The Director of the British Museum is the head 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 ...

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 ...

, a post currently held by

Hartwig Fischer Hartwig Fischer (born 14 December 1962) is a German art historian and museum director. Since April 2016, he has been director of the British Museum, the first non-British head of the museum since 1866. From 2012 to 2016, he was director of the ...

. He is responsible for that institution's general administration and reports its accounts to the

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

. The actual governance of the British Museum, however, is delegated to its board of trustees. At the museum's inception its most senior member of staff was called "principal librarian". The job title became "director and principal librarian" in 1898, and "director" in 1973, on the separation of the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

from the museum.

Principal Librarian of the British Museum (1756)

* 1756–1772:

Gowin Knight Gowin Knight FRS (10 September 1713 – 8 June 1772) was a British physicist who, in 1745, discovered a process for producing strongly magnetised steel. He also served as the first principal librarian of the British Museum. Biography Born in ...

* 1772–1776:

Matthew Maty Matthew Maty (17 May 1718 – 2 July 1776), originally Matthieu Maty, was a Dutch physician and writer of Huguenot background, and after migration to England secretary of the Royal Society and the second principal librarian of the British Museum ...

* 1776–1799: Charles Morton * 1799–1827:

Joseph Planta Joseph Planta GCH (2 July 1787 – 5 April 1847) was a British diplomat and politician of Romansh-Swiss descent. He was the MP for Hastings, England. Planta's father, also named Joseph Planta (1744–1827), moved from Switzerland to England a ...

* 1827–1856: Sir

Henry Ellis Henry Ellis may refer to: * Henry Augustus Ellis (1861–1939), Irish Australian physician and federalist * Henry Ellis (diplomat) (1788–1855), British diplomat * Henry Ellis (governor) (1721–1806), explorer, author, and second colonial Gover ...

* 1856–1866: Sir

Anthony Panizzi Sir Antonio Genesio Maria Panizzi (16 September 1797 – 8 April 1879), better known as Anthony Panizzi, was a naturalised British citizen of Italian birth, and an Italian patriot. He was a librarian, becoming the Principal Librarian (i.e. head ...

* 1866–1873:

John Winter Jones John Winter Jones (16 June 1805 – 7 September 1881) was an English librarian. He was Principal Librarian of the British Museum between 1866 and 1873. He was the first President of the Library Association in the U.K. Biography Jones was bo ...

* 1873–1888: Sir

Edward Augustus Bond Sir Edward Augustus Bond (31 December 18152 January 1898) was an English librarian. Biography Bond was born at Hanwell, London, England, the son of a schoolmaster. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, and in 1832 obtained a ...

* 1888–1898: Sir

Edward Maunde Thompson Sir Edward Maunde Thompson (4 May 1840 – 14 September 1929) was a British palaeographer and Principal Librarian and first Director of the British Museum. He is noted for his handbook of Greek and Latin palaeography and for his study of Will ...

Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum (1898)

* 1898–1909: Sir Edward Maunde Thompson * 1909–1931: Sir

Frederic George Kenyon Sir Frederic George Kenyon (15 January 1863 – 23 August 1952) was a British palaeographer and biblical and classical scholar. He held a series of posts at the British Museum from 1889 to 1931. He was also the president of the British Academy f ...

* 1931–1936: Sir

George Francis Hill Sir George Francis Hill, KCB, FBA (22 December 1867 – 18 October 1948) was the director and principal librarian of the British Museum (1931–1936). He was a specialist in Renaissance medals. Early years George Hill was born in Berhampur, ...

* 1936–1950: Sir

John Forsdyke Sir Edgar John Forsdyke KCB (12 September 1883 – 3 December 1979) was Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum from 1936 to 1950. Under his tenure, an attempt was made to clean the Elgin Marbles in 1937, which lasted until 1938 a ...

* 1950–1959: Sir Thomas Downing Kendrick * 1959–1969: Sir

Frank Francis Sir Frank Chalton Francis (5 October 1901 – 15 September 1988) was an English academic librarian and curator. Almost all his working life was at the British Museum, first as an Assistant Keeper in the Department of Printed Books, and later as ...

* 1969–1974: John Wolfenden

Director of the British Museum (1973)

* 1974–1977: Sir

John Pope-Hennessy Sir John Wyndham Pope-Hennessy (13 December 1913 – 31 October 1994), was a British art historian. Pope-Hennessy was Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum between 1967 and 1973, and Director of the British Museum between 1974 and 1976. ...

* 1977–1992: Sir

David M. Wilson Sir David Mackenzie Wilson, FBA (born 30 October 1931) is a British archaeologist, art historian, and museum curator, specialising in Anglo-Saxon art and the Viking Age. From 1977 until 1992 he served as the Director of the British Museum, w ...

* 1992–2002: Robert Anderson *1999–2001 Suzanna Taverne (managing director) * 2002–2015:

Neil MacGregor Robert Neil MacGregor (born 16 June 1946) is a British art historian and former museum director. He was editor of the ''The Burlington Magazine, Burlington Magazine'' from 1981 to 1987, then Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1987 ...

, * 2016–present:

List of deputy directors

* 1971–1983:

Maysie Webb Maysie Florence Webb, (1 May 1923 – 11 December 2005) was a British librarian and museum executive. She was Head of the Patent Office Library from 1960 to 1966, and when it was renamed, served as Keeper of the National Reference Library of Sci ...

; first incumbent * 1983–1997: Jean Rankine * 1997–2002: * 2002–2013:

Andrew Burnett Andrew Michael Burnett, (born 23 May 1952) is a British numismatist and museum curator, who specialises in Roman coins. He was Deputy Director of the British Museum from 2003 to 2013, and Keeper of its Department of Coins and Medals from 1992 to ...

*2002–2005:

Dawn Austwick Dawn Jacquelyn Austwick, (born December 1960) was the chief executive (CEO) of the Big Lottery Fund from October 2014 to 2020. Education Austwick was educated at Royal High School, Bath, followed by a bachelor's degree from London University ...

* 2013–present:

Joanna Mackle Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from he, יוֹחָנָה, translit=Yôḥānāh, lit=God is gracious. Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice, ...

* 2013–present: Jonathan Williams

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:British Museum, Directors *

Directors Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Lists of office-holders in London

Principal Librarian of the British Museum (1756)

Director and Principal Librarian of the British Museum (1898)

Director of the British Museum (1973)

List of deputy directors

See also

References