Charles F. Newcombe
Encyclopedia
Charles Frederick Newcombe (15 September 1851 - 19 October, 1924) was a British
botanist
and ethnographic
researcher.
, as the eighth of fourteen children. His parents were William Lister Newcombe (1817-1908) and Eliza Jane (Rymer) (1816-1888), who were both from Yorkshire
.
Newcombe received his MB from the University of Aberdeen
in 1873 and his MD in 1878. He married Marian Arnold (1857-1891) in 1879.
In 1884, he established a general practice in Hood River, Oregon
. He moved in 1885 with his family to Victoria, British Columbia
. In 1889, he moved back to Victoria and worked at the "Insane Asylum" in New Westminster. His wife Marian died after the birth of their sixth child in 1891, leaving him with two daughters and four sons.
With his eldest three children he returned to England and participated in geological and natural history
studies at the British Museum
and the University of London
. He ceased to practice medicine after 1894.
Newcombe began to interest himself in the botany of North America
and made many trips to Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands
) by boat. In the process he became very interested in the Haida and started to collect their artifacts to "preserve" them from, what was then thought to be, the demise of the native culture.
Newcombe and others were driven by the "fear that 'pure' Northwest Coast cultures were disappearing through depopulation and assimilation". In 1897, George Dorsey asked him to collect Haida artifacts for the Field Columbian Museum in Chicago. Dorsey, an American, was known for his haste and he had to advise James Deans
who had been a guide in the area that he should just keep quiet as the local missionary John Henry Keen
lambasted Deans and his unidentified, but American, collaborators for desecrating the graves of the local natives in their hunt for Northwest Coast artifacts.
Newcombe also acquired many totem poles for the Royal British Columbia Museum
, the Pitt Rivers Museum
in Oxford
, the British Museum
, Kew Gardens, and museums in Cambridge
, Liverpool
and Sydney
. In 1904, he went with six Vancouver Island
Native Americans
and their medicine man
to the World's Fair
held in St. Louis
to show their crafts and culture.
He also conducted biological and geographic research, such as on local (British Columbia
) mollusks and paleontology
. In 1913, he led a Commission studying the effect of sea lion
s on the salmon
industry. In 1914, he prepared a report on the circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. Much of his work, including collection of plants, mollusks, fossils, aboriginal artifacts and information, was done with the help of his youngest surviving son, William Henry Arnold Newcombe (1884-1960).
He died in 1924 in Victoria, British Columbia, after catching a cold on a sailing expedition.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and ethnographic
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
researcher.
Biography
Newcome was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, as the eighth of fourteen children. His parents were William Lister Newcombe (1817-1908) and Eliza Jane (Rymer) (1816-1888), who were both from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Newcombe received his MB from the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
in 1873 and his MD in 1878. He married Marian Arnold (1857-1891) in 1879.
In 1884, he established a general practice in Hood River, Oregon
Hood River, Oregon
The city of Hood River is the seat of Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,831...
. He moved in 1885 with his family to Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. In 1889, he moved back to Victoria and worked at the "Insane Asylum" in New Westminster. His wife Marian died after the birth of their sixth child in 1891, leaving him with two daughters and four sons.
With his eldest three children he returned to England and participated in geological and natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
studies at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He ceased to practice medicine after 1894.
Newcombe began to interest himself in the botany of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and made many trips to Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands
Queen Charlotte Islands
Haida Gwaii , formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Haida Gwaii consists of two main islands: Graham Island in the north, and Moresby Island in the south, along with approximately 150 smaller islands with a total landmass of...
) by boat. In the process he became very interested in the Haida and started to collect their artifacts to "preserve" them from, what was then thought to be, the demise of the native culture.
Newcombe and others were driven by the "fear that 'pure' Northwest Coast cultures were disappearing through depopulation and assimilation". In 1897, George Dorsey asked him to collect Haida artifacts for the Field Columbian Museum in Chicago. Dorsey, an American, was known for his haste and he had to advise James Deans
James Deans
James Deans was a Scottish ethnologist, guide and collector of Victoria, BC, who published several works on the folklore and culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas....
who had been a guide in the area that he should just keep quiet as the local missionary John Henry Keen
John Henry Keen
The Reverend John Henry Keen was a missionary in Canada. He translated scriptures into Haida. Keen wrote on insects he had discovered and he had a species of mouse and bat named after him. In 1898 Keen sold a number of items to the British Museum including a model totem and an explanation of the...
lambasted Deans and his unidentified, but American, collaborators for desecrating the graves of the local natives in their hunt for Northwest Coast artifacts.
Newcombe also acquired many totem poles for the Royal British Columbia Museum
Royal British Columbia Museum
The Royal British Columbia Museum is a natural history and human history museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1886. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by HRH Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a Royal tour that year...
, the Pitt Rivers Museum
Pitt Rivers Museum
The Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The museum is located to the east of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and can only be accessed through that building.The museum was...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, Kew Gardens, and museums in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. In 1904, he went with six Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
Native Americans
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
and their medicine man
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
to the World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
held in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to show their crafts and culture.
He also conducted biological and geographic research, such as on local (British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
) mollusks and paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
. In 1913, he led a Commission studying the effect of sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
s on the salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
industry. In 1914, he prepared a report on the circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. Much of his work, including collection of plants, mollusks, fossils, aboriginal artifacts and information, was done with the help of his youngest surviving son, William Henry Arnold Newcombe (1884-1960).
He died in 1924 in Victoria, British Columbia, after catching a cold on a sailing expedition.