William Gifford Palgrave (1826–88)

Missionary, explorer, and diplomat. Jesuit missionary to Syria, 1855–61. Travelled through the Middle East disguised as a Syrian doctor and merchant in areas closed to Europeans, 1862–3. Published an account of his travels, Narrative of a year’s journey through Central and Eastern Arabia (1865). Member of the British diplomatic corps, 1865–88. Brother of Francis Turner and Robert Harry Inglis Palgrave.