Biographical dictionary

The Biographical Dictionary of British Coleopterists is compiled and maintained by Michael Darby. The Dictionary can be accessed below, and see also the additional information provide by Michael:

Michael would be pleased to hear from anyone wishing to make corrections or alterations to the Dictionary, which will be fully acknowledged. Email Michael Darby or write to Michael at 33 Bedwin Street, SALISBURY, Wiltshire, SP1 3UT.

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Namesort descending Dates Biography
STEVENS, Herbert d.1965? Dealer who lived at Tring. Tring Museum gave a collection of Coleoptera from Sikkim made by Stevens to Manchester Museum (Hancock and Pettit (1981)). (MD 11/04)
STEVENS, Samuel 11 August 1817 – 29 August 1899 Brother of Samuel Crace Stevens who founded the King Street auctioneering firm and who he joined in partnership after failing to become an artist. In 1848, however, he retired to set up the Natural History Agency which subsequently became the means by which many big collections were distributed including those of Bates and Wallace. After his brother died Stevens returned to the auction house for a while to assist his nephews to learn the business. He spent the last years of his life at his house in Upper Norwood working on horticulture and collecting water-colours, as well as continuing work on his insects. Stevens’s entomological interests were primarily those of a collector rather than a scientist although he did publish a series of short notes in various entomological periodicals from 1840 until 1896. The majority were on Lepidoptera,of which his collection was the one of the finest of his generation and caused a great stir when it was sold at auction because of the high prices fetched, but some fifteen were devoted to Coleoptera. His beetle collection was purchased after his death by Philip Mason and is now housed at Bolton. Stevens was one of the original Fellows of the ESL being elected on 6 November 1837, (Treasurer 1853-73, Vice President 1885) There is a letter to R. McLachlan dated 9 September 1871 in the RESL (Pedersen (2002) p.96). FLS from 1850. There are obituaries in EMM., 35, 1899, pp.238-239; Ent., 32, 1899, 264 ; ERJV., 11, 1899, p.308; and Proc.ESL.1899, pp.xxxv-xxxvii. (MD 11/04)
STEVENSON, W.S. There is a box of Coleoptera sent to Hope by Stevenson in 1835 in the HDO (Smith(1986) p.152). (MD 11/04)
STEWART, Barry

Adam Parker tells me that Dr Barry Stewart was a friend and correspondent of Michael Perkins whose collection he eventually donated to the Yorkshire Museum. Several of the boxes of beetles are attributable to Stewart. (MD 12/21)

STEWART, C There is a ms on Coleoptera in the HDO labelled by Westwood Stewart’s Manuscript 1802. (Smith (1986) p.88). (MD 11/04)
STEWART, J.P. Gave 222 insects including Coleoptera from Penang to the RSM in 1863. (MD 11/04)
STEWART, John Exhibited two cases of beetles at the 5th annual conversazione of the Alloa Society of Natural Science and Archaeology on 3 December 1868 (Proc., 5, 1866-68). (MD 11/04)
STOCKLEY, George Published ‘Notice of the species of Carabus occurring around London’ in Morris Naturalist, 5, 1855, pp.253-54. (MD 11/04)
STOKES, H.G. Beetles collected by Stokes are in the Kaufmann Cerambycid collection at Manchester. (MD 11/04)
STONE ‘Mr Stone’s cabinet’ is mentioned by Stephens (1828), I, pp.23, 182, and 2, p. 44. He would have been rather young but could this be Stephen Stone (1810-1866) of which Newman wrote an obituary in Ent., 3, 1866, pp.154-56 which I have not seen? (MD 11/04)

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