Clift , William Home , 1803-1832 , museum curator Owen , Sir , Richard , 1804-1892 , Knight , naturalist

William Home Clift was born in London, in 1803. He was the youngest child of William Clift (1775-1849), museum curator and scientific illustrator, and was named after his godfather, Sir Everard Home, the surgeon and anatomist, and John Hunter's brother-in-law. His father and godfather were keen for him to continue the work of his father as conservator of the Hunterian Museum. The College records show that William Home Clift was already working in the Museum in 1818 and in 1823 he was officially appointed assistant conservator. One of the most important pieces of work he completed at the museum was the preparation of catalogues of the osteological section of the museum in 1830, and the Catalogue of Monsters and Malformed Parts in 1831. Biographers of John Hunter, and Sir Richard Owen (who was appointed as the second assistant in the museum in 1827) have attributed the preparation of these catalogues to Owen, not acknowledging William Home Clift's work. He died in 1832.