The History of the Imperial War Museum, 1917-1918 Q31269

Charles John ffoulkes (1868–1947) was a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

of the

Royal Armouries The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's national collection of arms and armour. Originally an important part of England's military organization, it became the United Kingdom's oldest museum, originally housed in the Tower of London from ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He was a younger son of the Reverend Edmund ffoulkes. He wrote extensively on

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

and

armour Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

. ffoulkes was selected as the Curator of the Armouries by his predecessor,

Harold Arthur Lee-Dillon Harold Arthur Lee-Dillon, 17th Viscount Dillon CH FBA (24 January 1844–18 December 1932) was an English antiquary and a leading authority on the history of arms and armour and medieval costume. Life The eldest son of Arthur Dillon, 16th ...

, and assumed the office on 1 January 1913. He played an important role in the British Arts and Crafts movement, and was an acquaintance of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

. He was subsequently first curator and secretary of the newly formed

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

in London. His wife Maude Mary Chester ffoulkes née Craven (1871-1949) was a ghostwriter.

Published works

* (1909) ''Armour and Weapons'', Oxford: Clarendon Press; republished by Westholme Publishing, 2005 * (1912) ''The Armourer and His Craft'', London: Methuen; republished by Dover, 1988 * (1930) ''The 'Dardanelles' Gun at the Tower''

References

External links

* *
Royal Armouries biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ffoulkes, Charles British historians British curators 1868 births 1947 deaths Historians of weapons