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.

The filter boxes below can be used to find individual entries or groups of entries in the table. You can filter by surname (enter a single letter to see all names beginning with that letter, or enter the first part of a particular surname), or by any part of the full name, or you can filter the main biographical text. You can use the filters in combination, e.g. to search for both a name and some biography text at the same time. Don't forget to click on the Apply button to make your filter work. To remove your filter, delete the text you typed in and then click "Apply" again.

Type in the first letter/s of the surname
Type in any part of the name
Type in any text
Namesort ascending Dates Biography
SWINHOE, Ernest A collection of Coleoptera formed by this insect dealer, who lived in Oxford 1894 -1914 and was particularly interested in exotic butterflies, was acquired by Bastian Brothers of Reading in 1898. There is correspondence with Herbert Druce in the RESL (Pedersen (2002) p.63). (MD 11/04, 11/09)
SWINHOE, Ernest A collection of Coleoptera formed by this insect dealer, who lived in Oxford 1894 -1914 and was particularly interested in exotic butterflies, was acquired by Bastian Brothers of Reading in 1898. (MD 11/04)
SWANZY, Andrew 1817-1880 and Francis 1854 – 1920 Brothers who collected Coleoptera in both England and Africa which were aquired by Sevenoaks Museum in 1932. (MD 11/04)
SWALE, Harold 1853 – 3 May 1919 Born in Brittany the second son of Rev H.J.Swale of Ingfield Hall, Settle. Entered the medical profession and settled at Tavistock.. His main interest was in the Hymenoptera but he made extensive collections of Coleoptera particularly in New Zealand where he spent three years from 1900 and later during other appointments he took in Africa, India, New Zealand, again, and Samoa. H.E.Andrewes states in his obituary in EMM., 55, 1919, pp.140-41, that Swale gave many of his Coleoptera during his lifetime (they knew each other for some sixty years) to him and to the NHM. Swale’s wife, who accompanied him on many of his field trips, gave his remaining Coleoptera and Hymenoptera to the NHM after his death in 1919. There are some ms notes by him on Hymenoptera in the NHM too. (MD 11/04)
SWAINSON, W Stephens (1828) pp.75,80 refers to the collection of the ‘late Mr W. Swainson’. I assume, therefore, that this cannot be William Swainson (1789 – 7 December 1855) who published on insects and was an active member of the ESL from 1837. A box of exotic Chrysomelidae and another of exotic Curculionidae ‘ex collection W.Swainson’, are in the Cambridge Museum, and Smith (1986) p.88 refers to letters, woodcuts, etc. in the HDO dating from 1828-33. (MD 11/04)
SWAIN, H.D. There are specimens from Surrey bearing this name in the D.G.Hall collection at the North Hertfordshire Museum. (Information from Trevor James). (MD 11/04)
SUTTON, G.R. Glasgow Museum acquired two boxes of British beetles, including insects collected by Sutton, at the sale of the National Butterfly Museum on 27 October 1983, lots 922-923. Specimens with labels give Hertfordshire and Essex localities and are dated 1931-32. One box contained Dytiscus, Carabus, etc. and the other Lucanus, Prionus, etc.. Some of the specimens bear the name D.Wright and Sussex localities in 1972. Sutton was a member of the SLENHS (Information from Geoff Hancock). (MD 11/04)
STRACHAN, S.L. The HDO acquired in 1839 some boxes of insects, chiefly Coleoptera, from Sierra Leone from Strachan. Some of the specimens were preserved in gin. (Smith (1986) p.153). (MD 11/04)
STRACHAN, Miss There is a specimen of Drypta dentata from Salisbury in the Waterhouse collection at RSM bearing this name. (MD 11/04)
STRACHAN, H. In 1900 the HDO acquired 212 insects of many orders collected by Strachan in Lagos , chiefly the Ogun River Basin. (Smith(1986) p.153). (MD 11/04)

Pages