Learn more about Halesworth as a community
The term "ecology" did not appear until 1866, and it took almost another hundred years for it to enter common speech. But the idea of ecology is much older than the name. Its modern history begins in the eighteenth century when it emerged as a comprehensive way of looking at life as an interacting whole. Ecological science developed from the 17th century geographical idea of the human economy, which was promoted by Francis Bacon as the system by which society's resources are organised for minimum cost and maximum efficiency.
An economy is defined, in the mass, and in the long run, by people interacting with natural resources along certain well-defined lines. To make gains they invent and assemble processes to exploit nature, and they tend to stop production which does not pay. An 'economy of people' differs from an 'economy of nature' in that nature has no concern for efficiency. This distinction gave birth to a rich set of ideas out of which developed the subjects of natural economy, political economy, and ecology. A knowledge system linking these subjects is the organising thread of this educational database.
Ecology, even before it had a name, had a history, and East Anglian naturalists occupied a significant part of its Victorian stage. They are the bankers, business men, writers and artists , who for one reason or another, took a deep interest in the wildlife of their neighbourhood. They were the thinkers, and publicists, who helped shape the concept of 'habitat', and contributed to modern perceptions of our place in nature. Some of them were fellows of the Royal Society and founders of the Linnean Society, where they exerted European influence. Together, they are a local illustration of global developments in the perception of nature.
A study of the lives of East Anglian naturalists demonstrates that ecological ideas grew out of specific cultural conditions, and were often generated by commercial activities which bought time for 'unprofitable enquiry'. These are individuals whose work still has the power to influence society. They were closely interwoven with the general fabric of thought of their time, which includes the literary, economic, and philosophical connections between the study of nature and the shaping of Victorian society. Their work set in motion movements, campaigns and programmes which are still changing the way we see our place in nature.
Links between the naturalist-entrepreneurs and our modern era of wildlife conservation, are illustrated by the North Sea marine fisheries. Knowledge about the science necessary to sustain commercial catches quickly moved from the lore gathered by local naturalists, who haunted river, broad and quayside, to the systematic collection of data by full-time scientists paid from the public purse. Building on the work of the naturalists, who were the real founders of fishery research, scientific investigations quickly produced a shift from early-Victorian views of the sea being a limitless source of bounty, to statements, as early as the turn of the century, that we must change our ways. Records of fishing lore, which echo-location has made extinct, came from the anecdotes of 19th century intellectuals who hob-knobbed with the locals, and more recently, from tape recordings of the last of the true fishermen, Gathered by David Butcher. Other endeavors of the early naturalists to make an inventory of local wildlife, particularly the birds, has since born fruit in the management of protected areas of East Anglia's broads and coastlands, most of which have international status.
The following list of people is not exhaustive. Nevertheless, it gives an idea of the wealth of intellect devoted to natural history, which was stimulated by East Anglian wildlife, and its threats, in the three centuries to the end of the Victorian era. Its incompleteness indicates the great scope for local research to fill in the gaps.
Buckland Frank (Broadland and the coastal fishing ports)
Browne Sir Thomas (1605-1682) (Norwich)
Bunbury Sir Charles- (1809-86) (Great Barton).
Clare John (the fen-edge villages of Lincs, Hunts and Cambs)
Clodd Edward (1840-1930) (Aldeburgh)
Crabbe George (1754-1832) (Aldeburgh).
Dutt William (Bungay and Lowestoft).
Emmerson P H (1856-1936)(Norwich)
Fitzgerald Edward (Boulge)
Henslow John, (1796-1861)(Hitcham)
Hooker Joseph (1785-1865) (Halesworth)
Hooker William (1785-1865)(Norwich & Halesworth)
Hoy James (Stoke Nayland)
Kingsley Charles (1819-1875)(the Lincs/Cambs Fens)
Kirby William (Barham)
Lubbock Richard (Norwich)
Lyell Charles (Yarmouth)
Paget Brothers James (1814-1899) and Charles (George? 1809-1892) (Yarmouth)
Patterson Arthur (1857-1935)(Yarmouth)
Smith James Edward (1795-1828)
His companions in Norfolk and Suffolk were:-
James Crow of Lackenheath - a botanist and first authority on willows
Thomas Jenkinson Woodward of Bungay
Stevenson Henry (Norwich).
