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Humphrey Wanley

(1672-1726), Librarian and antiquary

Later Stuart Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 8 portraits
Wanley was one of the earliest serious scholars of the Anglo-Saxon language and his work is still revered by mediaeval scholars. Through his cataloguing work and research, he helped lay the ground for the study of early English literature and culture. He began his antiquarian career in 1694, seeking out collections of manuscripts for inclusion in the Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae, being compiled at Oxford University. Wanley subsequently studied at, but did not graduate from Oxford. He was appointed assistant at the Bodleian Library in 1695, a post that he held for five years. During that time he produced a catalogue of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts that remained the standard work for over two centuries.

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Humphrey Wanley, by and published by John Smith, after  Thomas Hill - NPG D38529

Humphrey Wanley

by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D38529

Humphrey Wanley, by and published by John Smith, after  Thomas Hill - NPG D4621

Humphrey Wanley

by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D4621

Humphrey Wanley, by and published by John Smith, after  Thomas Hill - NPG D4622

Humphrey Wanley

by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D4622

Humphrey Wanley, by and published by John Smith, after  Thomas Hill - NPG D11665

Humphrey Wanley

by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D11665

Humphrey Wanley, by and published by John Smith, after  Thomas Hill - NPG D19241

Humphrey Wanley

by and published by John Smith, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1718 (1717)
NPG D19241

Humphrey Wanley, by Robert Grave, after  Thomas Hill - NPG D27602

Humphrey Wanley

by Robert Grave, after Thomas Hill
line engraving, published 1819
NPG D27602

Humphrey Wanley, by Abraham Wivell, after  Thomas Hill - NPG D4623

Humphrey Wanley

by Abraham Wivell, after Thomas Hill
mezzotint, 1819
NPG D4623

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