Sir Robert Kennaway Douglas (23 August 1838 – 20 May 1913) was a British oriental scholar.
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]
He was vice president of the Royal Asiatic Society, and the first Keeper of the British Museum's new Department of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts when it was created in 1892. He was knighted in 1903 and died a decade later, on 20 May 1913.[citation needed]
Douglas wrote books on China, including:
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]
Douglas married Rachel Charlotte Kirkby, née Fenton, (1842–1921) in 1867. Among their children were: