Regius Professor of Natural History (Edinburgh)

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Robert Jameson - Regius Professor from 1804 to 1854

The Regius Professor of Natural History was a Regius Professorship founded in 1767 by the University of Edinburgh in Scotland . The professorship was not filled until three years later. Both today's School of GeoSciences and the School of Biological Sciences name the professorship as one of their origins. In addition to this professorship in Edinburgh, there is also a Regius Professorship at the University of Aberdeen and a professorship originally known as the Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Glasgow, today's Regius Chair of Zoology .

History of the professorship

The early years

The chair was held by George III. with a letter dated March 13, 1767 to Robert Ramsay from Backraig, which he presented to the town council of Edinburgh in 1770 . Ramsay, who was also the curator of the university's museum, made no attempts to teach the subject, possibly due to a lack of useful teaching material. Almost nothing is known about him, but obviously he only viewed the professorship as a sinecure . When he became seriously ill, a political scramble for the chair began .

Edward Forbes - Regius Professor 1854

One of the most promising candidates was the son of an Edinburgh architect , William Smellie (1740–1795). After finishing school, Smellie had completed an apprenticeship in a printing company and had also attended lectures in botany and chemistry . Published in 1765 Smellie one against the taxonomy of Carl Linnaeus oriented dissertation and was elected by the botanist John Hope (1725-1786) as his deputy. Shortly afterwards, Smellie arranged himself with the university printing house and took over the printing of the first edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica , 1771, to which he himself contributed about fifteen articles. From 1775 Smellie tried to get the chair of natural history.

George James Allman - Regius Professor 1855 to 1870

John Walker , the son of an elementary school teacher, had the same goal at the time. Walker had attended natural history lectures while he was a student of theology . After his ordination in 1758 he was assigned the parish of Glencorse south of Edinburgh. There he met his patron Lord Henry Home Kames , who in 1762 arranged for a transfer to Moffat in Dumfriesshire . It was there that Walker received his interest in botany and his acquaintance with Kames. In 1764 and again in 1771 Kames secured him the support of the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge in Scotland, for which Walker researched the natural history of the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides and acquired a solid knowledge of the fauna , flora , geography , geology and mineralogy of Scotland. The research reports were published as the Economical History of the Hebrides and Highlands of Scotland only after Walker's death . Also during his time in Moffat, Walker began correspondence with Linnaeus and took an active part in the discussions of the Edinburgh Philosophical Society. And although he published two articles on natural history in the Philosophical Society's publication body, Philosophical transactions , he soon realized that his pastoral duties stood in the way of a successful academic career.

As early as 1774 Smellie had started to strengthen his claim to the professorship through activities. On the advice of Kames, he prepared some lectures, which should be based on the systematic scheme of the incumbent professor, i.e. Ramsays. So the candidates took a stand and tried hard to gain the favor of their supporters. While Smellie got together with several Whig politicians, Walker tried to apply through Kames, who had already given in to Smellie. This changed, however, because Ramsay continued to struggle with death despite serious illness. As this struggle drew to a close, more applicants joined and things got more complicated. A letter to Walker indicates a change of heart Kames, who seemed to give up the support of Smellie. Whether Kame's influence was sufficient or there were other reasons, Walker's commission as Regius Professor of Natural History and his appointment as curator of the natural history collection dates from November 3, 1779.

Charles Wyville Thomson - Regius Professor from 1870 to 1881

But that was not the end of the battle for the professorship. While Walker was bound as pastor of Moffat, he could not give lectures in Edinburgh, 60 miles away. And so it remained until 1781 that the university had had a professorship in natural history since 1767, but had not yet given a single lecture on the subject. With the help of a new supporter, Smellie turned to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland , whose collection he was soon allowed to look after as curator. Here he was now to give the same series of lectures that he had prepared on Kame's advice.

The Society of Antiquaries was a civil association, some of which did not cross the line between gentlemen and common men . At the same time, the political forces of the Tories gathered here , including the rich, but also vain John Stuart . In this association, which was also focused on natural history, those who had no chance of becoming members of the Philosophical Society, which was limited to a few members, gathered.

James Cossar Ewart - Regius Professor 1882 to 1927
James Ritchie - Regius Professor 1936 to 1952

Walker quickly recognized the threat Smellie posed to his position. One professor was only moderately paid, some received no allowance at all. The more important source of income was the tuition fees that the students paid, usually two or three guineas . Any division would have jeopardized the appointed professor's financial base. So Walker sought further support and was transferred to Colinton , south of Edinburgh and conveniently close to the interesting Pentland Hills . Walker gave his first lecture in March 1782. Although Smellie continued to insist on his right to offer lectures as well, he lost his political support and finally gave in.

The question of the two natural history collections remained. Both the Antiquarian Society and the University had a natural history collection, and the conflict between the two parties' careers was deepened by the unresolved ownership of the cultural and natural history artifacts. The Antiquarian Society suddenly had to deal with the enormously influential head of the University William Robertson , who during his entire tenure (1762–1793) was vehemently committed to the university, the defense and expansion of its rights and the claims of the professors. Robertson had campaigned for the university's natural history museum as early as 1765/66, received 400 pounds in contributions from the Town Council and personally bought showpieces and curiosities in London for the museum.

