Deed of gift

Gifting the founding collection of the Pitt Rivers Museum to the University of Oxford

This is a transcription of Pitt-Rivers' deed of gift, a copy of which is held in the Pitt Rivers Museum's manuscript collections, Pitt Rivers Museum papers, Box 2: 20.

'This Inderture [sic] made the twentieth day of May one thousand eight hundred and eighty four Between Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers a Major General in Her Majestys Army F.R.S. on the one part and The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford of the other part Whereas the said Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers has agreed to give to the said Chancellor Masters and Scholars the Specimens Objects Articles and things hereinafter mentioned or referred to and forming his Anthropological Collection And whereas by a Decree of the Convocation of the said University holden on the seventh day of March one thousand and eight hundred and eighty three it was agreed that the said Gift should be accepted Now this Indenture witnesseth that the said Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers in consideration of the agreements on the part of the said Chancellor Masters and Scholars hereinafter mentioned and contained Doth hereby assign to the said Chancellor Masters and Scholars and their successors All those the several Specimens Objects Articles and things forming the Anthropological Collection of the said Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers now lately deposited and on exhibition at the Department of Science and Art at South Kensington as described in the Catalogue thereof a Copy of which is intended to be annexed to these presents and signed by the Vice Chancellor of Oxford and the said Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers Except that part of the Collection styled "Collection of Agricultural Implements and Peasant Collection and other Carvings" To hold the same premises unto the said Chancellor Masters and Scholars and their successors upon trust for the purposes and subject to the Regulations hereinafter declared and contained concerning the same And this Indenture further witnesseth that it is hereby agreed and declared between and by the parties hereto that the said Chancellor Masters and Scholars do and shall stand possessed of the said several Specimens Objects Articles and things hereinbefore expressed to be assigned and which are hereinafter referred to as "The said Collection" and of all other Specimens Objects Articles and things which shall hereafter be added thereto in accordance with the provision for that purpose hereinafter contained upon trust for the purposes and subject to the Regulations hereinafter declared and contained that is to say:-

1. The said Chancellor Masters and Scholars shall build a separate Annexe to the present University Museum for the purpose of receiving maintaining and keeping in Oxford the said Collection and such Annexe shall be used solely for the said Collection and the additions to be made thereto from time to time as hereinafter mentioned and a Lecturer shall be appointed by the University who shall yearly give Lectures at Oxford upon Anthropology.

2. The Inscription designating the Collection as the "Pitt Rivers Collection" shall be affixed over the Entrance to such Annexe both on the Outside and Inside thereof and the Title "Pitt Rivers Collection" shall be permanently retained as the Title of the said Collection and all future additions to the said Collection shall be acknowledged as additions to the Pitt Rivers Collection and the Donor and his Agents shall have the right at all reasonable times of using and making Drawings of the Objects in the Collection for the purpose of illustration description or publication

3. The general mode of arrangement at present adopted in the said Collection shall be maintained and no changes shall be made in details during the lifetime of the said Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers without his consent and any changes in details which may be made after the death of the said Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers shall be such only as shall be necessitated by the advance of knowledge and as shall not affect the general principle originated by the said Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers

4. The said Chancellors Masters and Scholars shall from time to time as occasion shall arise and as they may deem desirable expend [sic] and complete by the addition of further specimens such of the Series of Objects in the said Collection as are at present more or less imperfect or incomplete such Specimens shall bear on their labels the names of their respective Donors or of the Collections from which they may have been derived

In witness whereof the said Parties to these presents have hereunto set their hands and seals the day and year first above written

Signed sealed and Delivered by the above named Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers [signature] in the presence of Edw W. Faner [?] and G. Vickerstaff 66 Lincolns Inn Fields London Gent'n

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PRM papers Box 1, 1-33: 17: Gazette 13 May 1884:

Note that a version of the above was also published in the University Gazette of 13 May 1884 when it was titled 'Affixing the seal May 20' and introduced 'In the same CONVOCATION it will be proposed to affix the University Seal to the following amended form of a Deed of Gift and Declaration of Trust on behalf of the University in respect of the Anthropological Collection offered to the University by Major-General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers, F.R.S., and accepted by the University in Convocation on Wednesday, March 7, 1883.

B. Jowett

Vice-Chancellor

Delegates Room

May 12, 1884.

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[Transcribed by AP for the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers project, July 2010]

Note: the boldenings above match sections which appear to be stressed in the handwriting of the original. There appear to be two misspellings and they are sic'ed in the above paragraph. The whole is written in Gothic handwritten script and is not easy to read.