What follows is based on Benét (1965), Bowlby (1990), Burkhardt et al. (1985–), Freeman (1978), Ghiselin (2009), The Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th and 15th ed. and The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Allen, Frances “Fanny.” 1781–6 May 1875. Emma Darwin’s (ED) unmarried aunt.
Allfrey, Charles Henry. 1838/1839–1912. Physician. Attended Charles Darwin (CD) in his terminal illness. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Balfour, Sir Arthur James. 25 Jul. 1848–19 Mar. 1930. Statesman. Fellow of Royal Society (FRS). Prime Minister, 1902–1905. Cambridge friend of CD’s sons. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Barlow, Lady Emma Nora née Darwin. See Emma Nora Darwin.
Barlow, Sir James Alan Noel. 1881–1966. Civil servant. Husband of Emma Nora Darwin, known as Nora Barlow.
Bates, Henry Walter. 8 Feb. 1825–16 Feb. 1892. Naturalist, entomologist. Explored Amazon with A. R. Wallace, 1848–1850, and alone until 1859. Author of Naturalist on the River Amazons (1863). Developed concept of protective coloration, now known as Batesian mimicry. Assistant secretary, Royal Geographical Society, 1864–1892. FRS, 1881.
Bennett, John Joseph. 8 Jan. 1801–29 Feb. 1876. Botanist. Secretary, Linnean Society, 1838–1852.
Brodie, Sir Benjamin Collins. 19 Jun. 1783–21 Oct. 1862. Surgeon. FRS, 1810. Professor of comparative anatomy and physiology, Royal College of Surgeons, 1816. Baronet, 1834. Consulted by Queen Victoria and ED. President, Royal Society, 1858–1861. Seated next to T. H. Huxley at Oxford debate with Bishop Samuel Wilberforce.
Brodie, Jessie. ?–1873. Scottish nurse for Darwin children at 12 Upper Grower Street and Down House, 1842–1851. Left after Annie Darwin’s death.
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. 6 Mar. 1806–29 Jun. 1861. Poet. Wife of Robert Browning. Author of Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850).
Browning, Robert. 7 May 1812–12 Dec. 1889. Poet. Husband of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Author of The Ring and the Book (1868–1869).
Cameron, Julia Margaret. 11 Jun. 1815–26 Jan. 1879. Photographer. Photographed CD on Isle of Wight, 1868.
Carlyle, Jane Baillie née Welsh. 1801–1866. Wife of Thomas Carlyle.
Carlyle, Thomas. 4 Dec. 1795–5 Feb. 1881. Scottish-born writer and historian. Known for his explosive attacks on sham and hypocrisy. Author of The French Revolution (3 vols., 1837). Acquaintance of CD and Erasmus Alvey Darwin.
Chambers, Robert. 10 July 1802–17 Mar. 1871. Scottish publisher and writer. Anonymous author of Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1844). Its negative reception may have contributed to CD’s reluctance to publish his ideas on evolution.
Chester, Joseph Lemuel. 1821–1882. American genealogist. Hired by George Darwin to compile Darwin family tree.
Clark, Sir Andrew. 28 Oct. 1826–6 Nov. 1893. Fashionable London physician. FRS, 1885. Attended CD in London and at Down House. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Cornford, Frances née Darwin. See Frances Crofts Darwin.
Cornford, Francis Macdonald. 1874–1943. Professor of ancient philosophy, Cambridge University. Husband of Frances Crofts Darwin. Father of poet Francis Cornford.
Cotton, Elizabeth Reid (aka Lady Hope). Writer of evangelical and temperance tracts. Created mythical story of CD’s deathbed conversion. Widow of Admiral James Hope.
Covington, Syms. 1816–17 Feb. 1861. CD’s personal servant on H.M.S. Beagle and afterward, 1833–1839. Settled in New South Wales. Sent specimens to CD from Australia.
Crofts, Ellen Wordsworth. 1856–1903. Second wife of Sir Francis Darwin (1883). Lecturer at Newnham College, Cambridge. Mother of Frances Crofts Darwin.
Darwin, Amy Richenda née Ruck. See Amy Richenda Ruck.
Darwin, Anne Elizabeth “Annie.” 2 Mar. 1841–23 Apr. 1851. Second child, first daughter of CD and ED. Died at age 10.
Darwin, Bernard Richard Meirion. 7 Sept. 1876–18 Oct. 1961. Sportswriter for the Times [London] (1908–1953), golfer. Firstborn grandson of CD. Only child of Francis and Amy Ruck Darwin. After Amy died in childbirth, raised by ED at Down House until Francis remarried in 1882.
Darwin, Caroline Sarah. 14 Sept. 1800–5 Jan. 1888. CD’s sister. Second child of Robert Waring Darwin. Wife of Josiah Wedgwood III (1837).
Darwin, Sir Charles Galton. 9 Dec. 1887–31 Dec. 1962. Physicist. CD’s grandson. Second child of Sir George Howard Darwin. FRS, 1922. Knighted, 1942. Professor of natural philosophy, Edinburgh University, 1923–1936.
