Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1850 - 1881 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 archival folder Hand-written
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Dowson M.R.A.S. was a British indologist notable for his work on Hindu texts. Widely considered to be a preeminent authority of Hinduism in his time, Dowson taught in both India and Britain, eventually being made Professor at University College London (1855) as well as teaching at the East India Company College and the Staff College, Sandhurst.
Dowson contributed to the publications of the Royal Asiatic Society throughout his career, having been introduced to the Society by his uncle Edwin Norris, himself a notable Assyriologist.
Repository
Archival history
These papers are all associated with John Dowson.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Source of Acquisition is unknown.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
- Copy of inscriptions from the East, West and South Walls of a "large cave" in Nanaghat. This document is dated as being in Edinburgh in 1877.
- Collection of Urdu letters which have been identified as dating to around 1866 and being addressed from Punjab. They appear to be petitions from soldiers addressed to the British authorities. There are 8 letters.
- Collection of John Dowson's notebooks. They include three of Dowson's personal English-language notebooks dated to 1844, which tell the story of Drona from the first book of the Mahabharata (possibly copied from another source). There is also a fourth notebook in Urdu which seems to be a diary, journal or copies of more letters, and includes a 1 page Urdu-English dictionary.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Please contact the archivist. Details can be found here : https://royalasiaticarchives.org/. The archive is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 10-5, and Thursdays 2-5. Access is to any researcher without appointment but it will help if an appointment is made via phone or email. Please bring photo ID.
Conditions governing reproduction
Digital photography (without flash) for research purposes may be permitted upon completion of a copyright declaration form, and with respect to current UK copyright law.
Language of material
- English
- Urdu
- Sanskrit
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
The society holds in it's collection several books by John Dowson looking at Indian history and languages.
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Dowson John (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
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Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
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Sources
Archivist's note
This material was cataloged by Jake Todd, RAS Volunteer, under the supervision of Nancy Charley, RAS Archivist, in 2023.