Spencer George Perceval

Spencer George Perceval (8 July 1838 – 7 March 1922) was an English individual recognized for his contributions as an amateur antiquary, geologist, and benefactor to the University of Cambridge. He was born in 1838 to Ernest Augustus Perceval of Bridgwater and Beatrice Trevelyan, who was his cousin and the fourth daughter of Sir John Trevelyan, 4th Baronet. Perceval's paternal grandfather was Spencer Perceval, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

He received his education at Radley College and later attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge. During his lifetime, Perceval engaged in various activities related to antiquarian research and geology. He developed extensive collections, notably of minerals from Somerset, which he assembled between 1852 and 1863. These mineral collections were deposited at the Museum of Somerset. Additionally, he edited a travel journal authored by Joseph Banks, describing a tour through Dorset and Somerset. Perceval also contributed to periodicals, writing on topics pertaining to geology and antiquities.

Perceval's philanthropy included a significant bequest of property to the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge. His donation comprised approximately 300 chapbooks and a collection of memorial jewellery from the eighteenth century. As part of his charitable instructions, he stipulated that the annual income derived from his property be allocated toward acquiring objects of art and artifacts associated with Cambridge alumni prior to the nineteenth century.

His published writings include a supplementary note on minerals found in Somersetshire, published in the Geological Magazine in April 1873, and a commentary on James Parkinson, the author of "Organic Remains of a Former World," published in the journal Nature in November 1984.

References and further information about Spencer George Perceval's life and work can be found in the UK National Archives and related archival collections.