Darwin, Charles Robert. 12 Feb. 1809–19 Apr. 1882. Naturalist. FRS, 1839. Copley Medal, 1864. Codiscoverer of evolution by natural selection. Author of On the Origin of Species (1859), which marks the beginning of modern biology.
Darwin, Charles Waring. 5 Dec. 1856–28 June 1858. Tenth and last child of CD and ED. Most likely a Down syndrome baby.
Darwin, Charlotte Mildred née Massingberd. See Charlotte Mildred Massingberd.
Darwin, Elizabeth “Bessy.” 8 Jul. 1847–8 June 1926. Sixth child, fourth daughter of CD and ED. Never married.
Darwin, Elizabeth Frances née Fraser. See Elizabeth Frances Fraser.
Darwin, Ellen Wordsworth née Crofts. See Ellen Wordsworth Crofts.
Darwin, Emily Catherine “Catty.” 10 May 1810–2 Feb. 1866. CD’s sister. Sixth child of Robert Waring Darwin. Second wife of Charles Langton.
Darwin, Emma née Wedgwood. See Emma Wedgwood.
Darwin, Emma Cecilia “Ida” née Farrer. See Emma Cecilia Farrer.
Darwin, Emma Nora. 22 Dec. 1885–29 May 1989. Author, editor. CD’s granddaughter. Third child of Horace Darwin. Wife of Sir James Allen Barlow. Editor of Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle (1945) and Autobiography of Charles Darwin (1958), author of Darwin and Henslow (1967). Known as Lady Nora Barlow.
Darwin, Erasmus I. 12 Dec. 1731–17 Apr. 1802. Physician, naturalist, poet, philosopher. Grandfather of CD. FRS, 1761. Proposed an evolutionary concept later enlarged by Jean Baptiste de Lamarck. Author of Botanic Garden (1791), Zoonomia (1794), Phytologia (1800), and Temple of Nature (1803). Lengthy biographical sketch of his grandfather written by CD in 1879.
Darwin, Erasmus III. 7 Dec. 1881–24 Apr. 1915. CD’s grandson, the second of two grandsons born during his lifetime. Son of Sir Horace Darwin. Unmarried. Killed in WWI.
Darwin, Erasmus Alvey “Ras.” 29 Dec. 1804–26 Aug. 1881. London socialite. Older brother of CD. Second child of Robert Waring Darwin. Trained as physician, but never practiced. Close friend of Hensleigh Wedgwood, Thomas Carlyle, and Harriet Martineau.
Darwin, Florence Henrietta née Fisher. See Florence Henrietta Fisher.
Darwin, Frances Crofts. 30 Mar. 1886–1960. CD’s granddaughter. Only child of Sir Frances and Ellen Wordsworth Darwin. Wife of Francis Macdonald Cornford. Mother of poet Francis Cornford.
Darwin, Sir Francis. 16 Aug. 1848–19 Sept. 1925. Botanist. Seventh child, third son of CD and ED. FRS, 1882. Knighted, 1913. Qualified as physician, but never practiced. Served as CD’s assistant and secretary, 1874–1882. Junior author of The Power of Movement in Plants (1880). Reader in botany at Cambridge University, 1888–1904. Edited CD’s Life and Letters (1887). Outlived three wives: Amy Ruck, married 1874–1876 (one son, Bernard); Ellen Crofts, married 1883–1903 (one daughter, Frances); and Florence Fisher, married 1913–1920. Coauthor of Practical Physiology of Plants (1894), author of Elements of Botany (1895).
Darwin, Sir George Howard. 9 Jul. 1845–7 Dec. 1912. Mathematician. Fifth child, second son of CD and ED. Plumian Professor of Astronomy, Cambridge, 1883–1912. FRS, 1879. Knighted, 1905. Author of The Tides (1898), and world’s authority on tides. Author of many publications on earth, moon, sun system of tides, composition of earth, origin of moon. Husband of Maud du Puy of Philadelphia, PA. Father of Gwendolen Mary Darwin, Charles Galton Darwin, Margaret Elizabeth Darwin, and William Robert Darwin. Only remaining male line of CD’s family comes through him.
Darwin, Gwendolen Mary. 26 Aug. 1885–1957. Artist. CD’s granddaughter. Daughter of Sir George Howard Darwin. Wife of Jacques Raverat. As Gwen Raverat, author of Period Piece (1952), describing the lives of her grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
Darwin, Henrietta Emma. 25 Sept. 1843–17 Dec. 1927. Fourth child, third daughter of CD and ED. Sickly childhood. Assisted CD with editing and proofreading of many books, including The Descent of Man (2 vols., 1870–1871) and Erasmus Darwin (1879). Wife of Richard Buckley Litchfield (1871). No children. CD’s only married daughter. Edited Emma Darwin: A Century of Family Letters (2 vols., 1904 and 1915) as Mrs. Litchfield.
