Godfrey Howitt
Encyclopedia
Godfrey Howitt entomologist, was born in Heanor
in Derbyshire to Thomas Howitt. Thomas had farmed a few acres of land at Heanor and joined the Society of Friends on his marriage with Phoebe Tantum, a member of the same society, with whom he acquired a considerable fortune.
Godfrey was educated at Mansfield
and tutored by his brother William
before becoming a doctor at Edinburgh University. He married Phoebe Bakewell the following year, on 6 April 1831, at the Friends' Meeting House in Castle Donington
. He practised medicine in Leicester and in Nottingham was honorary physician at both the City Infirmary and the General Hospital.
on the Lord Goderich in April 1840. Howitt erected a prefabricated wooden house he had brought with him and shortly after arriving began work at the Melbourne Hospital.
In 1842 Godfrey and his wife lost their youngest son, baby Charles, whose death was recorded in the letter of the eldest child, John Henry to his cousin Alfred, still in England at the time. John Henry, whose health had always been precarious, survived his youngest sibling by less than a year and in 1843, Godfrey and Phoebe suffered a second, bitter loss.
Despite personal tragedy, Howitt continued to work and by 1845 he had extensive lands which covered a number of streets, a large garden, fields near Yea
and a farm in Caulfield
.
In recognition of his efforts he was made president and honorary physician of the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum in 1847. In June 1852, he was visited by his brother William and his sons Alfred William Howitt
and Charlton Howitt accompanied by the Pre-Raphaelite
Edward La Trobe Bateman
. In the October he also played host to two other Pre-Raphaelites, Thomas Woolner
and Bernard Smith
, before they set out to the gold-rush diggings.
Woolner and Smith stayed in Australia for a number of years, eventually returning to England. Edward and Alfred stayed on with Alfred becoming a significant figure in the developing colony through his contributions to literature, administration and exploration, whilst Edward applied himself to landscape design.
From 1853 to 1871 Godfrey was a member University of Melbourne
's council and on the Medical School Committee. He was the first vice-president of the Philosophical Society of Victoria in 1854 and a founding member of the Royal Society of Victoria
, its successor from 1859 to 1868.
, Ferdinand von Mueller
named the monotypic genus Howittia
, an Australian blue-flowered mallow he had found in 1855 after Godfrey, "in acknowledgement of his devotion to botany".
He helped to found the Entomological Society of London, was a member of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh and in 1839 published The Nottinghamshire Flora.
When he died 4 December 1873 in Caulfield he was survived by three sons and a daughter. To the University of Melbourne he left one thousand pounds for scholarships, books on botany and his entomological collection.
Heanor
Heanor is a town in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. It is northeast of Derby. According to the census of 2001 the town's population was 22,620.-History:...
in Derbyshire to Thomas Howitt. Thomas had farmed a few acres of land at Heanor and joined the Society of Friends on his marriage with Phoebe Tantum, a member of the same society, with whom he acquired a considerable fortune.
Godfrey was educated at Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
and tutored by his brother William
William Howitt
William Howitt , was an English author.He was born at Heanor, Derbyshire. His parents were Quakers, and he was educated at the Friends public school at Ackworth, Yorkshire. His younger brothers were Richard and Godrey whom he helped tutor. In 1814 he published a poem on the Influence of Nature and...
before becoming a doctor at Edinburgh University. He married Phoebe Bakewell the following year, on 6 April 1831, at the Friends' Meeting House in Castle Donington
Castle Donington
Castle Donington is a village, with a population of around 7000 in the North West of Leicestershire, part of the Derby postcode area and on the edge of the National Forest. It is the closest town to East Midlands Airport.-Transport and housing:...
. He practised medicine in Leicester and in Nottingham was honorary physician at both the City Infirmary and the General Hospital.
Life in Australia
In 1839, he decided to migrate to Australia hoping, this would improve the health of his eldest child, John Henry. Howitt set out taking his family, a nephew and his wife's brothers, arriving at Port PhillipPort Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
on the Lord Goderich in April 1840. Howitt erected a prefabricated wooden house he had brought with him and shortly after arriving began work at the Melbourne Hospital.
In 1842 Godfrey and his wife lost their youngest son, baby Charles, whose death was recorded in the letter of the eldest child, John Henry to his cousin Alfred, still in England at the time. John Henry, whose health had always been precarious, survived his youngest sibling by less than a year and in 1843, Godfrey and Phoebe suffered a second, bitter loss.
Despite personal tragedy, Howitt continued to work and by 1845 he had extensive lands which covered a number of streets, a large garden, fields near Yea
Yea, Victoria
Yea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Shire of Murrindindi local government area. Located north-east of Melbourne via the Melba Highway, Yea sits at the junction with the Goulburn Valley Highway, and above sea-level. At the 2006 Census, Yea had a population of 1,052.- History :The...
and a farm in Caulfield
Caulfield, Victoria
Caulfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira...
.
In recognition of his efforts he was made president and honorary physician of the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum in 1847. In June 1852, he was visited by his brother William and his sons Alfred William Howitt
Alfred William Howitt
Alfred William Howitt was an Australian anthropologist and naturalist.-Background:Howitt was born in Nottingham, England, the son of authors William Howitt and Mary Botham. He came to the Victorian gold fields in 1852 with his father and brother to visit his uncle, Godfrey Howitt...
and Charlton Howitt accompanied by the Pre-Raphaelite
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
Edward La Trobe Bateman
Edward La Trobe Bateman
Edward La Trobe Bateman was a pre-raphaelite watercolour painter, book illuminator, draughtsman, garden designer and architect....
. In the October he also played host to two other Pre-Raphaelites, Thomas Woolner
Thomas Woolner
Thomas Woolner RA was an English sculptor and poet who was one of the founder-members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was the only sculptor among the original members....
and Bernard Smith
Bernard Smith
"Father" Bernard Smith was a German-born master organ maker in England in the late seventeenth century.Smith served his apprenticeship in Germany before emigrating to England in 1667. He built an organ for the Chapel Royal and, in 1681, became the king's organ maker...
, before they set out to the gold-rush diggings.
Woolner and Smith stayed in Australia for a number of years, eventually returning to England. Edward and Alfred stayed on with Alfred becoming a significant figure in the developing colony through his contributions to literature, administration and exploration, whilst Edward applied himself to landscape design.
From 1853 to 1871 Godfrey was a member University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
's council and on the Medical School Committee. He was the first vice-president of the Philosophical Society of Victoria in 1854 and a founding member of the Royal Society of Victoria
Royal Society of Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria is the oldest learned society in the state of Victoria in Australia.The Royal Society of Victoria was formed in 1859 from a merger between The Philosophical Society of Victoria and The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science , both founded...
, its successor from 1859 to 1868.
Botany and entomology
In VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
named the monotypic genus Howittia
Howittia
Howittia is a plant genus that contains just one species, Howittia trilocularis , a shrub which is native to Australia.-Description:...
, an Australian blue-flowered mallow he had found in 1855 after Godfrey, "in acknowledgement of his devotion to botany".
He helped to found the Entomological Society of London, was a member of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh and in 1839 published The Nottinghamshire Flora.
When he died 4 December 1873 in Caulfield he was survived by three sons and a daughter. To the University of Melbourne he left one thousand pounds for scholarships, books on botany and his entomological collection.