Parson-naturalists wereministers of religion who also studiednatural history. The archetypicalparson-naturalist was apriest in the Church of England in charge of a country parish, who saw the study of science as anextension of his religious work. The philosophy entailed the belief that God, as the Creator of all things, wanted man to understand his Creations and thus to study them throughscientific techniques.[1] They often collected and preserved natural artefacts such as leaves, flowers, birds' eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals to classify and study. Some wrote books or kept nature diaries.
| Name | Dates | Description | Known for | Portrait |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turner, William[2] | 1508?–1568 | Dean ofWells Cathedral | Herbalism Libellus de Re Herbaria |  |
| White, Gilbert[3] | 1720–1793 | Curate ofSelborne,Hampshire ornithology | Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne |  Probably not authentic |
| Ray, John[4] | 1627–1705 | Father of Englishnatural history; taxonomy;empiricism | Historia Plantarum |  |
| Derham, William[5] | 1657–1735 | Physico-Theology, (Natural theology) | Estimatedspeed of sound Astronomy, listednebulae |  |
| Lightfoot, John[6] | 1735–1788 | Botanist Conchologist | Flora Scotica (1789) |  |
| Henslow, John Stevens[7] | 1796–1861 | Botanist,Geologist | Mentor and friend of his pupilCharles Darwin |  |
| Jenyns, Leonard[8] | 1800–1893 | Priest, founder of Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club | Phenology andmeteorology observations | |
| Fox, William Darwin[9] | 1805–1880 | Priest,Entomologist, collector ofbeetles | Tutored his second cousinCharles Darwin in natural history |  |
| Tristram, Henry Baker[10] | 1822–1906 | Biblical scholar,Ornithologist | Early acceptance of Darwinism, tried to reconcile it with creation |  |
| Wood, John George[11] | 1827–1889 | Natural history populariser and lecturer | Common Objects of the Country |  |
| Dallinger, William[12] | 1839–1909 | Methodist minister,microbiology | Research onmonads Opposition tospontaneous generation | |
| Cowper, Spencer[13] | 1713–1774 | Dean of Durham 1746–1774 | Meteorology |  |
| Morris, Francis Orpen[14] | 1810–1893 | Irascible Irish clergyman Strongly opposedDarwinism & fox-hunting Campaigned for bird conservation law | History of British Birds A Bible Natural History Records of Animal Sagacity and Character Dogs and Their Doings |  |
| Bloxam, Andrew[15] | 1801–1878 | Naturalist onHMS Blonde Later priest and naturalist | Recorded and collected Hawaiian birds, some now extinct Later particularly known for fungi,Rubus andRosa |  |
| Berkeley, Miles Joseph[16] | 1803–1889 | Vicar ofSibbertoft for much of his life Known as the founder of Britishmycology | Account of native British fungi in SirWilliam Jackson Hooker'sBritish Flora (1836) Introduction to Cryptogamic Botany (1857) Outlines of British Fungology (1860) |  |
| Linton, William Richardson[17] | 1850–1908 | Botanist, Vicar ofShirley, Derbyshire | Work on brambles ofDerbyshire, includingRubus durescens Flora of Derbyshire: Flowering Plants, Higher Cryptogams, Mosses and Hepatics, Characeae |  |
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wood, John George".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.