Darwin, Sir Horace. 13 May 1851–22 Sept. 1928. Civil engineer. Ninth child, fifth and youngest surviving son of CD and ED. Founder and director of Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company, 1881. Mayor of Cambridge, 1896–1897. FRS, 1903. Knighted, 1918. Husband of Emma “Ida” Cecilia Farrer (1880). Father of Erasmus Darwin, Ruth Francis Darwin, and Emma Nora Darwin (CD’s biographer, as Nora Barlow).
Darwin, Leonard. 15 Jan. 1850–26 Mar. 1943. Military engineer. Eighth child, fourth son of CD and ED. Army officer, economist, politician, eugenicist. Royal Engineers, 1871–1890, retired as major. Instructor in military engineering, chemistry, photography, 1877–1882. Intelligence Department, War Office, 1885–1890. Liberal-Unionist member of parliament (MP) for Litchfield, 1892–1895. President, Royal Geographical Society, 1908–1911. President, Eugenics Society, 1911–1928. Author of Bimetallism (1897) and The Need for Eugenic Reform (1926). Husband of Elizabeth “Bee” Frances Fraser (1882–1898). Second marriage to Charlotte Mildred Massingberd (1900–1940). No children from either marriage.
Darwin, Margaret Elizabeth. 1890–1974. CD’s granddaughter. Third child of Sir George Howard Darwin. Wife of Sir Geoffrey Keynes (1917). As M. E. Keynes (1943), wrote biographical sketch of her uncle, Leonard Darwin.
Darwin, Marianne. 7 Apr. 1798–18 Jul. 1858. CD’s sister. First child of Robert Waring Darwin. Wife of Henry Parker (1824). Four sons, one daughter. When widow Marianne died, her grown children were adopted by her sister, Susan Elizabeth Darwin.
Darwin, Martha Haskins “Maud” née du Puy. See Martha Haskins du Puy.
Darwin, Mary Eleanor. 23 Sept. 1842–16 Oct. 1842. Third child, second daughter of CD and ED. Lived only 23 days. Born and died at Down House.
Darwin, Robert Waring. 30 May 1766–13 Nov. 1848. Physician. Father of CD. Son of Erasmus Darwin I. Husband of Susannah Wedgwood (1796). Two sons, four daughters. M.D., Leiden, 1785. FRS, 1788.
Darwin, Ruth Frances. 2 Aug. 1883–1973. CD’s granddaughter. Second child of Sir Horace Darwin. Wife of W. Rees Thomas.
Darwin, Sara née Sedgwick. See Sara Sedgwick.
Darwin, Susan Elizabeth. 3 Oct. 1803–3 Oct. 1866. CD’s sister. Third child of Robert Waring Darwin. Not married. Lived at the Mount, Shrewsbury, with her father and took care of him. Adopted grown children of her widowed sister, Marianne Darwin Parker.
Darwin, William Erasmus. 27 Dec. 1839–1 Sept. 1914. Banker. First child of CD and ED. B.A., Cambridge, 1862. Husband of Sara Sedgwick (1877). No children. Was subject of CD’s observations on child development published in Mind (1877). Managed CD’s financial affairs. Amateur photographer.
Darwin, William Robert. 1894–1970. Stockbroker. CD’s grandson. Fourth child of Sir George Howard Darwin. Husband of Monica Slingsby (1926).
de Bary, Heinrich Anton. 26 Jan. 1831–19 Jan. 1888. Mycologist. Professor of botany, Strasbourg, Germany. Supplied specimens to CD. Coined the word “symbiosis.”
de Vries, Hugo. 16 Feb. 1848–21 May 1935. Dutch plant physiologist. Visited CD, summer 1877. Rediscoverer (in 1900) of Mendel’s work on genetics. Developed mutation theory of evolution. Demonstrated that new characters can appear suddenly and are inheritable. Considered that mutations were source of genetic variation.
Dew-Smith, Albert George. 27 Oct. 1848–1903. Physiologist, Trinity College, Cambridge. Friend and business partner of Horace Darwin in Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Dickens, Charles. 7 Feb. 1812–9 Jun. 1870. Novelist. Acquaintance of CD. Dickens and CD frequented the Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, London. Author of A Christmas Carol (1843) and Great Expectations (1860–1861), among many other well-known works.
du Puy, Martha Haskins “Maud.” 1861–1947. Wife of Sir George Howard Darwin, married in 1884. Four children.
Eliot, George (aka Mary Ann Cross, Marian Evans). 22 Nov. 1819–22 Dec. 1880. Novelist. Wrote under pen name George Eliot, beginning in 1857. Common-law wife (1854–1878) of George Henry Lewes until his death. Married J. W. Cross, New York banker, in 1880. Friend of Richard Litchfield, acquaintance of CD. Attended parties with CD. Author of Silas Marner (1861), Romola (1862–62), and Middlemarch (1874), generally considered her finest work.
