Correspondence of Charles Taylor (1840-1908), Master of St. John's College, Cambridge

Charles Taylor, the son of a London tea dealer, entered St. John's College, Cambridge as a sizar in 1858. He was elected a Fellow of the College in 1864, was ordained two years later and succeeded to the Mastership of St. John's in 1881. He became one of the most prominent Hebrew scholars of his generation, as well as writing extensively on geometry. He presented to Cambridge University Library the collection of Hebrew MSS since known jointly by his name and that of Dr. Solomon Schechter, and (as recorded in the correspondence listed below) provided the funds for the Library's acquisition of a copy of the block-printed collection of Tibetan Canon known as the Kanjur (bKa' 'gyur), the translation of the Word of the Buddha.

Letters concerning the purchase of a copy of the block-printed collection of Tibetan Buddhist literature known as the Kanjur (bKa' 'gyur) by Cambridge University Library; included in the collection is a receipt for Charles Taylor's gift in the sum of £275. The Kanjur in question is now located at Cambridge University Library Tibetan.1-104. [Some alternative transiterations of the name of the Tibetan Canon are bKángjur, kang-gyur, kan-jur, Kangyur or bka'-'gyur].

Gift of Charles Taylor's widow, Mrs Margaret Sophia Taylor (1877-1962) in 1951

Please cite as Cambridge University Library, Department of Manuscripts and University Archives, Correspondence of Charles Taylor (1840-1908), Master of St. John's College, Cambridge, MS Add.7308

Taylor's gift of the Kanjur is now located at Cambridge University Library Tibetan.1-104

The cataloguing content of this record derives from the work of Stephen G. Roberts in 2009 April. The data was converted by Krista Siemens in 2011 November and uploaded with minor editorial additions by Adam Perkins in consultation with Craig Jamieson, 2012 July 04.