William Clift
Encyclopedia
William Clift, British
naturalist, born at Burcombe, about half a mile from the town of Bodmin
in Cornwall
, on 14 Feb. 1775, was the youngest of the seven children of Robert Clift, who died a few years later, leaving his wife and family in the depths of poverty.
, the celebrated physician. She recommended Clift as an apprentice to Hunter, stating that he was qualified by his quickness and by his natural taste for drawing, which was shown in his eagerness ‘to come into her kitchen in Cornwall and make drawings with chalk on the floor.’
Clift arrived in London on 14 Feb. 1792, his own and Hunter's birthday, and as he at once gave satisfaction to Hunter, was apprenticed without the payment of a fee, on the understanding that he was ‘to write and make drawings, to dissect and take part in the charge of the museum’ which his master had formed at the back of his house in Leicester Square
. While Hunter lived this system of labour proved satisfactory to both of them. The pupil waited on his master at his dissections or wrote from his dictation from early morning until late at night. Hunter died on 16 Oct. 1793, but his death made no difference in Clift's attachment to his master's memory. So long as life lasted Clift used to call him a truly honest man, and to ridicule the slanders that envy endeavoured to fasten on his character.
, one of its first acts was to retain Clift in his place, dignifying him with the title of conservator of the museum, and rewarding his services with a salary of about £100. a year. From that date his time and talents ‘were exclusively devoted to the advancement of comparative anatomy and physiology.’ His pride was in his daily work, and he lived to see the museum ‘enriched, enlarged, and worthily displayed and illustrated.’ Under his supervision Hunter's collections were twice removed without the slightest damage, first in 1806 to a temporary place of deposit, and on the second occasion in 1813 to the museum of the college, and the whole of the specimens were more than once numbered by him.
. His only son, William Home Clift, who assisted his father in the museum, was born in 1803 and died in 1833. His only daughter, Caroline Amelia Clift, was married at New St. Pancras Church on 20 July 1835 to Professor (now Sir Richard) Owen
, and died at Sheen Lodge, Richmond Park, on 7 May 1873, aged 70. A pleasing glimpse into her character is afforded by a passage in Caroline Fox
's Journals (first ed. p. 137).
, Dr. Wollaston
, and Sir Humphry Davy
, and through the influence of the latter was elected F.R.S. 8 May 1823, being the last to receive that honour before the increase in the admission fees. He was also a member of the Chemical Society, a small body of savants within the ranks of the Royal Society, who dined together as a pleasure, and communicated papers to the parent institution with the object of promoting the study of animal chemistry (Weld, Royal Soc. ii. 237–43). Clift's stores of knowledge were open to every one who visited Hunter's museum, and most of the contemporary works or memoirs on the ‘fossil remains of the higher classes of animals’ were improved by his information. Gideon Mantell
acknowledged his help to Clift in the original memoir on the Iguanodon (Philosophical Transactions 1825, p. 181), and Baron Cuvier owned to a similar debt in the concluding volume of his work on fossil remains. His knowledge of osteology is referred to in deferential terms by Sir Charles Lyell
, and his researches in anatomical science proved of much profit to Sir Benjamin Brodie. In 1803 there appeared a volume divided into ten fasciculi (the first of which had been issued in 1799), and entitled A Series of Engravings … to illustrate the Morbid Anatomy of some of the most important parts of the Human Body, by Matthew Baillie
. The advertisement to the first fasciculus announced that ‘the drawings will be made by a young man, who is not only very well skilled in his own arts, but who possesses a considerable share of knowledge in anatomy.’ This was Clift, and all the drawings in Baillie's book were made by him, as were most of the illustrations of Sir Everard Home
's numerous papers on Comparative Anatomy in the Philosophical Transactions. He contributed papers to the Philosophical Transactions for 1815 and 1823, to the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal for 1831, and to the Geological Society's Transactions in 1829 and 1835, his paper On the Fossil Remains … found on the left bank of the Irawadi in the Transactions of the latter society for 1829 being reprinted in an appendix to Mr. John Crawfurd
's Journal of an Embassy to the Court of Ava. His son-in-law, Sir Richard Owen, published in 1861 two volumes of Essays and Observations on Natural History, Anatomy, &c., by John Hunter. These were printed from copies of Hunter's manuscripts, which were made by Clift between 1793 and 1800. Some of them had previously been published in Owen's Descriptive Catalogue of Physiological Series of Comparative Anatomy, but the whole collection was not placed in his hands until a short time before the death of Clift, who had himself contemplated their publication and drawn up some notes for that purpose. These are printed with his initials or full name. The original manuscripts were by Sir Everard Home's orders removed to his house in a cart shortly before 1800, and were most of them destroyed by him in 1823. When Clift was told of this destruction, he said to its author, ‘Well, Sir Everard, there is but one thing more to be done, that is to destroy the collection,’ and burst into tears. He was the compiler of the catalogue of the osteology in the Hunterian Museum, and he gave some valuable evidence to the parliamentary committee on medical education in 1834. Dr. Westby-Gibson is the owner of two manuscripts in shorthand, giving the particulars of forty-nine lectures delivered by Dr. Haighton at Guy's Hospital
1814–15, which are believed to be the work of Clift. His portrait, from a daguerreotype, is in Claudet's Historical Gallery and his bust in plaster, with the date 1843, is placed on the entrance door to the western museum of the College of Surgeons.