Eyre, Edward John. 5 Aug. 1815–30 Nov. 1901. English explorer. Discovered large, shallow salt lake in central South Australia, 1840, which was named for him. Governor of Jamaica, 1864. Brutally suppressed black rebellion, 1865. CD supported attempt to prosecute Eyre for murder, 1866.
Farrer, Emma Cecilia “Ida.” 1854–1946. CD’s daughter-in-law. Wife of Sir Horace Darwin (1880). Daughter of Thomas and Frances Farrer.
Farrer, Frances “Fanny” née Erskine. First wife of Thomas Henry Farrer. Mother of Emma Cecilia “Ida” Farrer (Sir Horace Darwin’s wife).
Farrer, Thomas Henry. 1833–1884. Barrister, civil servant. First wife, Frances Erskine (three sons, one daughter). Second wife, Katherine Euphemia Wedgwood. Excavated Roman ruins on his property.
Fisher, Florence Henrietta. 1864–1920. Playwright. Widow of Frederic William Maitland. Third wife of Sir Francis Darwin, married in 1913. Author of Six Plays (1921).
Fisher, Sir Ronald Aylmer. 17 Feb. 1890–29 Jul. 1962. Population geneticist, biomathematician, eugenicist. Protégé of Leonard Darwin. Mathematically analyzed interrelationships of mutation rates, population size, selection value, and other factors in evolutionary variation. Author of The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (1930). Knighted, 1952.
FitzRoy, Robert. 5 July 1805–30 Apr. 1865. Naval officer. Royal Navy hydrographer and meteorologist. Captain of H.M.S. Beagle, selected CD as his gentleman-companion on voyage around the world, 1831–1836. Superb seaman. Mercurial, depressive temperament. Author of Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of the Adventure and Beagle (1839). MP for Durham, 1841–1843. Governor general of New Zealand, 1843–1845. FRS, 1851. Chief of Meteorological Department, Board of Trade, 1854–1865. Visited CD at Down House, 1857. Denounced evolution. Rear Admiral, 1857. Vice Admiral, 1863. Committed suicide.
Fox, William Darwin. 1805–1880. Clergyman, naturalist. CD’s second cousin and closest friend at Cambridge. Retained lifelong correspondence with CD. Stimulated CD’s interest in beetle collecting. Vicar of Delamere, Cheshire, 1838–1873. Retired to Sandown, Isle of Wight.
Fraser, Elizabeth Frances. 1846–1898. First wife of Leonard Darwin, married in 1882.
Galton, Sir Francis. 16 Feb. 1822–17 Jan. 1911. Statistician, eugenicist. CD’s half first cousin. Founded eugenics movement. FRS, 1860. Knighted, 1909. Author of Hereditary Genius (1869).
Gladstone, William Ewart. 29 Dec. 1809–19 May 1898. Statesman. Four times Prime Minister, 1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886, 1892–1894. Considered greatest British statesman of nineteenth century. Visited Down House with T. H. Huxley, 1876. Arranged Civil List pension for A. R. Wallace at CD’s request, 1880. FRS, 1881.
Gordon, Charles George. 28 Jan. 1833–26 Jan. 1885. English soldier. Served in China as commander (aka Chinese Gordon) of band of Chinese fighters, 1863–1864. Governor of equatorial provinces of central Africa, fought against slave trade, 1874–1876. Governor general of Sudan, 1877–1879. Sent to Khartoum to evacuate 2,000 Egyptian civilians and 600 soldiers from assault by the Mahdi, withstood siege of 317 days, speared and beheaded in final assault, 1884.
Gray, Asa. 18 Nov. 1810–30 Jan. 1888. Botanist. Professor, Harvard University, 1842–1872. First met CD at Hunterian Museum, London, 1839. CD’s strongest supporter in America. Visited and stayed at Down House, Oct. 24, 1868. Lifelong correspondent and friend of CD. CD dedicated The Different Forms of Flowers to “Professor Asa Gray … As a Small Tribute of Respect and Affection.” Author of Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States …, aka Gray’s Manual (1848), and Darwiniana (1876).
Gully, James Manby. 13 Mar. 1808–27 Mar. 1883. Physician, hydrotherapist. Treated many famous patients at his hydropathic spa. CD underwent cold water treatment at the Lodge, Malvern, 1849. Annie Darwin died there, 1851.
Harding, Elizabeth “Bessy.” Nursery maid at Down House, 1842.
Henslow, John Stevens. 6 Feb. 1796–16 May 1861. Botanist, mineralogist, clergyman. FRS, 1818. Professor, Cambridge University, 1822–1861. CD’s most influential professor there. Arranged for CD to go on H.M.S. Beagle voyage and received specimens sent by CD from voyage. Promoted CD’s accomplishments while CD was still at sea. Described some of CD’s plant specimens. Personal friend of CD. Visited Down House, 1854.
Holland, Sir Henry. 27 Oct. 1788–27 Oct. 1873. Physician. FRS, 1816. Office in London. Physician to Queen Victoria. Distant cousin to Darwins and Wedgwoods. Treated CD and other members of Darwin family at Down House.
Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton. 30 Jun. 1817–10 Dec. 1911. Botanist. CD’s closest friend and confidant. Assistant surgeon on Antarctic expedition of James Clark Ross, 1838–1843, published botanical results. Collected plants in Himalayas, 1848–1850. Specialist in plant taxonomy and plant geography. FRS, 1847. President, Royal Society, 1873–1878. Knighted, 1878, as Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (an honor limited to 60 individuals, reflecting service under hardship). Son of Sir William Hooker, whom he succeeded as director of Royal Botanical Gardens (Kew Gardens), 1865–1885. Supplied many botanical specimens to CD from Kew Gardens. CD and Hooker exchanged about 1,400 letters. Helped C. Lyell organize the joint reading of CD’s and Wallace’s paper at Linnean Society meeting, 1858. Pallbearer at CD’s funeral, 1882.
Huxley, Thomas Henry. 4 May 1825–29 June 1895. Zoologist, comparative anatomist. Earned nickname of “Darwin’s Bulldog” for his staunch defense of CD at Oxford debate with Bishop Samuel Wilberforce in 1860 and in published articles. Surgeon on H.M.S. Rattlesnake, surveying eastern coast of Australia, 1846–1850. Studied marine invertebrates. FRS, 1851. Lecturer/professor, Royal School of Mines, 1854–1884. Hunterian Professor, Royal College of Surgeons, 1862–1869. Fullerian Professor of Physiology, Royal Institution, 1855–1858, 1866–1869. Close personal friend of CD since 1855. Frequent visitor to Down House. Pallbearer at CD’s funeral, 1882. President, Royal Society, 1883–1885. Author of Evidence as to Man’s Place in Nature (1863), and Collected Essays (9 vols., 1893–1894).
Innes, John Brodie. 1817–1894. Clergyman. Vicar of Downe, 1846–1862. Friend of CD. Left Downe in 1862 after inheriting property in Scotland. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Jenyns, Leonard. 25 May 1800–1 Sept. 1893. Anglican priest, naturalist, ichthyologist. Fellow beetle collector and friend of CD at Cambridge. Brother-in-law of Professor J. S. Henslow. Declined offer to sail with Capt. FitzRoy as naturalist on H.M.S. Beagle, thus paving the way for CD. CD asked him to describe fish specimens collected during Beagle voyage. Author of Memoir of the Reverend John Stevens Henslow (1862). Adopted the name Blomefield, 1871.
Keith, Sir Arthur. 5 Feb. 1866–7 Jan. 1955. Surgeon. FRS, 1913. Knighted, 1921. Heavily involved in purchase of Down House for British Association for the Advancement of Science and its later acquisition by Royal College of Surgeons.
Kelvin, Lord. See William Thomson.
Keynes, Sir Geoffrey. 25 Mar. 1887–5 July 1982. Physician and surgeon. Knighted, 1955. Husband of Margaret Elizabeth Darwin (1917). Brother of John Maynard Keynes. Father of Richard Darwin Keynes.
Keynes, John Maynard. 5 June 1833–21 Apr. 1946. Economist. Brother-in-law of Margaret Elizabeth née Darwin Keynes. Originator of “New Economics,” with his deficit-spending ideas still widely held. Advised government spending to counter deflation and depression, which became President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plan for recovery from the Great Depression.
Keynes, Margaret Elizabeth née Darwin. See Margaret Elizabeth Darwin.
Keynes, Richard Darwin. 14 Aug. 1919–12 June 2010. Physiologist. Great grandson of CD. Son of Geoffrey Keynes and Margaret Elizabeth Darwin. Nephew of John Maynard Keynes. Married Anne Pinsent Adrian in 1945. Father of 4 sons, including Randal Keynes, the author of Annie’s Box. FRS, 1959. Author of 4 major Darwin books: The Beagle Record (1979), Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary (1988), Charles Darwin’s Zoology Notes and Specimen Lists from H.M.S. Beagle (2000), and Fossils, Finches, and Fuegians (2002).
Lady Hope. See Elizabeth Reid Cotton.
Lane, Edward Wickstead. 1823–1889. Physician. Owner of hydropathic establishment at Moor Park, Surrey. CD sought treatment there, beginning in 1857. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Lettington, Henry. 1822/1823–?. Gardener at Down House, 1854–1879. Assisted CD with botanical experiments. On list of personal friends, invited to CD’s funeral.
Lewes, George Henry. 1817–1878. Scientific writer and critic. Common-law husband (1854–1878) of Mary Ann Cross, aka George Eliot.
Litchfield, Henrietta Emma née Darwin. See Henrietta Emma Darwin.
Litchfield, Richard Buckley. 6 Jan. 1832–11 Jan. 1903. Lawyer. Son-in-law of CD. Husband of Henrietta Darwin, married in 1871. Founded Working Men’s College.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. 27 Feb. 1807–24 Mar. 1882. American poet. Visited CD on Isle of Wight, 1868.
