Zona de identificação
Código de referência
Título
Data(s)
- 1865-1920 (Produção)
Nível de descrição
Dimensão e suporte
2 notebooks, 19 folders
Zona do contexto
Nome do produtor
História biográfica
Henry John Elwes was a noted traveller and naturalist. Born on 16 May 1846 to John Henry Elwes (d 1891) and Mary Elwes (d 1913), he was the eldest of eight children at Colesborne, Gloucestershire, which had been the Elwes family estate since its procurement by John Elwes, great grand father to Henry.
Elwes devoted himself to following his twin passions of travel and natural history. In 1871 he travelled in the Himalayas, including a trip to Tibet. His observations on this expedition led to his 1873 paper 'The geographical distribution of asiatic birds'. Throughout his life, he would continue to travel extensively in Asia, where many of his botanical collections were made. India and the Himalayas were the places he returned to most on his travels, although he visited and collected from a remarkably diverse range of areas. He became a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1874.
Having married Margaret Susan in 1871, his naturalistic interest turned form ornithology to botany, or at least to the collection and propagation of plants from his travels. In 1880, he published his highly regarded Monograph of the genus lilium. Significantly, Elwes collaborated on this treatise with J G Baker, who handled the explicit scientific aspects of the work. Elwes himself had no in depth scientific training, and as a result he focused more on the practical aspects of specimen collection, which he could combine with his enthusiasm for travel. Several species, which he was first to collect and bring to flower, were named for him, one example being the snowdrop Galanthus elwesii.
In addition to this enthusiastic collection of botanical samples, Elwes was also a keen lepidopterist. He recorded fifteen new species of butterflies and moths, and collected a vast number of specimens for his own edification. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1897, he himself attributed his success to his aforementioned 1873 paper. The same year he was awarded the inaugural Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society.
In his later life, Elwes became renowned for his study of trees. He was regarded not only as a fine observer and collector of specimens but also as an especially proficient propagator of those he brought back to Britain. He took many photographs of trees, as well as making numerous observations. He was acclaimed enough in this field to be appointed President of the Royal Arboricultural Society in 1907. Between 1906 and 1913, Elwes produced The trees of Great Britain and Ireland this time in collaboration with Augustine Henry. This was possibly is most significant work at least in scope, running to seven volumes in length. One of his great frustrated ambitions was to found a world class arboretum at his Colesborne estate. Although he created splendid gardens there, his plans for planting trees were limited by the soil quality.
Henry John Elwes died on 26 Nov 1922 at Colesborne. He was survived by his wife and his son, Henry Cecil Elwes (born 1874). His daughter Susan Margaret Elwes (born either 1870 or 1871) had died the previous year in 1921.
Entidade detentora
História do arquivo
GB 0068 ELW 1865-1920 Collection (fonds) 2 notebooks, 19 folders Elwes , Henry John , 1846-1922 , traveller and botanist
Henry John Elwes was a noted traveller and naturalist. Born on 16 May 1846 to John Henry Elwes (d 1891) and Mary Elwes (d 1913), he was the eldest of eight children at Colesborne, Gloucestershire, which had been the Elwes family estate since its procurement by John Elwes, great grand father to Henry.
Elwes devoted himself to following his twin passions of travel and natural history. In 1871 he travelled in the Himalayas, including a trip to Tibet. His observations on this expedition led to his 1873 paper 'The geographical distribution of asiatic birds'. Throughout his life, he would continue to travel extensively in Asia, where many of his botanical collections were made. India and the Himalayas were the places he returned to most on his travels, although he visited and collected from a remarkably diverse range of areas. He became a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1874.
Having married Margaret Susan in 1871, his naturalistic interest turned form ornithology to botany, or at least to the collection and propagation of plants from his travels. In 1880, he published his highly regarded Monograph of the genus lilium. Significantly, Elwes collaborated on this treatise with J G Baker, who handled the explicit scientific aspects of the work. Elwes himself had no in depth scientific training, and as a result he focused more on the practical aspects of specimen collection, which he could combine with his enthusiasm for travel. Several species, which he was first to collect and bring to flower, were named for him, one example being the snowdrop Galanthus elwesii.
In addition to this enthusiastic collection of botanical samples, Elwes was also a keen lepidopterist. He recorded fifteen new species of butterflies and moths, and collected a vast number of specimens for his own edification. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1897, he himself attributed his success to his aforementioned 1873 paper. The same year he was awarded the inaugural Victoria Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society.
In his later life, Elwes became renowned for his study of trees. He was regarded not only as a fine observer and collector of specimens but also as an especially proficient propagator of those he brought back to Britain. He took many photographs of trees, as well as making numerous observations. He was acclaimed enough in this field to be appointed President of the Royal Arboricultural Society in 1907. Between 1906 and 1913, Elwes produced The trees of Great Britain and Ireland this time in collaboration with Augustine Henry. This was possibly is most significant work at least in scope, running to seven volumes in length. One of his great frustrated ambitions was to found a world class arboretum at his Colesborne estate. Although he created splendid gardens there, his plans for planting trees were limited by the soil quality.
Henry John Elwes died on 26 Nov 1922 at Colesborne. He was survived by his wife and his son, Henry Cecil Elwes (born 1874). His daughter Susan Margaret Elwes (born either 1870 or 1871) had died the previous year in 1921.
Found in archives basement and archives room, 1992 and 1996.
Papers of Henry John Elwes, 1865-1920, comprising notes and notebooks; photographs of trees and furniture and assorted press cuttings and additional papers.
Arranged in three series as follows:
ELW/1 Notes and notebooks
ELW/2 Photographs of trees and furniture
ELW/3 Assorted press cuttings and additional papers.
Unrestricted - surrogates to be used where available.
Please contact the Archive for further information.
English
Entry transcribed by Sarah Drewery, March 2011.
General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.
March 2011 Botany Trees Horticulture Elwes , Henry John , 1846-1922 , traveller and botanist Plants Agronomy Flora Vegetation
Fonte imediata de aquisição ou transferência
Found in archives basement and archives room, 1992 and 1996.
Zona do conteúdo e estrutura
Âmbito e conteúdo
Papers of Henry John Elwes, 1865-1920, comprising notes and notebooks; photographs of trees and furniture and assorted press cuttings and additional papers.
Avaliação, seleção e eliminação
Incorporações
Sistema de arranjo
Arranged in three series as follows:
ELW/1 Notes and notebooks
ELW/2 Photographs of trees and furniture
ELW/3 Assorted press cuttings and additional papers.
Zona de condições de acesso e utilização
Condições de acesso
Unrestricted - surrogates to be used where available.
Condiçoes de reprodução
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Idioma do material
- inglês
Sistema de escrita do material
- latim
Notas ao idioma e script
English
Características físicas e requisitos técnicos
Instrumentos de descrição
Zona de documentação associada
Existência e localização de originais
Existência e localização de cópias
Unidades de descrição relacionadas
Zona das notas
Identificador(es) alternativo(s)
Pontos de acesso
Pontos de acesso - Assuntos
- Botany
- Botany » Vegetation » Flora » Plants » Trees
- Agronomy » Horticulture
- Botany » Vegetation » Flora » Plants
- Agronomy
- Botany » Vegetation » Flora
- Botany » Vegetation
Pontos de acesso - Locais
Pontos de acesso - Nomes
Pontos de acesso de género
Zona do controlo da descrição
Identificador da descrição
Identificador da instituição
Regras ou convenções utilizadas
General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.
Estatuto
Nível de detalhe
Datas de criação, revisão, eliminação
Línguas e escritas
- inglês