list

Parson-naturalists

Leading parson-naturalists

Name	Dates	Description	Known for	Portrait
Turner, William[2]	1508?–1568	Dean of Wells Cathedral	Herbalism Libellus de Re Herbaria
Ray, John[4]	1627–1705	Father of English natural history; taxonomy; empiricism	Historia Plantarum
Derham, William[5]	1657–1735	Physico-Theology, (Natural theology)	Estimated speed of sound Astronomy, listed nebulae
Cowper, Spencer[13]	1713–1774	Dean of Durham 1746–1774	Meteorology
White, Gilbert[3]	1720–1793	Curate of Selborne, Hampshire ornithology	Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne	Probably not authentic
Lightfoot, John[6]	1735–1788	Botanist Conchologist	Flora Scotica (1789)
Henslow, John Stevens[7]	1796–1861	Botanist, Geologist	Mentor and friend of his pupil Charles Darwin
Jenyns, Leonard[8]	1800–1893	Priest, founder of Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club	Phenology and meteorology observations
Bloxam, Andrew[15]	1801–1878	Naturalist on HMS Blonde Later priest and naturalist	Recorded and collected Hawaiian birds, some now extinct Later particularly known for fungi, Rubus and Rosa
Berkeley, Miles Joseph[16]	1803–1889	Vicar of Sibbertoft for much of his life Known as the founder of British mycology	Account of native British fungi in Sir William Jackson Hooker's British Flora (1836) Introduction to Cryptogamic Botany (1857) Outlines of British Fungology (1860)
Fox, William Darwin[9]	1805–1880	Priest, Entomologist, collector of beetles	Tutored his second cousin Charles Darwin in natural history
Morris, Francis Orpen[14]	1810–1893	Irascible Irish clergyman Hated Darwinism, fox-hunting Campaigned for bird conservation law	History of British Birds A Bible Natural History Records of Animal Sagacity and Character Dogs and Their Doings
Tristram, Henry Baker[10]	1822–1906	Biblical scholar, Ornithologist	Early acceptance of Darwinism, tried to reconcile it with creation
Wood, John George[11]	1827–1889	Natural history populariser and lecturer	Common Objects of the Country
Dallinger, William[12]	1839–1909	Methodist minister, microbiology	Research on monads Opposition to spontaneous generation
Linton, William Richardson[17]	1850–1908	Botanist, Vicar of Shirley, Derbyshire	Work on brambles of Derbyshire, including Rubus durescens Flora of Derbyshire: Flowering Plants, Higher Cryptogams, Mosses and Hepatics, Characeae

See also