Even so, ownership of the showpieces was far from clear. It was not until 1830 that, under pressure from a commission of inquiry, it was finally clarified whether the showpieces were the property of the Regius Professor or belonged to the chair, the university, the Town Council or the Crown. Even Walker's successor, Robert Jameson , insisted until the mid-1820s that some items in the collection belong to the holder of the chair.

As early as the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Robert Sibbald (1641–1722) and Andrew Balfour (1630–1694) brought together a natural history collection that, despite its badly neglected condition, was one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of all universities in Europe was true. Walker was originally encouraged to study natural history through the collection. But the collection was removed from the university shortly afterwards and almost completely disappeared. When Walker took over the collection, there were some objects there, but according to Walker nothing really worth exhibiting. Nonetheless, Walker took great care of the collection and expanded it, making it a valuable aid to study and the public. The mineral and geological showpieces in particular were of great help. The university's senate also quickly understood that the collection was a valuable cultural asset.

This contrasted with a collection owned by the Antiquarian Society. Exactly this company officially applied for a Royal Charter for their company on May 21, 1782. Two months earlier, on March 2, 1782, Walker had proposed a petition for a Royal Charter to establish a Society for the Advancement of Learning . It was the first draft of the charter that would lead to the establishment of the Royal Society of Edinburgh a year later .

Division of the chair

Under the influence of Roderick Murchison , the newly emerging subject area of geology was separated in 1870 and a new professorship was established with a foundation of £ 6000, the Regius Professor of Geology appointed by Queen Victoria in 1871 as Regius Professorship . In 1871 Archibald Geikie was appointed the first Regius Professor of Geology . The division of the Regius Professorship of Natural History into the geological and biological branches was thus complete.

In 1871, Charles Wyville Thomson, a classically trained natural historian, took the chair. His research trips, especially the Challenger expedition, were still to be understood as classical natural history, but this already indicated the specialization in the biological part of the teaching. Thomson's successor, James Cossar Ewart , then Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Aberdeen, had founded the first research institute in Great Britain to conduct marine research in 1878 . When he took the chair in Edinburgh, he promoted the research areas of zoology, genetics and embryology .

The experienced marine biologist James Hartley Ashworth took over the professorship and, during his term of office, saw the construction of his own buildings for the zoologists, the buildings now known as Ashworth laboratories, and rebuild the natural history collection. James Ritchie had taken over the professorship for natural history in Aberdeen in 1930 and returned to Edinburgh in 1936 after the death of Aschworth to take his orphaned place. Even Michael Swann was a marine biologist who worked on the fertilization of eggs, especially of sea urchins. In 1962 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society and in 1965 Rector of the University.

Regius Professor of Natural History

Surname name suffix from to annotation
Robert Ramsay MD 1770 1778 Almost nothing is known of Ramsay from Blackcraig . His royally set salary was £ 70 a year for the professorship and management of the university's natural history collection. The head of the university, William Robertson, supported this cause by getting the town council, owners of the university, to provide £ 150 and space for such a collection. It didn't matter that the collection was totally inadequate, because Ramsay didn't give a single lecture. When Ramsay became seriously ill, the political scramble for the vacant post began. These power struggles later led to the establishment of the Royal Society of Edinburgh .
John Walker MD (hon.), DD 1779 1803 Walker was born in Edinburgh to a school teacher. At the age of ten he read Homer and his first botanical works. He switched to university, where he was preparing for a theological degree. There he came across the neglected collection of Andrew Balfour . In 1758 he was ordained a priest and was assigned to the parish of Glencorse, where he met Lord Kames, with whom he shared their common interests. With the help of Kame's influence, Walker was transferred to Moffat and, with Kame's mentorship, was commissioned to conduct a scientific study of the Hebrides. His research and notes were an anticipation of later discoveries and results that he did not do himself as he did not publish any of them. In 1779 he was appointed Regius Professor, but also remained pastor of Moffat. Only textbooks were published by him during his life, including Schediasma Fossilium, '1781; 'Delineatio Fossilium,' 1782; 'Classes Fossilium,' 1787; and 'Institutes of Natural History,' 1792.
Robert Jameson 1804 1854 Jameson originally studied medicine and began to practice too. However, he had heard Walker lectures and was passionate about geology. So he gave up his medical career and published Mineralogy of the Shetland Islands and of Arran in 1798 and Mineralogy of the Scottish Isles in 1780 , a two- quart- volume treatise on Scotland. Also in 1780 Jameson went to Freiberg, where he listened to Abraham Gottlob Werner's lectures for two years . He toured Europe for two more years and, on his return, succeeded his former teacher. In addition to his professorship, Jameson was also the curator of the natural history collection at the time.
Edward Forbes FRS 1854 1854 Forbes worked as a paleontologist for the National Survey, as a botanist in London and as a pioneer in marine science.
George James Allman BA, MB, MD, FRS 1855 1870 Born in Cork , Allman had originally pursued a career as a lawyer, but soon switched to natural history. In 1843 he completed his medical studies at Trinity College Dublin and took over a professorship in botany from his predecessor of the same name, William Allman, the following year. Twelve years later he moved to Edinburgh to take on the Regius Professorship.
Charles Wyville Thomson FRS 1870 1881 Thomson was also the curator of the natural history collection.
James Cossar Ewart Esq., MD, FRS 1882 1927 Ewart had previously held the Regius Chair of Natural History at the University of Aberdeen since 1878. In Edinburgh, in addition to the professorship, he also took over the management of the natural history collection from his predecessor.
James Hartley Ashworth D.Sc., FRS, FRSE 1927 1936 With the support of the Rockefeller Foundation , the new building known today as the Ashworth Laboratory was built under his leadership. Ashworth was also responsible for putting together the current collection of natural history objects in the Ashworth laboratory. It is the third collection in the university. The collection is designed as a complete overview of the multicellular animals .
James Ritchie 1936 1952
Michael Meredith Swann FRS, FRSE 1952 1965 Swann was raised to the nobility in 1981.
Peter Martin Brabazon Walker CBE, BA, Ph.D., FRSE 1966 1980

