Frederick William Hope
Encyclopedia
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
entomologist and founder of the Hope Department of Entomology at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Hope was born at 37 Upper Seymour Street, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the second son of John Thomas Hope of Netley Hall, Shrewsbury, and Ellen Hester Mary, only child and heiress of Sir Thomas Edwardes. He was first privately educated and from 1817 at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
where he graduated in 1820. Presented to the Curacy of Frodesley in Shropshire, he quickly retired as a result of ill health. Hope married, in 1835, the wealthy Ellen Meredith, who had earlier rejected a proposal of marriage from Benjamin Disraeli. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and the Linnean Society.
Ellen was a great supporter of her husband's interests, which included collecting engraved portraits (140,000); topographical engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
s (70,000); 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...
engravings (20,000). These, together with his extensive insect collections, were given to the University of Oxford in 1849. At the same time he founded a professorship of zoology nominating John Obadiah Westwood
John Obadiah Westwood
John Obadiah Westwood was an English entomologist and archaeologist also noted for his artistic talents.Born in Sheffield, he studied to be a lawyer but abandoned that for his scientific interests....
as the first Hope professor. Westwood also curated Hope’s collections.
Hope's interest in insects began around 1817. He was chiefly interested in Coleoptera. Hope's initial collection of insects included 31 cabinets of varying sizes containing 964 drawers, store boxes, 1800 books, 249 solanders and 18 portfolios. He continued to add specimens and books and purchased specimens for the Hope Department, including material from the collections of Edward Donovan
Edward Donovan
Edward Donovan was an Anglo Irish writer, natural history illustrator and amateur zoologist.-Biography:Born in Cork, Ireland, Donovan was an avid collector of natural history specimens purchased mainly at auctions of specimens from voyages of exploration...
, James Francis Stephens
James Francis Stephens
James Francis Stephens was an English entomologist.-Biography:Stephens was born in Shoreham-by-Sea and studied at Christ's Hospital.He was employed in the Admiralty office, Somerset House, from 1807 to 1845...
, Thomas Marsham
Thomas Marsham
Thomas Marsham was an English entomologist, specializing on beetles.- Biography :He married a Miss Symes of Ufford, Northants, and had two daughters...
and Thomas Vernon Wollaston
Thomas Vernon Wollaston
Thomas Vernon Wollaston was a prominent English entomologist and malacologist, becoming especially known for his studies of Coleoptera inhabiting several North Atlantic archipelagoes. He was well-placed socially. His religious beliefs effectively prevented him from supporting Darwin's theories...
. Many are types. He was a founder member of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
and, in 1833, the Entomological Society of London of which he was subsequently Treasurer, President and Vice-President at different times.
Works
His main work was the Coleopterists Manual, containing the Lamellicorn beetles of Linnaeus and Fabricius in 3 volumes published from 1837 onwards.Hope's other publications included some 60 papers on entomology of which the majority were on Coleoptera, many describing new genera and species (British and World).
Two of his collections have recently been published. These are:
- Catalogue of a Collection of Early Newspapers and Essayists, Formed by the Late John Thomas Hope, Esq., and Presented to the Bodleian Library by the Late Frederick William Hope (Nabu Press, 2010) ISBN 1147166307
- Catalogue of a Collection of Early Newspapers and Essayists: Formed by the Late John Thomas Hope, Esq., and Presented to the Bodleian Library by the Late ... Frederick William Hope, M.a., D.C.L (1865) (Cornell University Library, 2009) ISBN 1112184325
Books
- The Coleopterist's Manual - 3 Bände
- Containing The Lamellicorn Insects Of Linneus And Fabricius. Bohn, London 1837; digital
- Containing The Predaceous Land And Water Beetles Of Linneus And Fabricius. Bohn, London 1838; digital
- Containing Various Families, Genera, And Species, Of Beetles, Recorded By Linneus And Fabricius : Also Descriptions Of Newly Discovered And Unpublished Insects. Bridgewater, London 1840
- Catalogo dei crostacei Italiani e di molti altri del Mediterraneo. Fr. Azzolino, Neapel 1851; digital