Greville John Chester (1830-1892) was a clergyman who travelled very frequently to Egypt in the winter, donating and selling large collections of objects he collected whilst there when he returned to the UK. The Pitt Rivers Museum and the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford both benefitted from his collection as did the British Museum. He had a wide range of interests through natural history, archaeology and Egyptology. He wrote many articles in archaeological journals based on his work in Egypt, and later in Palestine. He was a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford and in 1881 published a Catalogue of the Egyptian antiquities in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Pitt-Rivers and Chester will have known each other from joint membership of several learned societies. It is not known when they first met but it seems likely that they did not know each other (or did not know each other very well) in 1886 judging by the salutation:

L218 Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum

2 Rupell Chambers

Bury Street, WC
May 29. 1886

Dear Sir

It has been suggested to me that you might like to acquire a collection of necklaces & strings of beads which I made last winter in Upper Egypt.
The necklaces are of various substances, from bead of amethyst, garnet, & carnelian to knots of twisted glass, and some of them are of ancient Egyptian glass beads with others of the Greek & Roman periods, exemplifying imitations of hard stones such as plasma & lapis.
The beads represent a great variety of Egyptian forms in porcelain. In addition to those from Egypt there are 3 necklaces of amber & glass from Southern Italy.
I have also a small collection of objects of gold, - rings, armlets, pendants &c from Egypt. Should you wish to see any of these things I should be happy to send them to your address.

I am truly yours
Greville J. Chester

In order to save time I enclose lists of the two collections

Added [presumably note of reply]:
General would like to know when Mr Chester is likely to be at home as he will then call and see the objects. He does not wish them sent here.

L221

2 Rupell Chambers
Bury Street, WC
May 29. 1886

Dear Sir

In answer to Mr James's note, I beg to say I could be in this afternoon from 4 to 7, * any morning before Wednesday next week up to 11, and at any [insert] other [end insert] time on either of those days you might like to fix, when I should be happy to show you my things.
I will ask you kindly to send me line that I may know when to expect, & to bring my catalogues [word illegible] I have no other copy. Believe me

truly yours
Greville J. Chester

Gen Pitt-Rivers

In fact Pitt-Rivers did not obtain his first objects from Greville Chester until August 1889, see Add.9455vol2_p573 /3.

* Extraordinary to think it was possible in 1886 to write and post a letter to someone expecting them to respond by a visit, on the same day.

AP, May 2011.