Events in the history of the Pitt Rivers Museum that took place in 1881.
Readers are reminded that this table is a work in progress and may be amended or added to at any time.
| Month | Day | Event | Source of Information | Notes |
| January | 11 | Pitt-Rivers elected President of Anthropological Institute | Peter Rivière | |
| January | ? | JH Parker, Keeper of Ashmolean, publishes new printed pamphlet of correspondence relating to his dispute with George Rowell (which began over the Rowell catalogue) and also about the objects found in an outhouse of the Ashmolean Museum. Like Rowell's printed pamphlet before this purports to publish all the relevant correspondence between the two men. The introduction suggests Parker may have intended it for consideration by the Visitors of the Ashmolean. | Ovenell papers, Ashmolean Museum RFO/A/3/11 printed pamphlet 3 | |
| January | before 22 / 22 | Evans writes an account of finding the objects in the Ashmolean Museum outhouse including a list of the actual objects found in the Oxford Times. Rowell replies on the 22 January | Ovenell papers, Ashmolean Museum RFO/A/3/11 printed pamphlet 3 | |
| January | 25 | Tylor gives Address to Anthropological Institute in which he mentions Pitt-Rivers' collection | Megan Price pers. comm. | |
| February - March | Pitt-Rivers takes Thomas Cook holiday in Egypt | Thompson, 1977: 125; Bowden, 1991: 90. Dates from PRM accession book and Bowden | ||
| March | No day | Greville Chester publishes pamphlet 'Notes on the Present and Future of the Archaeological Collections belonging to the University of Oxford' | Ovenell, 1986: 243-4 | |
| March | 30 | HN Moseley writes to AW Franks telling him the Pitt-Rivers' collection has been offered to the University of Oxford, asks for letter about value of collection for Council | PRM papers [foundation volume] Box 1 | |
| April | 6 | Pitt-Rivers elected to Athenaeum club. | ||
| April | No day | Hebdomadal Council due to consider proposal that University of Oxford take Pitt-Rivers' collection | Source unconfirmed | |
| May | ||||
| June | 3 | Letter from SKM authorities to Pitt-Rivers turning down his offer of the collection to SKM | S&SWM Pitt-Rivers papers P136a; Report they considered in making decision S&SWM PR papers P136a | |
| June | 16 | Death of George Rolleston | DNB entry | |
| July | ||||
| August | 1 | Report of committee concerning Pitt-Rivers' request for his collection to be housed permanently at South Kensington Museum; letter from Pitt-Rivers to Daily News about decision | The Times 1 August 1881 | |
| August | 9 | Report of Parliamentary debate about Pitt-Rivers' request for his collection to be housed permanently at South Kensington Museum | The Times 9 August 1881 | |
| August | 31 | Report that Pitt-Rivers has appointed a Curator for his collection in a later letter from GF Duncombe of SKM to Pitt-Rivers | S&SWM Pitt-Rivers papers P131 |
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| Autumn | SKM informs Pitt-Rivers that they will no longer accept items on loan | Larson, 2007: 88 | ||
| September | 3 | BAAS meeting at York, Pitt-Rivers attends | The Times 3 September 1881 | |
| October | ||||
| November | ||||
| December | 14 | Pitt-Rivers appoints and pays for curator of collection, still on display at SKM | S&SW Museum Pitt-Rivers manuscript collections P 131, letter from G.F. Duncombe to Pitt Rivers dated 14.12.1881 | |
| Unspecified | Tylor publishes Anthropology: an Introduction to the Study of Man and Civilization | DNB entry | ||
| Unspecified | Tylor lectures at London Institute | Relational Museum timeline | ||
| Unspecified | Moseley appointed as Linacre professor of human and comparative anatomy at Oxford and fellow of Merton College | DNB entry | ||
| Unspecified | Moseley resigns job as assistant registrar University of London | DNB entry | ||
| Unspecified | Moseley elected as fellow of the Royal Geographical Society | DNB entry | ||
| Unspecified | The Tylors visit Greece including Corfu, Italy, France and Ireland | Megan Price pers comm. | ||
| Unspecified | Tylor gives talk to London Institute on Problems in the history of Civilization |
AP
