Robert Kennaway Douglas


Sir Robert Kennaway Douglas was a British oriental scholar.

Life

He was born at Larkbeare House, Talaton, Devon on 23 August 1838, the fourth son of the Rev. Philip William Douglas. His father was appointed to the Chapel of ease at Escot, Ottery St. Mary, Devon, by Sir John Kennaway, Bart. His paternal grandfather was Dr. Philip Douglas, Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
Douglas was in China with the consular service, from 1858 to 1865. He then became Professor of Chinese at King's College, London. He was vice president of the Royal Asiatic Society, and the first Keeper of the British Museum's new Department of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts when it was created in 1892. He died on 20 May 1913.

Works

Douglas wrote books on China, including:
During the 1890s Douglas collaborated on short stories with Elizabeth Thomasina Meade. He wrote articles for the Dictionary of National Biography and for the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

Family

Douglas married Rachel Charlotte Kirkby, née Fenton, in 1867. Among their children were: