Charles MacDouall

Professor Charles Macdouall (1818-1883)

The Book of Common Prayer and Psalter in Tamil, the Bible in Assam, the Rig-Veda in German and the Bengali/Sanskrit Dictionary featured in this exhibition are held in the MacDouall Collection at Queen’s University Belfast.

Comprising of the personal library of Charles MacDouall (1818-1883), first Professor of Latin at Queen's College, Belfast (1849-50) and second Professor of Greek (1850-78), the collection includes material relating to Classical, Eastern and Middle Eastern languages, and comparative philology, principally from the first half of the 19th century. The collection also includes examples of traditional folk tales and ballads from a variety of countries, and numerous dictionaries, primers and other general works. The collection is an extensive one, containing approximately 1200 items which range in date from 1533 - 1882, and sheds light on the varied research interests of a reputable 19th century academic. The strengths of the MacDouall collection focus primarily on philology, languages and general literature; the languages represented include: Arabic, Bengali, Chines, English, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hindustani, Irish, Italian, Latin, Norwegian, Sanskrit, Swedish, Urdu and Welsh.

Of related interest are the MacDouall Papers (QUB Special Collections MS/6): a collection of MacDouall’s holograph papers and working notes. The collection consists of finished essays, reference aids, lectures, emendations and miscellaneous notes prepared and used by MacDouall in his work, reflecting his wide range of academic interests and pursuits. Topics highlighted include comparative philology, etymology, religious and philosophical ideas and systems, Semitic and Indo-European languages, Latin verse and the drama, customs and dress of different countries e.g. Spain, Portugal, Germany, Ancient Greece etc.

A manuscript listing for this collection can be found here: Macdouall Papers

Relates to:

MacD 850 The Holy Bible ... translated from the originals into the Assam language / By the Serampore missionaries. Vol. 5. Containing the New Testament