Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen FRS
FZS
FRGS
MBOU
(6 July 1834 – 2 December 1923), was an English
topographer, geologist
and surveyor.
The eldest son of Robert Alfred Cloyne Godwin-Austen, Godwin-Austen was born in Teignmouth
. His mother, Maria Elizabeth Godwin-Austen, was the only child of Major General Sir Henry Godwin
(1784–1853), who commanded the British and Indian forces in the First and Second Anglo-Burmese War
s.
Godwin-Austen was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He entered the army in 1851, reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and served for many years on the Trigonometrical Survey of India, retiring in 1877.
He gave much of his attention to geology, but he is more especially distinguished for his researches on the natural history
of India. He is recognized as a malacologist and was the author of The Land and Freshwater Mollusca of India (1882–87). He was also an ornithologist, writing Birds of Assam (1870–78) and describing a number of birds for the first time, some with Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
.
The Karakoram
peak K2
in the Himalayas
was originally named Mount Godwin-Austen in his honour. The Godwin Austen Glacier was also named in his honour.
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"...
FZS
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
FRGS
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
MBOU
British Ornithologists' Union
The British Ornithologists' Union aims to encourage the study of birds in Britain, Europe and elsewhere, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation....
(6 July 1834 – 2 December 1923), was an English
England
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...
topographer, geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and surveyor.
The eldest son of Robert Alfred Cloyne Godwin-Austen, Godwin-Austen was born in Teignmouth
Teignmouth
Teignmouth is a town and civil parish in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon, situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign about 14 miles south of Exeter. It has a population of 14,413. In 1690, it was the last place in England to be invaded by a foreign power...
. His mother, Maria Elizabeth Godwin-Austen, was the only child of Major General Sir Henry Godwin
Henry Godwin (Army officer)
Sir Henry Thomas Godwin KCB was a British officer. He fought in the British Army in the Peninsular War and in the First Anglo-Burmese War before joining the Bengal Army, in which he served as commander in chief of British and Indian forces in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852 and 1853.-Military...
(1784–1853), who commanded the British and Indian forces in the First and Second Anglo-Burmese War
Second Anglo-Burmese War
The Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....
s.
Godwin-Austen was educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He entered the army in 1851, reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and served for many years on the Trigonometrical Survey of India, retiring in 1877.
He gave much of his attention to geology, but he is more especially distinguished for his researches on the 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...
of India. He is recognized as a malacologist and was the author of The Land and Freshwater Mollusca of India (1882–87). He was also an ornithologist, writing Birds of Assam (1870–78) and describing a number of birds for the first time, some with Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale
Colonel Arthur Hay, 9th Marquess of Tweeddale , known before 1862 as Lord Arthur Hay and between 1862 and 1876 as Viscount Walden, was a Scottish soldier and ornithologist. He was born at Yester, Gifford, East Lothian. He served as a soldier in India and the Crimea. He succeeded his father to the...
.
The Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
peak K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
was originally named Mount Godwin-Austen in his honour. The Godwin Austen Glacier was also named in his honour.
External links
- Book by Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen at Open LibraryOpen LibraryOpen Library is an online project intended to create “one web page for every book ever published”. Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive and has been funded in part by a grant from the California State Library and the Kahle/Austin Foundation.-Books for the blind and...
- portrait of Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen