| Code | PX51 |
| Dates | 1905-1964 |
| Person Name | Townsend; Alexander Cockburn (1905-1964); Museum Librarian |
| Surname | Townsend |
| Forenames | Alexander Cockburn |
| Epithet | Museum Librarian |
| Activity | Museum staff: Appointed to General Library, 1930; died in office (railway accident) 1964.
'Alex Townsend read Classics, and Modern and Medieval Languages at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He joined the staff of the British Museum (Natural History), London, after a brief and somewhat unsatisfactory year as a schoolmaster. His predecessors, B. B. Woodward and B. H. Souslby, were difficult to follow, both being acknowledged for their bibliographical accuracy and scholarship. Soulsby's Catalogue of the works of Linnaeus was near completion and on the death of Soulsby in 1933 it was left to Townsend to write the introduction and to see the addenda and corrigenda through the press; he also completed the three-volume supplement to the Catalogue of the books, manuscripts and drawings in the library of the British Museum (Natural History); these two major projects stretching his bibliographical expertise.
By his own admission he had no training or knowledge of science, but all staff were welcome to his room to discuss their manuscripts (particularly advice on Latin and Greek for nomenclatural purposes), and his linguistic abilities with a number of European languages caused him to be much in demand. He was always willing to read a manuscript if requested and make useful suggestions.
The libraries flourished under his leadership. No provision had been made for a library in the original building of the Museum, but Townsend persistantly argued for the need and eventually in 1959 his dreamed-of library was opened.
From the very beginning of the Society for the Bibliograpy of Natural History, Alex Townsend was a keen supporter, and urged several of his friends and colleagues to join, such as F. J. Griffin, S. A. Neave and J. Ramsbottom. He was instrumental in encouraging the close association with the Museum, which has continued to the present day.
Alex Townsend married Ruth Emmerton Pasco, a talented musician in 1936. Throughout his working life he was not a great ‘joiner’, but contributed through appointments to many aspects of librarianship. He was Secretary of the Standing Conference of National and University Libraries; Secretary of the University and Research Section of the Library Association; Member of the Royal Horticultural Society's Library Committee; Chairman of the Circle of State Librarians, and Treasurer of the Ray Society.
Primarily, A. C. Townsend was a man of scholarship. He loved to travel and use his linguistic abilities; he read extensively and was an art-lover, particularly of Canaletto. He was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honour's List of 1965. He would have had notification of this honour, but sadly died before it was officially announced.'
Source: Archives of Natural History Vol. 36, No. 2 |
| RefNo | Title |
| SH/1 | Minute Books |
| DF/ADM/1005/79 | Townsend, Alexander C |
| DF/TM/3/11/97/2 | Townsend, A C |
| DF/PH/2/7/1 | Staff Photograph: A C Townsend, Head of the Department of Library Services |
| DF/ENT/340/27/10 | British Museum (Sm-W) |
| DF/LIB/601/2 | Townsend A C : notes for lectures on libraries and library resources |
| SH/2 | Secretary's Correspondence and Files |
| DF/LIB/601/3 | Townsend A C : memoranda on bibliographies |
| DF/LIB/604/3 | Townsend, A C: official diary |
| DF/ENT/340/23/14 | Townsend - Trpis |
| DF/LIB/601/80 | Memorandum on the Museum Library by A C Townsend, presumably prepared for the Director |
| DF/LIB/614/2 | Townsend, Alexander Cockburn: letters and photographs of A Vandel, speleologist |
| DF/LIB/614/3 | Townsend, Alexander Cockburn: journal articles, obituaries and book reviews, printed. Presented by the Linnean Society of London, 1980 |
| DF/LIB/607/9 | 'Arrangement and Class-marks of works in the General Library', a printed sheet with extensive annotations by A C Townsend, J K Hart and others |
| DF/PH/2/1/1/16 | Staff Photograph: Alexander Cockburn Townsend, Head of the General Library, seated in his study with a book |
| DF/LIB/604 | General Library Official Diaries |
| SH/4 | Financial Records |
| DF/LIB/614/1 | Townsend, Alexander Cockburn: notes for lectures on the Museum and its libraries |
| DF/PH/2/1/1/15 | Staff Photograph: Alexander Cockburn Townsend, Head of the General Library, head & shoulders |
| DF/LIB/601 | Head of the General Library's Subject Files |
| DF/PH/7/1/2/5 | Official Museum Visitors: Prince Philip looking at Origin of Species display with AC Townsend |
| DF/ENT/332/1/53 | Schwanwitsch, B N (Entomological Laboratory, University of Leningrad, Russia) |
| DF/LIB/600/2 | Correspondence of A C Townsend |
| DF/LIB | Library and Information Services |
| DF/OB/21 | OBE Medal of AC Townsend, museum librarian, with certificate |