Henry Octavius Coxe (20 September 1811 in Bucklebury, Berkshire, England – 8 July 1881 in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

) was an English librarian and scholar. The eighth son of Rev. Richard Coxe and Susan Smith, he was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and Worcester College, Oxford. Immediately on taking his degree in 1833, he began work in the manuscript department of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, became in 1838 sub-librarian of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, and in 1860 succeeded Dr. Bulkeley Bandinel as head librarian, an office he held until his death in 1881. Having proved himself an able

palaeographer Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...

, he was sent out by the British government under

Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...

to inspect the libraries in the

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

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 by Constantine Simonides. He was the author of various catalogues, and under his direction that of the

Bodleian The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

, in more than 720 volumes, was completed. He published ''Rogri de Wendover Chronica'', 5 vols (1841–44); the ''Black Prince'', an historical poem written in French by

Chandos Herald Chandos Herald ( fl. 1360s-1380s) for ''Chandos le héraut'' is the name used to refer to the author of a poem about the life of The Black Prince in Anglo-Norman language. He is so-called because he was the herald of the English warlord John Chando ...

(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 Wytham ( ) is a village and civil parish on the Seacourt Stream, a branch of the River Thames, about northwest of the centre of Oxford. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road ( A34). The nearest village is ...

, near Oxford. He was likewise honorary fellow of Worcester and Corpus Christi. In 1839 he married Charlotte Esther, daughter of

Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner General Sir Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner KC (12 January 1764 – 6 May 1843), known as Sir Hilgrove Turner, is best known as the officer who escorted the Rosetta Stone from Egypt to England. Military career Turner was commissioned as an Ensign o ...

, and fathered five children, of whom Susan Esther (1842–1894) married

John Wordsworth John Wordsworth (1843–1911) was an English Anglican bishop and classical scholar. He was Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford from 1883 to 1885, and Bishop of Salisbury from 1885 to 1911. Life H ...

, future

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coxe, Henry Octavius 1811 births 1881 deaths Bodley's Librarians English librarians English palaeographers People from Bucklebury Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford People educated at Westminster School, London