Lowell, James Russell. 22 Feb. 1819–12 Aug. 1891. American literary critic, poet, and diplomat. First editor of Atlantic Monthly, 1857. American Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James, London, 1880–1885. Pallbearer at CD’s funeral.
Lubbock, Sir John William, 3rd Baronet. 26 Mar. 1803–20 June 1865. Astronomer, mathematician, banker. Owner of large estate and CD’s neighbor at Downe. Sold CD the land for his walking path. FRS, 1829. Treasurer and vice president, Royal Society, 1830–1835, 1838–1845. First vice-chancellor, London University, 1837–1842.
Lubbock, Sir John, 4th Baronet. 30 Apr. 1834–28 May 1913. Banker, politician, naturalist. Son of Sir John Lubbock, 3rd Baronet. Neighbor of CD until 1861. CD, considering him a member of the family, trained his young neighbor in entomology and natural history. Strong supporter of CD and natural selection. Liberal MP, 1870, 1874. Became spokesman for science. FRS, 1858. Suggested CD be given Westminster Abbey funeral and helped organize this event. Pallbearer at CD’s funeral, 1882. First Baron Avebury, 1900.
Ludwig, Camilla. Governess at Down House, 1859–1865.
Lyell, Sir Charles. 14 Nov. 1797–22 Feb. 1875. Geologist, lawyer. Geological mentor of CD, his close friend, correspondent, and supporter. Visited CD at Down House. Professor of geology, King’s College, London, 1831–1833. President, Geological Society, 1834–1836, 1849–1850. President, British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1864. FRS, 1826. Knighted, 1848. Copley Medal, 1858. Author of Principles of Geology (3 vols., 1831–1833), which CD read during voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. Promoted uniformitarian geology. Paved the way for CD’s acceptance in scientific society. Orchestrated joint reading of CD’s and Wallace’s paper at Linnean Society meeting, 1858. Traveled widely and published accounts of his visits to the United States. Author of Elements of Geology (1838) and The Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man (1863).
Malthus, Thomas Robert. 13 Feb. 1766–23 Dec. 1834. Clergyman, political economist. Quantified relationship between population growth and food supply in Essay on the Principle of Population (1798), which stimulated CD in 1838 (and A. R. Wallace 20 years later) to develop concept of natural selection. FRS, 1819.
Maitland, Frederic William. 1850–1906. Professor of laws of England, Cambridge, 1888–1906. First husband of Florence Henrietta Fisher (1886), who later became third wife of Sir Francis Darwin, married in 1913.
Martineau, Harriet. 12 June 1802–27 June 1876. Feminist, social reformer, traveler. Writer on religion, economics, government. Close friend of Erasmus Alvey Darwin, acquaintance of CD. Author of Poor Laws and Paupers Illustrated (1833), Society in America (1837), Illustrations of Taxation (1843), and Autobiography (1877).
Massingberd, Charlotte Mildred. 1868–1940. CD’s daughter-in-law. Second wife of Leonard Darwin, married in 1900.
Mendel, (Johann) Gregor. 22 July 1822–6 Jan. 1884. Augustinian friar at Brno, Moravia. Abbot, 1868. Founder of modern genetics. Experiments with pea plants illuminated first two laws of inheritance: law of segregation, and law of independent assortment. Published results in German in Proceedings of the Natural Science Society of Brünn, 1866, which CD did not see. This paper rediscovered in 1900 by Hugo de Vries.
Mivart, St. George Jackson. 30 Nov. 1827–1 Apr. 1900. Comparative anatomist, barrister. Darwin antagonist. Lecturer in biology, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic College, Kensington. Catholic convert, 1844. Alienated church and scientific community. FRS, 1869. Secretary, Linnean Society, 1874–1880. Author of The Genesis of Species (1871), in which he strongly criticized On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man. Attempted to reconcile evolutionary theory and Catholicism. Excommunicated, 1900.
Moore, Sir Norman. 1847–1922. Physician, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. Attended CD in his last illness. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Murray, John. 16 Apr. 1808–2 Apr. 1892. CD’s main publisher, from 1845 at 50 Albemarle Street, London. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Nightingale, Florence. 12 May 1820–13 Aug. 1910. Nurse, hospital reformer. Volunteered her services in Crimean War and set up hospital in Scutari, 1854. Emphasized stringent sanitation and reduced death rate from cholera, typhus, and dysentery from 50 percent to 2 percent. Founded Nightingale Home at St. Thomas’s Hospital for nurses’ training. First woman to receive Order of Merit, 1907.
Norton, Charles Eliot. 1827–1908. Professor of art history, Harvard University. Brother-in-law of Sara Sedgwick, wife of William Alvey Darwin, married in 1868. Visited CD at Down House.
Ouless, Walter William. 1848–1933. Painter. Created oil portrait of CD, 1875.