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...
naturalist, born at Burcombe, about half a mile from the town of Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, on 14 Feb. 1775, was the youngest of the seven children of Robert Clift, who died a few years later, leaving his wife and family in the depths of poverty.
Education
The boy was sent to school at Bodmin, and his taste for drawing came under the notice of Colonel Walter Raleigh Gilbert of the Priory, Bodmin, and his wife, ‘a lady of great accomplishments,’ with whom he was soon established as a great favourite. Mrs. Gilbert had been a schoolfellow of Miss Home, and kept up a correspondence with her friend after her marriage to John HunterJohn Hunter (surgeon)
John Hunter FRS was a Scottish surgeon regarded as one of the most distinguished scientists and surgeons of his day. He was an early advocate of careful observation and scientific method in medicine. The Hunterian Society of London was named in his honour...
, the celebrated physician. She recommended Clift as an apprentice to Hunter, stating that he was qualified by his quickness and by his natural taste for drawing, which was shown in his eagerness ‘to come into her kitchen in Cornwall and make drawings with chalk on the floor.’
Clift arrived in London on 14 Feb. 1792, his own and Hunter's birthday, and as he at once gave satisfaction to Hunter, was apprenticed without the payment of a fee, on the understanding that he was ‘to write and make drawings, to dissect and take part in the charge of the museum’ which his master had formed at the back of his house in Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
. While Hunter lived this system of labour proved satisfactory to both of them. The pupil waited on his master at his dissections or wrote from his dictation from early morning until late at night. Hunter died on 16 Oct. 1793, but his death made no difference in Clift's attachment to his master's memory. So long as life lasted Clift used to call him a truly honest man, and to ridicule the slanders that envy endeavoured to fasten on his character.
Museum keeper
For six years he was engaged by Hunter's executors to watch over the collections, living with an old housekeeper in the house in Castle Street, his pay being limited to ‘seven shillings a week,’ although bread had risen to war prices. For the safety of these specimens he was solely responsible, and he kept zealous guard over his charge, copying and preserving many, probably a half, of Hunter's manuscripts which would otherwise have perished. Clift was unwearied in cleaning, and on the purchase of the collection by parliament it was in a better state than at its owner's death. When the Corporation of Surgeons agreed to undertake the charge of the collection, and was incorporated by a charter dated 22 March 1800 as the Royal College of SurgeonsRoyal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
, one of its first acts was to retain Clift in his place, dignifying him with the title of conservator of the museum, and rewarding his services with a salary of about £100. a year. From that date his time and talents ‘were exclusively devoted to the advancement of comparative anatomy and physiology.’ His pride was in his daily work, and he lived to see the museum ‘enriched, enlarged, and worthily displayed and illustrated.’ Under his supervision Hunter's collections were twice removed without the slightest damage, first in 1806 to a temporary place of deposit, and on the second occasion in 1813 to the museum of the college, and the whole of the specimens were more than once numbered by him.
Retirement and death
After he had been more than fifty years connected with the discoveries and studies of John Hunter, he retired into private life on his full salary of £400. a year. He married, at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, London, in 1799, Caroline Amelia Pope, who died in April 1849. A few weeks later, on 20 June 1849, Clift died at Stanhope Cottage, Hampstead Road, London, and they were both buried in Highgate cemeteryHighgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a cemetery located in north London, England. It is designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. It is divided into two parts, named the East and West cemetery....
. His only son, William Home Clift, who assisted his father in the museum, was born in 1803 and died in 1833. His only daughter, Caroline Amelia Clift, was married at New St. Pancras Church on 20 July 1835 to Professor (now Sir Richard) Owen
Richard Owen
Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
, and died at Sheen Lodge, Richmond Park, on 7 May 1873, aged 70. A pleasing glimpse into her character is afforded by a passage in Caroline Fox
Caroline Fox
Caroline Fox was an English diarist. She was the daughter of Robert Were Fox FRS of the influential Fox family of Falmouth, and was the younger sister of both Barclay Fox, also a diarist, and Anna Maria Fox....
