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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Name |
Dates | Biography | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEWBERY, Emanuel Augustus | 17 February 1845 – 12 October 1928 | Born in Holborn where his father was a theological bookseller. From the age of ten collected insects in Highgate Woods and on Hampstead Heath. Became interested in chemistry and would have taken this up as a profession had he not become ill with tuberculosis following the death of his father. Subsequently he was nursed back to health by his mother. During this time he took up the violin and played with the Strand Theatre orchestra. In 1885 he was appointed Registrar of Marriages in the St. George’s District, a position he held for 28 years. Newbery’s interest in Coleoptera was first fired by Christopher Hall, who was a fellow member of the Strand orchestra. For many years he collected in the London districts and took his annual holiday collecting beetles elsewhere. His first article was ‘Bembidium iricolor, a species new to the British list’ (British Naturalist, 3, pp. 222-224) and he subsequently added a considerable number of others. In collaboration with W.E.Sharp he compiled in 1915 an Exchange List of British Coleoptera which was printed by J.H.Keys. His collection was given to Cambridge on 18 March 1921 on the understanding that it would not be amalgamated and was housed in a 20 drawer cabinet which he bought fron Janson and which had formerly belonged to Benjamin Cooke. The Insect Department Register states: ‘A collection formed by the donor the result of 40 years field work and study. The more recently added specimens have printed locality labels, the older ones bear numbered discs referring to registers of localities and other data. As a rule one or more of these discs bears in addition the name of the locality, which applies to all specimens bearing a similar number’. The collection includes the paratypes of Laccobius purpurascens and Thinobius pallidus and 100 specimens which were removed to it from Janson’s collection by the Museum authorities. The collection is accompanied by MS material including 7 volumes of locality registers which were given on 18 May 1926. The Register states: ‘In these registers ‘C’ indicates that it was determined according to Cox, ‘F’ Fowler. At a later date the donor made his determinations largely from the writings of continental experts and species so determined have no letter against them. ‘A’[plus a tick] indicates that EAN was entirely satisfied with det.’ These volumes include 15,650 entries and cover the period from 21 November 1876 to 24 June 1920. Notes were made of numerous specimens received from other collectors and there is a separate Register of the beetles ‘given to me by Mr C.G.Hall from various old collections’. With the collection there is also a marked up copy of Newbery and Sharp (1915) showing what it included at the time of the gift, and a marked up copy of Beare and Donisthorpe. Another copy of Newbery and Sharp (1915) which bears Newbery’s signature and was clearly his own copy, and which is marked up with complete and incomplete sets and dated 1917, is in my possession. Newbery also gave to Cambridge a box of named beetles from St Helena and the Canaries which had been given by T.V.Wollaston’s widow to Philip de la Garde and then passed by him to Newbery. This collection was accompanied by letters and other MS material including lists. Beetles collected by Newbery are in the A.H.May collection at the RSM; the D.G.Hall collection at Baldock; the C.G.Hall collection at Oldham from Hants. Surrey and London collected 1878-1890(information from Simon Hayhow); the Wilding collection at Liverpool and the Bedwell/Butler collection at Norwich (mainly continental material from 1850s. Information from Tony Irwin). Correspondence with W.E.Sharp is at Liverpool (Sharp Catalogue, vol 2, p.76; vol 3, p. 124) and Pedersen (2002) p.46 records a diary covering the period 1909-1922 (particularly for Yelverton, Devon) in the RESL. (MD 5/04). | |
| NEWBOLT, W. | d.1936 | A brief obituary in Proc.RESL, C, 1, 1937, p. 56 records that he specialised in Coleoptera. FRES 1931-36. (MD 5/04) | |
| NEWILL, Edward J. | An Archdeacon who lived at Witley Vicarage, Godalming and published notes on Coleoptera in the EMM eg ‘Oberea oculata in Wicken Fen’ (35, 1899, p.269) and ‘Coleoptera in Surrey and Cornwall’ (53, 1917, pp.164-65). A collection dating from before 1902 is in a 12 drawer cabinet in Haslemere Museum (information from David Baldock). (MD 5/04) | ||
| NEWMAN, Edward | 13 May 1801 – 12 June 1876 | Primarily known as a general entomologist and Lepidopterist, who founded a number of entomological journals and wrote several text books. Amongst his numerous publications are several on Coleoptera, particularly foreign Cerambycids and species of Cryptocephalus, from 1835. These include descriptions of new species eg Anchomenus picticornis, Hermerius impar, Toxotus rugipennis Callidium rubeocolle, etc. Gilbert (1977) lists seven obituaries and other accounts but omits Thomas Prichard Newman (his son)’s Memoir of the Life and Works of Edward Newman, 1876 (reprinted by E.W.Classey in 1980 as Classica Entomologica no.6) Like all of the accounts I have seen this makes no mention of his interest in beetles . Robert Mays’ review of it in Archives of Natural History, 10(1), 1981, pp.173-176 does mention however that Newman’s delicate drawings of beetles were much admired by his class-mates. (MD 5/04) . | |
| NEWPORT, George | 14 February 1803 – 6 April 1854 | Published 35 articles on the biology and habits of insects including one on Glowworms (J.Proc.LSL., 1837, pp.40-71, reprinted 1856), three on Meloe (Trans.LSL. 1851, pp.297-321, 321-357 and 1853, pp.167-167-183, also published elsewhere from 1845), one on Cryptophagus cellaris (ibid., 1851 p.351 and one on the Strepsiptera (ibid. pp.330-353). Gilbert (1977) mentions obituaries in Proc.LSL, 2, 1854, pp.309-312 and Proc.ESL.,1854, pp.51-53 which I have not seen. (MD 5/04). | |
| NEWTON, Arthur Harry | 19 February 1885 – 20 November 1966 | A Doctor for many years in Coventry, Isle of Wight and Devon before joining his daughter and son-in-law in South Africa where he became a medical missionary in Zululand. He remained there for some 18 years and built up considerable collections of both Coleoptera and Odonata which he donated to Durban Museum. Newton’s British collections, comprising 4,707 specimens, are housed in the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry, purchased from his widow for £20 in 1952 (Information from Steve Lane). Pedersen (2002) p.141 lists correspondence in the RESL dating between 1923-1945 and quotes one letter of 17 February 1924 concerning a lecture. FRES 1941-1966. (MD 5/04, 12/06, 11/09) | |
| NICHOLSON, G.W. | A Doctor. His collection of British beetles was given to Cambridge by L.G.Cox of Brighton on 11 July 1957 and has been included with the general collection. Six note books also formed part of the gift. These include lists of 32,005 beetles taken from 20 March 1904 to 20 July 1935 with dates and localities. For a while Nicholson owned the F.Bates collection before it passed to B.SA.Williams. There are also specimens collected by him in the Bedwell collection at Norwich. (MD 5/04) | ||
| NOBLE, F.A. | There are specimens bearing this name in a small collection of mainly local Lepidoptera and Coleoptera at Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery. (Fenscore). (MD 5/04) | ||
| NORGATE, Frank | d. March 1919 | Amongst a number of articles he published on Lepidoptera are two on beetles: [Lepidoptera and Coleoptera in Norfolk] Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society, 3, 1884, pp.383-385 and ‘Coleoptera in Suffolk’, ERJV., 8, 1896, p.312. (MD 5/04) | |
| NORMAN, J.S. | Published a ‘Note on the capture of Coleoptera in Hainault Forest’ together with a ‘Description of Anchomenus picticornis’ in Zoo., 2, 1844, pp.413-414. (MD 5/04) |