Papers of John Beddoe, 1826-1911 - Archives Hub (original) (raw)

The papers cover the period 1830-1907. They include correspondence, committee minutes, anthropological notes and data, lectures, notebooks, reprinted manuscripts, newspaper cuttings, pamphlets and sermons. The material on the Ethnographical and Anthropological Societies traces the growth of anthropological theory during the nineteenth century. The evolution of Beddoe's method and his raw data can be seen in a large amount of notes sent in by his correspondents and compiled by Beddoe himself, detailing his ethnographical and anthropological findings throughout the British Isles, Europe, America, the colonies, and India. He compiled extensive notes on the inhabitants of many British prisons and lunatic asylums during the 1860s. Beddoe's lectures and published papers show his work in the advancement of anthropology, as well as his knowledge of medicine. His notes demonstrate his other interests, such as Christian theology, archaeology and astronomy.