1875 Rye, William Brenchley, Keeper
 * 1875-1890 Bullen, George (DNB01), Keeper
 * Cary, Henry Francis (DNB00), Assistant Keeper of Printed Books
 * Garnett, Richard (DNB00), Assistant Keeper of Printed Books, father of Richard Garnett (1835–1906) who was Keeper from 1890 to 1899


 * Other
 * Alexander, William (1767-1816) (DNB00), Keeper of Prints and Drawings
 * Birch, Samuel (DNB01), Keeper of Oriental Antiquities
 * Carpenter, William Hookham (DNB00), Keeper of Prints and Drawings
 * Combe, Taylor (DNB00), Keeper of Antiquities
 * Cureton, William (DNB00), Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts
 * Franks, Augustus Wollaston (DNB01), Keeper of British and medieval antiquities and ethnography
 * Gray, Edward Whitaker (DNB00), Keeper of Natural History and Antiquities
 * Gray, George Robert (DNB00), Assistant Keeper of Zoology
 * Hawkins, Edward (1780-1867) (DNB00), Keeper of Antiquities
 * Holmes, John (1800-1854) (DNB00), Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts
 * Henry Josi in Josi, Christian (DNB00), Keeper of Prints and Drawings
 * Konig, Charles Dietrich Eberhard (DNB00), Keeper of Natural History and Modern Curiosities
 * Madden, Frederic (DNB00), Keeper of Manuscripts: Frederick Madden
 * Major, Richard Henry (DNB00), Keeper of Printed Maps and Plans
 * Martineau, James (DNB01), Assistant Keeper
 * Story-Maskelyne, Mervyn Herbert Nevil (DNB12), Keeper of Minerals
 * Maurice, Thomas (DNB00), Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts
 * Nares, Robert (DNB00), Keeper of Manuscripts
 * Newton, Charles Thomas (DNB01), Keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities
 * Ottley, William Young (DNB00), Keeper of Prints and Drawings
 * Reid, George William (DNB00), Keeper of Prints and Drawings
 * Renouf, Peter le Page (DNB01), Keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian antiquities
 * Rieu, Charles Pierre Henri (DNB12), Keeper of Oriental Manuscripts
 * Shaw, George (DNB00), Keeper of Natural History
 * Solander, Daniel Charles (DNB00), Keeper of Natural History
 * Templeman, Peter (DNB00), Keeper of the Reading Room
 * Vaux, William Sandys Wright (DNB00), Keeper of Coins and Medals
 * Waterhouse, George Robert (DNB00), Keeper of Minerals, of Geology
 * Wright, William (1830-1889) (DNB00), Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts

Others

 * Astle, Thomas (DNB00), catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts for the British Museum (ODNB)
 * Bennett, John Joseph (DNB00), Banks botanical collection
 * Bliss, Philip (DNB00), briefly on staff
 * Brewer, John Sherren (DNB00), catalogue work
 * Forshall, Josiah (DNB00), catalogue work, secretary
 * Leach, William Elford (DNB00), zoology
 * Morgan, Charles Octavius Swinnerton (DNB00), Donated clocks etc
 * Oliphant, Thomas (DNB00), catalogue work
 * Ralston, William Ralston Shedden- (DNB00), catalogue work
 * Richardson, George Fleming (DNB00), catalogue work, sub-curator
 * Smith, George (1840-1876) (DNB00), Assyriologist
 * Stevenson, Joseph (DNB00), Manuscripts department
 * Tennant, James (1808-1881) (DNB00), catalogue work