Sir Robert Kennaway Douglas (23 August 1838 – 20 May 1913) was a British oriental scholar.
Life
He was born at Larkbeare House, Talaton, Devon on 23 August 1838, the fourth son of the Rev. Philip William Douglas. His father was appointed to the Chapel of ease at Escot, Ottery St. Mary, Devon, by Sir John Kennaway, Bart. His paternal grandfather was Dr. Philip Douglas, Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Douglas attended Blandford Grammar School.[1]
Douglas was in China with the consular service, from 1858 to 1865. He then became Professor of Chinese at King's College, London.[2]
Europe and the Far East, 1506-1912 , Cambridge: University Press, 1913; New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1913 (Cambridge Historical Series, ed. by G.W. Prothero)
The Language and Literature of China (1875), Royal Institution lectures[4]
The Life of Jehghiz Khan Translated from the Chinese. With an Introduction, London: Trübner & Co., 1877
Li Hungchang, London: Bliss, Sand & Foster, 1895 (Public Men of To-day)
Society in China : Illustrated from Photographs, London: Ward, Lock, & Co., 1901
Supplementary Catalogue of Chinese Books and Manuscripts in the British Museum, London: Longmans & Co., 1903
During the 1890s Douglas collaborated on short stories with Elizabeth Thomasina Meade.[5] He wrote articles for the Dictionary of National Biography and for the Ninth Edition (1875-1889), Tenth Edition (1902-03) and Eleventh Edition (1911) of the Encyclopædia Britannica, the latter including a long article on "China"[6] and articles on Chinese cities ("Peking", "Nanking", "Shanghai", "Tonkin") and an article on Genghis Khan.[7]
Family
Douglas married Rachel Charlotte Kirkby, née Fenton, (1842–1921) in 1867. Among their children were: