Michael Pakenham Edgeworth
Encyclopedia
Michael Pakenham Edgeworth (1812–1881) was an Irish
botanist who specialized in seed plant
s and fern
s, and spent most of his life and work in India.
, Ireland in 1812, one of twenty-four children to Richard Lovell Edgeworth
. His mother's name was Frances. His half-sister, born to Honora Edgeworth, was the novelist Maria Edgeworth
. Among his other siblings were Honora (sister), Fanny (sister), Lucy (sister), and Francis (brother). With his wife Christina he had a daughter named Harriet.
to Madras. Being possessed of a curious spirit, Edgeworth travelled widely throughout India and the island of Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka
) where he collected plants and made notes. In 1850 he was made the Chief of Police of the English settlement Punjab
. In addition to his interest in botany, he also wrote about Indian tongues and culture, topography, and antiquities.
But he wasn't always in India; as a correspondence from Charles Darwin
to J.D. Hooker
mentions a conversation held between himself, Edgeworth and biologists John Lubbock
and George Charles Wallich
, at a meeting of the Linnean Society of London
(18 April 1861) less than two years after the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species (22 November 1859). Unfortunately, very little of the content of this conversation is revealed in the letter.
He also kept meticulous diaries from the years 1828 (just a few years before going to India) to 1867, compiled in the weighty, 8,000-page volume entitled India in the Age of Empire - The Journals of Michael Pakenham Edgeworth (1812–1881). It chronicles the broadening of British imperial influence in the Indian territories and is principally of cultural and political interest. It was published after his death in 1881.
was dedicated to him.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
botanist who specialized in seed plant
Spermatophyte
The spermatophytes comprise those plants that produce seeds. They are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants...
s and fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, and spent most of his life and work in India.
Early life and family relations
He was born in County LongfordCounty Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland in 1812, one of twenty-four children to Richard Lovell Edgeworth
Richard Lovell Edgeworth
Richard Lovell Edgeworth was an Anglo-Irish politician, writer and inventor.-Biography:Edgeworth was born in Pierrepont Street, Bath, England, grandson of Sir Salathiel Lovell through his daughter, Jane Lovell....
. His mother's name was Frances. His half-sister, born to Honora Edgeworth, was the novelist Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth was a prolific Anglo-Irish writer of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and was a significant figure in the evolution of the novel in Europe...
. Among his other siblings were Honora (sister), Fanny (sister), Lucy (sister), and Francis (brother). With his wife Christina he had a daughter named Harriet.
Travels
Although he is known to have had an estate of 1,659 acres in County Longford, Ireland, at a young age he left for India in 1831 to join the Indian Civil Service of the British Colonial regime. Edgeworth's post encompassed an area from LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
to Madras. Being possessed of a curious spirit, Edgeworth travelled widely throughout India and the island of Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
) where he collected plants and made notes. In 1850 he was made the Chief of Police of the English settlement Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
. In addition to his interest in botany, he also wrote about Indian tongues and culture, topography, and antiquities.
But he wasn't always in India; as a correspondence from Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
to J.D. Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
mentions a conversation held between himself, Edgeworth and biologists John Lubbock
John Lubbock
John Lubbock is the name of:*Sir John Lubbock, 1st Baronet *Sir John Lubbock, 2nd Baronet , English banker*Sir John Lubbock, 3rd Baronet , English banker, barrister, mathematician and astronomer...
and George Charles Wallich
George Charles Wallich
George Charles Wallich was a British medical doctor and marine biologist. He was the son of the Danish naturalist Nathaniel Wallich. He won the Linnean Medal.- External links :*http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search2?coll_id=2932&inst_id=20...
, at a meeting of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
(18 April 1861) less than two years after the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species (22 November 1859). Unfortunately, very little of the content of this conversation is revealed in the letter.
Published works
In the field of botany, Edgeworth wrote:- Descriptions of Some Unpublished Species of Plants from North-Western India (R.Taylor, 1851)
- Catalogue of Plants found in the Banda district, 1847-49, pp.60.8 (Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta 1852, Vol. xxi.)
- Pollen (Hardwicke + Bogue, 1877)
He also kept meticulous diaries from the years 1828 (just a few years before going to India) to 1867, compiled in the weighty, 8,000-page volume entitled India in the Age of Empire - The Journals of Michael Pakenham Edgeworth (1812–1881). It chronicles the broadening of British imperial influence in the Indian territories and is principally of cultural and political interest. It was published after his death in 1881.
Botanical names
The plant genus EdgeworthiaEdgeworthia
Edgeworthia is a genus of plants in the family Thymelaeaceae. When the genus was first described, it was published twice in the same year , in two separate publications: Plantarum vascularium genera: secundum ordines naturales digesta eorumque differentiae et affinitates tabulis diagnostacis...
was dedicated to him.
External links
- Pictures of Edgeworth National Portrait Gallery
- Pictures of Edgeworthia from:
