Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1784-1831 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
0.017 cubic metres
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Lady Anna Maria Jones was born on 5th December, 1748, the second child of Anna Maria Mordaunt and Jonathan Shipley, Dean of Winchester and later bishop of St. Asaph. Her father taught Anna both classical and modern languages. She married William, aged 35,… read more
Name of creator
Biographical history
Sir Joseph Banks was born on 15th February 1743 in London into a wealthy land-owning family. He was educated at Harrow School and Eton College, where he became interested in botany. Between 1760 and 1763, Banks studied at Christ Church, Oxford,… read more
Name of creator
Biographical history
Samuel Davis was born in the West Indies where his father was Commissary General. After his father died he returned to England with his mother and siblings. He became an East India cadet in 1778, and sailed for India aboard the Earl of Oxford, arriving… read more
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Shore, Lord Teignmouth was born in St James Street, Piccadilly, on 5th October 1751 but was brought up in Romford. In 1769 he went to work in Bengal where he was one of the first to learn some of the languages. In January 1785 Shore returned to… read more
Name of creator
Biographical history
Sir William Jones, was born on 28th September 1746, in London, the third child of William Jones, F.R.S., an able mathematician. His father died in 1749 and he was raised by his mother Maria Jones (née Nix). Jones attended Harrow School from 1753 where he… read more
Repository
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
It is not known how the majority of the art archive material came to be part of the Royal Asiatic Society Collections. Presumably it was deposited at the same time as the paintings and drawings within the collections. It has been suggested that these… read more
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The archive consists of correspondence from William Jones to Samuel Davis, some correspondence from Joseph Banks and Lord Teignmouth with and regarding Lady Jones, various botanical sketches and notes and a Sale Catalogue for the books of William Jones' lLbrary.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
All records have been retained. The individual records had been given numbers as part of the accessioning procedures, to reflect the arrangement of the archive.
System of arrangement
The collection has been arranged according to its different components, creating four different series. Thus:
- WJ/1 - Correspondence of Sir William Jones
- WJ/2 - Correspondence with Anna Maria Jones
- WJ/3 - Sketches and notes of William Jones and Anna … read more
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Please contact the archivist using the email address given here. 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.… read more
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
Allied materials area
Related units of description
The Jones Collection contains a number of paintings and drawings which are described in the "Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings, Engravings and Busts: The Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society" by Raymond Head, 1991, in which he divides the material into:… read more
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Jones Sir William 1746-1794 judge, linguist, orientalist (Subject)
- Jones Lady Anna Maria 1748-1829 (Subject)
- Banks Joseph 1743-1820 Sir (Subject)
- Shore John 1751-1834 linguist, East India Company Director (Subject)
- Davis Samuel 1760-1819 artist (Subject)
Description control area
Description identifier
Archivist's note
The descriptions were created by Nancy Charley, Archivist at the Royal Asiatic Society, in 2015. The original order of the material was unknown and therefore it was arranged according to the different types of material of which the collection is comprised
Archivist's note
Autobiographical information was sourced from
- Arberry, A.J. Asiatic Jones: The Life and Influence of Sir William Jones (174601794), Pioneer of Indian Studies, Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd, 1946.
- Feldman, Paula R., British Women Poets of the Romantic Era: … read more