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be Steven Shapin: Property, Patronage, and the Politics of Science: The Founding of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . In: The British Journal for the History of Science , 7 (1), pp. 1-41. JSTOR 4025174 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n A History of the School of GeoSciences on the University of Edinburgh website; Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  3. ^ A History of the School of Biological Science on the University of Edinburgh website; Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  4. ↑ a b c University of Edinburgh website; Information Services ( Memento February 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ); Dr. Robert Ramsay of Backraig Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh; accessed on August 11, 2014.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k George Simonds Boulger:  Walker, John (1731–1803) . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 59:  Wakeman - Watkins. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1899 (English).
  6. ↑ a b c d e Our History: Geology on the University of Edinburgh website; Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  7. ↑ Sir Alexander Grant (1883) The Story of the University of Edinburgh During its First Three Hundred Years ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ); Longmans, Green and CO .; London
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Our History: Natural History . University of Edinburgh; Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  9. ^ Notice of the appointment of Rev. Dr. Walker as Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh. In: London Gazette , June 15, 1779, p. 4.
  10. ^ A b Communication on the appointment of Robert Jameson as Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh. In: London Gazette , January 28, 1804, p. 134.
  11. ^ Walker - John - 1731-1803 - professor of natural history, University of Edinburgh and clergyman . ( Memento of July 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Website of the NEAREST project of the University of Edinburgh; accessed on August 11, 2014.
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g George Simonds Boulger:  Jameson, Robert (1774-1854) . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 29:  Inglis - John. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1892 (English).
  13. ^ A b A Double Centenary - Two Notable Naturalists, Robert Jameson and Edward Forbes . In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . Section B. Biology, Volume 66, Issue 01, January 1957, pp. 29-58; doi: 10.1017 / S0080455X00014715 .
  14. ↑ Robert Jameson. findagrave.com; accessed on August 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ a b Jameson, Robert . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape  15 : Italy - Kyshtym . London 1911 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
  16. ↑ a b c d e f Natural History Collection on the University of Edinburgh website; Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  17. ^ George Wilson, Archibald Geikie: Memoir of Edward Forbes, FRS Edmonston and Douglas, Edinburgh 1861
  18. ^ Allman, George James (1812–1898), Emeritus Regius Professor of Natural History, Edinburgh University . In: Who was Who , April 2014, ISBN 978-0-19-954089-1 ; accessed on August 11, 2014.
  19. ^ Allman, George James, 1812-1898, botanist and zoologist . University of Edinburgh website; accessed on August 11, 2014.
  20. ↑ a b c Allman, George James . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape  1 : A-Androphagi . London 1910 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
  21. ^ A b c Albert Frederick Pollard:  Allman, George James . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Suppl. 1, Volume 2:  Chippendale - Hoste. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1901 (English).
  22. ↑ Gilbert T. Rowe: Deep-Sea Biology (= The Sea: Ideas and Observations on Progress in the Study of the Seas Series; The sea: The global coastal ocean: multiscale interdisciplinary processes , Volume 8). Harvard University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0-674-01737-5 , p. 10.
  23. ^ Katherine E. Cullen, Scott McCutcheon, Bobbi McCutcheon: Marine Science: The People Behind the Science - Pioneers in Science . Infobase Publishing, 2005, ISBN 978-0-8160-7225-5 , pp. 1-11.
  24. ↑ Ewart, George Arthur (1886–1942) . In: Plarr's Lives of the Fellows Online ; accessed on June 21, 2017.
  25. ↑ a b c Aubrey Manning, Murdoch Mitchison: Obituary for Peter Martin Brabazon Walker (PDF)
  26. ↑ Notice of the appointment of Michael Meredith Swann as Baron for Life, entitled Baron Swann, of Coin St. Denys in the County of Gloucestershire . In: London Gazette , February 20, 1981.