John Hewitt (herpetologist)
Encyclopedia
John Hewitt was a South Africa
n zoologist and archaeologist of British
origin. He was born in Dronfield
nearby Sheffield
, England
, and died in Grahamstown
, South Africa. He was the author of several herpetological
papers which described new species.
He graduated with a first-class in natural sciences from Jesus College, Cambridge
in 1903. From 1905 to 1908 he was Curator
of the Sarawak Museum in Kuching
, Sarawak
. In 1909 he went to South Africa to work as an assistant curator at the Transvaal Museum
in Pretoria
. In 1910 he was appointed Director of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown
, eventually retiring in 1958. His daughter, Florence Ellen Hewitt (1910–1979), was a teacher and phycologist
. He was a founder member of the South African Museums Association and following his retirement as director the new wing of the Albany Museum in 1958 was named after him. He was succeeded as archaeologist at the Albany Museum by Hilary Deacon
.
In collaboration with C. W. Wilmot he excavated a cave on the farm Wilton, described the culture that has ever since been known as Wilton culture
.
With the Reverend A. P. Stapleton he gave the first account of the Howiesons Poort
culture.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n zoologist and archaeologist of British
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...
origin. He was born in Dronfield
Dronfield
Dronfield is a town in North East Derbyshire in the North Midlands region of England. It comprises the three communities of Dronfield, Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It is sited in the valley of the small River Drone, and lies between the town of Chesterfield and the city of Sheffield. The...
nearby Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
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...
, and died in Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
, South Africa. He was the author of several herpetological
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
papers which described new species.
He graduated with a first-class in natural sciences from Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
in 1903. From 1905 to 1908 he was Curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the Sarawak Museum in Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
, Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
. In 1909 he went to South Africa to work as an assistant curator at the Transvaal Museum
Transvaal Museum
""The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, formerly Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa....
in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
. In 1910 he was appointed Director of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
, eventually retiring in 1958. His daughter, Florence Ellen Hewitt (1910–1979), was a teacher and phycologist
Phycology
Phycology is the scientific study of algae. Phycology is a branch of life science and often is regarded as a subdiscipline of botany....
. He was a founder member of the South African Museums Association and following his retirement as director the new wing of the Albany Museum in 1958 was named after him. He was succeeded as archaeologist at the Albany Museum by Hilary Deacon
Hilary Deacon
Hilary John Deacon was a South African archaeologist and academic. He was Professor of Archaeology at the University of Stellenbosch in Stellenbosch, South Africa. His research focused on the ‘emergence of modern humans’ and African archaeology...
.
In collaboration with C. W. Wilmot he excavated a cave on the farm Wilton, described the culture that has ever since been known as Wilton culture
Wilton culture
The Wilton culture is the name given by archaeologists to an archaeological culture which was common to parts of south and east Africa around six thousand years ago.It was first described by John Hewitt after he excavated with the collaboration of C. W...
.
With the Reverend A. P. Stapleton he gave the first account of the Howiesons Poort
Howiesons Poort
Howiesons Poort is a lithic technology cultural period in the Middle Stone Age in Africa named after the Howieson’s Poort Shelter archeological site near Grahamstown in South Africa...
culture.
Awards
- Honorary D.Sc. of the University of South AfricaUniversity of South AfricaThe University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
(1935) - South Africa Medal of the South African Association for the Advancement of ScienceSouthern Africa Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science is a learned society, originally known as the South African Association for the Advancement of Science...
(1936). - Fellow of the Royal Society of South AfricaRoyal Society of South AfricaThe Royal Society of South Africa is a learned society composed of eminent South African scientists and academics. The Society was granted its royal charter by King Edward VII in 1908, nearly a century after Capetonians first began to conceive of a national scholarly society...
.
External links
- Albany Museum information
- French Wikipedia entry on John Hewitt