Sir William Ouseley

Sir William Ouseley (1767-1842) was educated for the army, but preferred oriental, especially Persian, studies. He left the army in 1796, was knighted in 1800, and in 1810 accompanied his younger brother Sir Gore Ouseley (1770-1844) to the East, as his private secretary. Their political mission led them through India to Persia, and in both countries the two brothers made large separate collections of oriental manuscripts. See the Dictionary of National Biography for details on both.

From the guide to the Persian manuscripts collected by Sir William Ouseley, 14th-19th century, (University of Oxford, Department of Oriental Collections, Bodleian Library)