John Covel was a clergyman and scientist who became Master of Christ's College, Cambridge

Christ's College, Cambridge

Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...

 and vice-chancellor of the University.

John Covel was born at Horningsheath, Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

, the son of William Covel. He was educated at Bury St Edmunds school and Christ's College, Cambridge

Christ's College, Cambridge

Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...

, where he was made a fellow in 1659. In 1670 he went to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 as Chaplain to the Levant Company

Levant Company

The Levant Company, or Turkey Company, was an English chartered company formed in 1581, to regulate English trade with Turkey and the Levant...

. For a time he was in sole charge of the embassy there. He travelled widely in Asia Minor and described the buildings and plants which he saw. He purchased a lot of Greek manuscripts (like codex 65

Minuscule 65

Minuscule 65 , ε 135 , formerly known as Ussher 2, is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 11th century. The manuscript has complex contents, it has marginalia.- Description :The codex contains a complete text of the...

, 110

Minuscule 110

Minuscule 110 , α 204 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment leaves. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century...

, 321

Minuscule 321

Minuscule 321 , α 254 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on parchment. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 12th century.Formerly it was designated by 26a and 32p...

, 322

Minuscule 322

Minuscule 322 , α 550 , is a Greek minuscule manuscript of the New Testament, on paper. Palaeographically it has been assigned to the 15th century.Formerly it was labelled by 27a and 33p.- Description :...

, ℓ 150

Lectionary 150

Lectionary 150, designated by siglum ℓ 150 , is also known as Codex Harleianus. It is a Greek manuscript of the New Testament, on vellum leaves.- Description :...

). After his return and a period as Chaplain to the Princess of Orange

Prince of Orange

Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....

 in The Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

, he was elected the 15th Master of Christ's in 1688, a position he held until 1723. In his later years he developed the study of fossils.

Literature

• Jean-Pierre Grélois (Éd.): Dr John Covel, Voyages en Turquie 1675-1677. Texte établi, annoté et traduit par Jean-Piere Grélois, avec une préface de Cyril Mango (Réalités Byzantines 6). Paris 1998. ISBN 978-2-283-604564