The Revd George Lewis: his life and collection

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>In 1727 the Revd George Lewis (c. 1663–1729) donated a wooden cabinet containing a diverse collection of items, including many manuscripts, to Cambridge University Library. Lewis was chaplain to the East India Company at Fort St George, Madras, 1692–1714 when the contents of the cabinet were collected. The cabinet and its contents are described, as are the interests and activities of Lewis, while in Fort St George. The manuscript collection is described in further detail and the ways in which it reflects Lewis’s own interests are assessed. This investigation throws new light on the Lewis collection, the man, his interests and his life.</jats:p>