- Henry Octavius Coxe
Henry Octavius Coxe (
September 20 ,1811 inBucklebury ,Berkshire ,England –July 8 ,1881 ) was an English librarian andscholar .He was educated at
Westminster 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 , at Oxford, and in 1860 succeeded Dr. Bandinel as head librarian, an office he held until his death in 1881.Having proved himself an able palaeographer, he was sent out by the British government under
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston to inspect the libraries in the monasteries 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 the Bodleian, in more than 720 volumes, was completed. He published "Rogri de Wendover Chronica, 5 vols." (1841-1844); the "Black Prince", an historicalpoem written in French byChandos Herald (1842); and "Report on the Greek Manuscripts yet remaining in the Libraries of the Levant" (1858).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 of
Wytham , near Oxford. He was likewise honorary fellow of Worcester and Corpus Christi.References
*1911
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