Owen, Sir Richard. 20 July 1804–18 Dec. 1892. Comparative anatomist. CD selected him to describe fossil mammals collected during H.M.S. Beagle voyage. FRS, 1834. Hunterian Professor, Royal College of Surgeons, 1836–1856. Superintendent of natural history departments, British Museum, 1856–1884. President, British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1858. Major force in establishing Natural History Museum, South Kensington, and became its first director, 1881. Knighted, 1884. Initial friendship with CD turned to hatred with publication of On the Origin of Species. Became bitter, envious critic of CD, and was loathed by CD. Anonymously published spiteful review of The Origin in Edinburgh Review (1860).
Paley, William. July 1743–25 May 1805. Clergyman. Tutor at Christ’s College, Cambridge, 1771–1774. CD allegedly occupied Paley’s same rooms at Cambridge, years later. CD admired Paley’s Natural Theology (1802), but eventually rejected his assumption that natural forces could not be responsible for organized complexity.
Palmerston, Lord (aka Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston). 20 Oct. 1784–18 Oct. 1865. Influential Whig-Liberal statesman, with 30 years of service as British foreign secretary or as Prime Minister (1855–1858, 1859–1865). Nominated CD for knighthood in 1859, but was thwarted by Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce.
Parker, Henry. 1788–1856. Physician, surgeon. CD’s brother-in-law. Husband of Marianne Darwin, married in 1824. Four sons, one daughter. After Marianne’s death, their grown children were adopted by her sister, Susan Elizabeth Darwin.
Parker, Marianne née Darwin. See Marianne Darwin.
Parslow, Eliza. ?–1881. ED’s personal maid. Married Joseph Parslow, butler at Down House. Had dressmaking school in Downe.
Parslow, Joseph. 1809/1810–1898. CD’s manservant at 12 Upper Gower Street, circa 1840. Butler at Down House until 1875. Considered part of Darwin family. Referred to as “aged Parslow” in Dickens’s Great Expectations. Darwin family referred to him as “venerable Parslow.” After CD’s death, received pension and rent for a house. Walked in CD’s funeral procession.
Rajon, Paul. 1842/1843–1888. Engraver. Engraved Ouless’s oil portrait of CD on copper, 1875.
Raverat, Gwendolen Mary née Darwin. See Gwendolen Mary Darwin.
Raverat, Jacques. 1885–1925. Artist. Husband of Gwendolen Mary Darwin (1911).
Reed, George Varenne. 1816–1886. Anglican clergyman. Tutor to George, Francis, Leonard, and Horace Darwin before they went to Clapham Grammar School. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Romanes, George John. 2 May 1848–23 May 1894. Zoologist, comparative psychologist. Close personal friend and protégé of CD, 1874 on. FRS, 1879. Frequent correspondent and visitor at Down House. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD. Author of Animal Intelligence (1882), Mental Evolution in Animals (1883), and Darwin and after Darwin (3 vols., 1892–1897).
Ruck, Amy Richenda. 1850–1876. CD’s daughter-in-law. First wife of Sir Francis Darwin, married in 1874. Mother of Bernard Darwin. Died in childbirth.
Ruck, Mary. ?–? Mother of Amy Ruck. Became friend of ED.
Sach, Julius von. 2 Oct. 1832–29 May 1897. German botanist. Professor at Würzburg. Critic of CD’s and Francis Darwin’s botanical work. Francis studied latest methods in emerging science of plant physiology in Sach’s laboratory.
Sedgwick, Sara. 1839–1902. CD’s daughter-in-law. Wife of William Erasmus Darwin, married in 1877. From Cambridge, MA. No children.
Sowerby, George Brettingham II. 1812–1844. Drew illustrations for all of CD’s barnacles, 1851–1854. Was at Down House to draw orchids for Fertilisation of Orchids, 1861.
Stokes, John Lort. 1812–1885. Naval officer, draughtsman. Mate and assistant surveyor on second voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, 1831–1836. Shared poop cabin with CD. On third voyage of Beagle, Stokes named Darwin Harbour after his shipmate and friend, 1839. Admiral, 1877. Author of Discoveries in Australia (2 vols., 1846).
Sulivan, Bartholomew James. 18 Nov. 1810–1 Jan. 1890. Naval officer, hydrographer. Second lieutenant on H.M.S. Beagle with CD, 1831–1836. Knighted, 1869. Admiral, 1877. Visited CD at Down House with John Wickham (another Beagle officer), 1861.
Tennyson, (Lord) Alfred. 6 Aug. 1809–6 Oct. 1892. Poet. Tennyson called on CD several times during their stay at Freshwater, on the Isle of Wight. Author of In Memoriam and Other Poems (1833–1850). Poet Laureate, 1850.
Thomas, Ruth Frances née Darwin. See Ruth Frances Darwin.
Thompson, William (Lord Kelvin). 26 June 1824–7 Dec. 1907. Physicist. Professor of natural philosophy, University of Glasgow, 1849–1899. FRS, 1851. Knighted, 1866. President, Royal Society, 1890. Most prominent astronomical physicist of the time. Expert in thermodynamics. Kelvin temperature scale named for him. Came into conflict with CD over age of earth, with Thompson’s estimate of its age being much too young. George Darwin became his protégé.