's Journals (first ed. p. 137).
Character and achievements
The praises of Clift's character were in the mouth of every man of science. Dr. South spoke of him as ‘a kindly-hearted creature, always ready to impart and not to appropriate information,’ and with a ‘head crammed full of knowledge.’ Sir Benjamin Brodie the elder praised his industry and his thirst for the acquisition of knowledge, qualities which he found to be combined with great sagacity and keen observation. He was highly esteemed by Sir Joseph BanksJoseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
, Dr. Wollaston
William Hyde Wollaston
William Hyde Wollaston FRS was an English chemist and physicist who is famous for discovering two chemical elements and for developing a way to process platinum ore.-Biography:...
, and Sir Humphry Davy
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
, and through the influence of the latter was elected F.R.S. 8 May 1823, being the last to receive that honour before the increase in the admission fees. He was also a member of the Chemical Society, a small body of savants within the ranks of the Royal Society, who dined together as a pleasure, and communicated papers to the parent institution with the object of promoting the study of animal chemistry (Weld, Royal Soc. ii. 237–43). Clift's stores of knowledge were open to every one who visited Hunter's museum, and most of the contemporary works or memoirs on the ‘fossil remains of the higher classes of animals’ were improved by his information. Gideon Mantell
Gideon Mantell
Gideon Algernon Mantell MRCS FRS was an English obstetrician, geologist and palaeontologist...
acknowledged his help to Clift in the original memoir on the Iguanodon (Philosophical Transactions 1825, p. 181), and Baron Cuvier owned to a similar debt in the concluding volume of his work on fossil remains. His knowledge of osteology is referred to in deferential terms by Sir Charles Lyell
Charles Lyell
Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, Kt FRS was a British lawyer and the foremost geologist of his day. He is best known as the author of Principles of Geology, which popularised James Hutton's concepts of uniformitarianism – the idea that the earth was shaped by slow-moving forces still in operation...
, and his researches in anatomical science proved of much profit to Sir Benjamin Brodie. In 1803 there appeared a volume divided into ten fasciculi (the first of which had been issued in 1799), and entitled A Series of Engravings … to illustrate the Morbid Anatomy of some of the most important parts of the Human Body, by Matthew Baillie
Matthew Baillie
Matthew Baillie was a Scottish physician and pathologist.-Life:...
. The advertisement to the first fasciculus announced that ‘the drawings will be made by a young man, who is not only very well skilled in his own arts, but who possesses a considerable share of knowledge in anatomy.’ This was Clift, and all the drawings in Baillie's book were made by him, as were most of the illustrations of Sir Everard Home
Everard Home
Sir Everard Home, 1st Baronet FRS was a British physician.Home was born in Kingston-upon-Hull and educated at Westminster School. He gained a schoalrship to Trinity College, Cambridge, but decided instead to become a pupil of his brother-in-law, John Hunter, at St. George's Hospital...
's numerous papers on Comparative Anatomy in the Philosophical Transactions. He contributed papers to the Philosophical Transactions for 1815 and 1823, to the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal for 1831, and to the Geological Society's Transactions in 1829 and 1835, his paper On the Fossil Remains … found on the left bank of the Irawadi in the Transactions of the latter society for 1829 being reprinted in an appendix to Mr. John Crawfurd
John Crawfurd
John Crawfurd , Scottish physician, and colonial administrator and author, was born in the island of Islay, Scotland...
's Journal of an Embassy to the Court of Ava. His son-in-law, Sir Richard Owen, published in 1861 two volumes of Essays and Observations on Natural History, Anatomy, &c., by John Hunter. These were printed from copies of Hunter's manuscripts, which were made by Clift between 1793 and 1800. Some of them had previously been published in Owen's Descriptive Catalogue of Physiological Series of Comparative Anatomy, but the whole collection was not placed in his hands until a short time before the death of Clift, who had himself contemplated their publication and drawn up some notes for that purpose. These are printed with his initials or full name. The original manuscripts were by Sir Everard Home's orders removed to his house in a cart shortly before 1800, and were most of them destroyed by him in 1823. When Clift was told of this destruction, he said to its author, ‘Well, Sir Everard, there is but one thing more to be done, that is to destroy the collection,’ and burst into tears. He was the compiler of the catalogue of the osteology in the Hunterian Museum, and he gave some valuable evidence to the parliamentary committee on medical education in 1834. Dr. Westby-Gibson is the owner of two manuscripts in shorthand, giving the particulars of forty-nine lectures delivered by Dr. Haighton at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
1814–15, which are believed to be the work of Clift. His portrait, from a daguerreotype, is in Claudet's Historical Gallery and his bust in plaster, with the date 1843, is placed on the entrance door to the western museum of the College of Surgeons.