Christopher Wright (academic)
Encyclopedia
Dr Christopher John Wright OBE
MA
Phd
, is a former Head of Manuscripts at the British Library
and Fellow
of both the Royal Historical Society
and the Society of Antiquaries of London
. During his time at the library he oversaw several acquisitions, and in retirement became involved with the Friends of the British Library
and the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
.
of Modern Historical Papers, he found a letter regarding Captain Thomas Howard Goad's death at the Battle of Balaclava
in the Charge of the Light Brigade
, written by Captain Goad's brother Cornet George Goad. It matched a letter bequeathed to the library in the previous year, written by Captain Soame Jenyns to Capt Goad's other brother, Charles.
In 2003 he became Head of Manuscripts, until his retirement in October 2005. During this time, along with colleague Michelle Paull, he was responsible for researching the library's acquisition of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
collection and preparing it for exhibition, and received the Anthony Powell
from Michael Meredith of the Eton College Collections
.
In the 2006 New Year's Honours List, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Speaking of his time as Head of Manuscripts following the award, he said "I was caring for the national collection of manuscripts and acquiring them. We have had several exciting acquisitions during my time in charge, including the archive of Punch magazines
. I think it acknowledges scholarship as worthwhile and it actually shows that work demanding patience and care is still important. One of the most satisfying parts of my job was that I was able to bring the collections to the general public through exhibitions."
Following his retirement, he became Deputy Chairman of the Friends of the British Library
on 6 February 2007, taking over from Dr Don Pritchard.
of the Royal Historical Society
since 1982, and of Society of Antiquaries of London
since May 2002.
In November 2006, he was appointed as a member of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
's Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
. As part of the committee's function, they were responsible for deferring the sale of a translation of the Italian opera Erismena
, the earliest surviving opera score in the English language, dating from the 1670s.
He has also been involved in the ongoing research on the Greek Manuscript Collection of Lambeth Palace Library.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
Phd
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, is a former Head of Manuscripts at the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
and Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of both the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
and the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. During his time at the library he oversaw several acquisitions, and in retirement became involved with the Friends of the British Library
Friends of the British Library
The Friends of the British Library is a registered charitable organisation in the UK with close links to the British Library. It provides funding in the form of grants to the British Library in order to allow the Library to acquire new items and collections, procure new equipment and facilities,...
and the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is a committee of the United Kingdom government, advising the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on the export of cultural property...
.
British Library
Christopher joined the Department of Manuscripts in 1974. In 2002, as CuratorCurator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of Modern Historical Papers, he found a letter regarding Captain Thomas Howard Goad's death at the Battle of Balaclava
Battle of Balaclava
The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Anglo-French-Turkish campaign to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russia's principal naval base on the Black Sea...
in the Charge of the Light Brigade
Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge of British cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. The charge was the result of a miscommunication in such a way that the brigade attempted a much more difficult objective...
, written by Captain Goad's brother Cornet George Goad. It matched a letter bequeathed to the library in the previous year, written by Captain Soame Jenyns to Capt Goad's other brother, Charles.
In 2003 he became Head of Manuscripts, until his retirement in October 2005. During this time, along with colleague Michelle Paull, he was responsible for researching the library's acquisition of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
collection and preparing it for exhibition, and received the Anthony Powell
Anthony Powell
Anthony Dymoke Powell CH, CBE was an English novelist best known for his twelve-volume work A Dance to the Music of Time, published between 1951 and 1975....
from Michael Meredith of the Eton College Collections
Eton College Collections
The Eton College collections are a collection of items of significant cultural or scientific value kept by Eton College. They include College Library, College Archives, Eton College Natural History Museum, Casa Guidi, Eton College Antiquities Collection and The Museum of Eton Life. The Collection...
.
In the 2006 New Year's Honours List, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Speaking of his time as Head of Manuscripts following the award, he said "I was caring for the national collection of manuscripts and acquiring them. We have had several exciting acquisitions during my time in charge, including the archive of Punch magazines
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
. I think it acknowledges scholarship as worthwhile and it actually shows that work demanding patience and care is still important. One of the most satisfying parts of my job was that I was able to bring the collections to the general public through exhibitions."
Following his retirement, he became Deputy Chairman of the Friends of the British Library
Friends of the British Library
The Friends of the British Library is a registered charitable organisation in the UK with close links to the British Library. It provides funding in the form of grants to the British Library in order to allow the Library to acquire new items and collections, procure new equipment and facilities,...
on 6 February 2007, taking over from Dr Don Pritchard.
Fellowships and memberships
He has been a FellowFellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
since 1982, and of Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
since May 2002.
In November 2006, he was appointed as a member of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
's Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is a committee of the United Kingdom government, advising the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on the export of cultural property...
. As part of the committee's function, they were responsible for deferring the sale of a translation of the Italian opera Erismena
Erismena
Erismena is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Francesco Cavalli. It was designated as a dramma per musica. The Italian libretto was by Aurelio Aureli, the only work by this writer for Cavalli....
, the earliest surviving opera score in the English language, dating from the 1670s.
He has also been involved in the ongoing research on the Greek Manuscript Collection of Lambeth Palace Library.