Thorley, Catherine. Governess at Down House, 1850–1856. Was with Annie Darwin when she died at Malvern, 1851. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Tyndall, John. 2 Aug. 1820–4 Dec. 1893. Physicist. FRS, 1852. Superintendent, Royal Institution, 1867–1887. Popularizer of science. Close friend of T. H. Huxley. Stayed overnight at Down House with Asa Gray and J. D. Hooker, 1868. Personal friend, invited to funeral of CD.
Vines, Sydney Howard. 31 Dec. 1849–4 Apr. 1934. Botanist. FRS, 1885. Reader in botany, Cambridge University. Colleague of Francis Darwin.
Wallace, Alfred Russel. 8 Jan. 1823–7 Nov. 1913. Naturalist, traveler, collector. Independent codiscoverer of evolution by natural selection, but deferred to CD. Royal Medal, 1868. First recipient of Darwin Medal, 1890. FRS, 1905. Order of Merit, 1908. Copley Medal, 1908. First recipient of Darwin-Wallace Medal of Linnean Society, 1908. Collector of specimens in Amazon, 1848–1852, and Malay Archipelago, 1854–1862. CD and J. D. Hooker raised issue of civil pension for Wallace. Often visited CD at Down House. Wallace’s letter and paper to CD in 1858 stimulated CD to publish his ideas on evolution. C. Lyell and J. D. Hooker communicated CD’s and Wallace’s papers to Linnean Society, 1858. Pallbearer at CD’s funeral, 1882. Author of Palm Trees of the Amazon (1853), Travels on the Amazons (1853), Malay Archipelago (1869), Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection (1870), Geographical Distribution of Animals (2 vols., 1876), Island Life (1880), Darwinism (1889), and My Life (2 vols., 1905). Best known as biogeographer. Wallace’s Line (a faunal boundary line) and genus Wallacea named for him.
Waring, Anne. 1662–1722. CD’s great-great-grandmother.
Wedgwood, Caroline Sarah née Darwin. See Caroline Sarah Darwin.
Wedgwood, Emma. 2 May 1808–2 Oct. 1896. CD’s wife (and first cousin), married in 1839. Ninth and last child of Josiah Wedgwood II. Looked after and nursed CD their entire married life. Center of Darwin family. Devoutly religious Unitarian. Buried in Downe churchyard.
Wedgwood, Frances “Fanny” née Mackintosh. 1800–1889. CD’s sister-in-law. Wife of Hensleigh Wedgwood, married in 1832.
Wedgwood, Frances “Fanny.” 1806–20 Aug. 1832. CD’s first cousin and sister-in-law. ED’s sister. Eighth child of Josiah Wedgwood II.
Wedgwood, Hensleigh. 22 Jan. 1803–2 June 1891. Barrister, philologist. CD’s first cousin and brother-in-law. ED’s brother. Seventh child of Josiah Wedgwood II. Husband of Fanny Mackintosh (1832). Three sons, three daughters. Police magistrate, 1831–1837. Registrar of hackney cabs, 1838–1849. Author of A Dictionary of English Etymology (3 vols., 1859–1865), and The Origin of Language (1866).
Wedgwood, Josiah I. 12 July 1730–3 Jan. 1795. Industrialist. Master potter, founder of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Eturia, Staffordshire. CD’s maternal grandfather. Father of CD’s mother Susannah. Close friend of Erasmus Darwin. FRS, 1783.
Wedgwood, Josiah II. 1769–12 July 1843. Master potter and partner in Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, 1795–1841. Lived at Maer Hall, Staffordshire. CD’s maternal “Uncle Jos.” ED’s father. Husband of Elizabeth “Bessy” Allen (1792). Four sons, five daughters. Persuaded CD’s father to allow him to accept trip around world on H.M.S. Beagle. Whig MP for Stoke-on-Trent, 1832–1834.
Wedgwood, Josiah III. 1795–11 Mar. 1880. Master potter, senior partner in Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, 1841–1844. CD’s first cousin and brother-in-law. ED’s brother. Husband of Caroline Sarah Darwin, married in 1837. Four daughters. Lived at Leith Hill Place, Surrey, 1844.
Wedgwood, Katherine Euphemia. 1839–1934. Fourth child of Hensleigh and Fanny Wedgwood. Wife of Sir Thomas Farrer (1873). CD’s first cousin once removed. Stayed at Down House.
Wedgwood, Sarah Elizabeth “Bessy.” 1793–1800. First child of Josiah Wedgwood II. CD’s first cousin. ED’s unmarried sister.
Wedgwood, Thomas. 14 May 1771–10 Jul. 1805. CD’s uncle. Unmarried fourth child of Josiah Wedgwood I. Invented chemical photographic process, 1807. Called “the first photographer.” Published research on heat and light.
Wharton, Henry James. 1798–1859 Clergyman. Headmaster of William Erasmus Darwin’s preparatory school, 1850.