Robert Curzon, 14th Baron Zouche
Encyclopedia
Robert Curzon, 14th Baron Zouche (16 March 1810 – 2 August 1873), styled The Honourable Robert Curzon between 1829 and 1870, was an English traveller, diplomat and author, active in the Near East
. He was responsible for acquiring several unimportant and late Biblical manuscripts from Eastern Orthodox monasteries
.
Curzon was the son of the Hon. Robert Curzon
, younger son of Assheton Curzon, 1st Viscount Curzon
, and his wife Harriet Anne Curzon, 13th Baroness Zouche. He was educated at Charterhouse
and Christ Church, Oxford
. In 1831 he succeeded his father as Member of Parliament
for Clitheroe
, a seat he only held until the following year. In his Visits to Monasteries in the Levant (1849), he described and justified his takings. He visited Mount Athos
in 1837, and at the Monastery of St Paul, he recounts how the abbot said 'We make no use of the old books, and should be glad if you would accept one,' upon which he took two, including a fourteenth-century illuminated Bulgarian gospel, now in the British Library.
From 1842 Curzon was joint British Commissioner in Erzurum
as part of the British-Turkish-Persian-Russian boundary commission sitting to delineate the Turkish and Persian frontier.
Lord Zouche succeeded his mother in the barony
in 1870. He died in August 1873, aged 63, and was succeeded in the title by his son Robert.
In 1834 he brought some manuscripts from Palestine (codices 548
, 552
-554
) and in 1837 from the Athos
peninsula (among them codices 547
, 549
-551
). After his death they were deposited in the British Museum
.
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
. He was responsible for acquiring several unimportant and late Biblical manuscripts from Eastern Orthodox monasteries
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
.
Curzon was the son of the Hon. Robert Curzon
Robert Curzon (MP)
The Honourable Robert Curzon , was a British politician and long-standing Member of Parliament.Curzon was the son of Assheton Curzon, 1st Viscount Curzon, by his second wife Dorothy, daughter of Sir Robert Grosvenor, 6th Baronet. Penn Curzon was his elder half-brother and Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st...
, younger son of Assheton Curzon, 1st Viscount Curzon
Assheton Curzon, 1st Viscount Curzon
Assheton Curzon, 1st Baron Curzon and 1st Viscount Curzon was a British Tory politician.-Background and education:...
, and his wife Harriet Anne Curzon, 13th Baroness Zouche. He was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. In 1831 he succeeded his father as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Clitheroe
Clitheroe (UK Parliament constituency)
Clitheroe was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire.The town of Clitheroe was first enfranchised as a parliamentary borough in 1559, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and finally to the...
, a seat he only held until the following year. In his Visits to Monasteries in the Levant (1849), he described and justified his takings. He visited Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
in 1837, and at the Monastery of St Paul, he recounts how the abbot said 'We make no use of the old books, and should be glad if you would accept one,' upon which he took two, including a fourteenth-century illuminated Bulgarian gospel, now in the British Library.
From 1842 Curzon was joint British Commissioner in Erzurum
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
as part of the British-Turkish-Persian-Russian boundary commission sitting to delineate the Turkish and Persian frontier.
Lord Zouche succeeded his mother in the barony
Baron Zouche
Baron Zouche is a title that has thrice been created in the Peerage of England.-Genealogy:The de la Zouche family descended from Alan de la Zouche, sometimes called Alan de Porhoët and Alan la Coche , a Breton who settled in England during the reign of Henry II. He was the son of Vicomte Geoffrey I...
in 1870. He died in August 1873, aged 63, and was succeeded in the title by his son Robert.
In 1834 he brought some manuscripts from Palestine (codices 548
Minuscule 548
Minuscule 548 , ε 1015 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century.Scrivener labelled it by number 535....
, 552
Minuscule 552
Minuscule 552 , ε 252 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century....
-554
Minuscule 554
Minuscule 554 , ε 332 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. It is dated by a Colophon to the year 1271 or 1272.Scrivener labelled it by number 541.- Description :...
) and in 1837 from the Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
peninsula (among them codices 547
Minuscule 547
Minuscule 547 , δ 157 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment...
, 549
Minuscule 549
Minuscule 549 , 536 , A 136 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century....
-551
Minuscule 551
Minuscule 551 , ε 251 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.Scrivener labeled it by number 538.- Description :...
). After his death they were deposited in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.