Turner Dawson- (1775-1858)
Halesworth was one of the 'malting towns', which developed during the era of coastal trade and canal transport, on the rivers running out of East Anglia. They were targeted on the capital's enormous brewing industry. Granaries and maltings were to be found at the little ports, and up the east coast estuaries as far as light coasters could penetrate on the tide. The canalisation of the narrow river Blyth was a local investment that brought entrepreneurs, bankers and tradesmen to Halesworth. In particular, wealth generated by Halesworth Quay bought time for the men of the Hooker family, maltsters and brewers, to pursue their botanical interests. This curious blend of 'flowers and beer' created a potent socio-scientific culture of people related as kin and friends, which eventually launched Darwin.
Halesworth is a metaphorical focus for many East Anglian communities, where people first encountered nature with feelings of delight, and hope of economic gain. They are to be found from the Lincolnshire Fens, through High Suffolk, to the Orwell Valley, and along the Norfolk and Suffolk coast.
The study of Earth's riches for survival, pleasure and profit, has opened not one, but many doors. The questions to be answered are: Who opened them? Why? What has been seen?, and What is the legacy? Seeking answers to these questions may better prepare us to choose which doors we will want to open in the future.
A study of the lives of East Anglian naturalists demonstrates that ecological ideas grew out of specific cultural conditions, and were often generated by commercial activities which bought time for 'unprofitable enquiry'. These are individuals whose work still has the power to influence society. They were closely interwoven with the general fabric of thought of their time, which includes the literary, economic, and philosophical connections between the study of nature and the shaping of Victorian society. Their work set in motion movements, campaigns and programmes which are still changing the way we see our place in nature.
With regard to the future, mankind's problem is the lonely, often desperate isolation of people from other species. These are our only companions on earth. We are all in this together. We must be a part, not only of the human community, but of the whole community of nature. Along with our acknowledgement of oneness with our neighbours, our countrymen and our civilisation, we must also respect the natural community to which we also belong. Ours is not only "one world", it is also one Earth. It is a grim fact, that unless we share our planet with creatures other than ourselves, we shall not be able to live on it for long.
Links between the naturalist-entrepreneurs and our modern era of wildlife conservation, are through the studies of marine fisheries, which quickly passed from the lore gathered by local naturalists, who haunted river, broad and quayside, to the systematic collection of data by full-time scientists paid from the public purse. Building on the work of the naturalists, who were the real founders of fishery research, scientific investigations quickly produced a shift from early-Victorian views of the sea being a limitless source of bounty, to statements, as early as the turn of the century, that we must change our ways. Records of fishing lore, which echo-location has made extinct, came from the anecdotes of 19th century intellectuals who hob-knobbed with the locals, and more recently, from tape recordings of the last of the true fishermen. Other work of the early naturalists, particularly ornithologists, has born fruit in the management of protected areas of broads and coastlands, most of which have international status.
The 'specimens' are ' writings of 'personages', 'pictures of places', natural and man-made objects'. These are the artefacts of encounters between people and nature. They are assembled as an interactive database to support local studies of sustainable development through the UK SCAN network of schools. 'Flowers and Beer at Halesworth' is a museum-in-a- computer, with many galleries to be explored by 'mouse-click'.
Buckland Frank - made the first assessments of the productivity of the shell-fishery of Cromer and the Broadlands fisheries. He bridged the gap between the gifted naturalists, and the next generation of government scientists, who began the scientific study of the fishing industry. Buckland was admired by Charles Bunbury and was a friend of Charles Kingsley (official enquirer - Broadland and the coastal fishing ports)
Browne Sir Thomas (1605-1682) One of the founder members of the Royal Society he was based in Norwich from 1637 where he had an 'elaboratory' here he carried out some of the first experiments in embryology. 17th century author of the first nature notes about East Anglia. Author, at the age of 30, of 'Religio Medici' in which he promoted the scientific method as an honourable activity, and the work by which he first became known in his own time (Norwich) His 'notes' were used by all later naturalists as a local base line.
Bunbury Sir Charles- (1809-86) A naturalist member of the London scientific establishment. His circle of friends included Charles Kingsley. Charles Lyell's brother in law (Great Barton).
Clare John the peasant poet whose pastoral verse created from his contact with the rural scene on fen-edge of the Wash now holds a time-capsule of nature and seasons for the 1820s (the fen-edge villages of Lincs, Hunts and Cambs)
Clodd Edward (1840-1930) wrote many works of a scientific nature which by their lucid exposition achieved great popularity with the public. His 'Primer of Evolution' was translated into Japanese (Aldeburgh)
Crabbe George (1754-1832) a poet who fashioned a true and perfect picture of Suffolk 200 years ago, found comfort in nature, particularly botany, from his wanderings in the wild, waste country that hemmed in the villages of the Sandlings. (Aldeburgh).
Dutt William wrote gazetteers of East Anglian at the turn of the century his book 'The Wildlife of East Anglia' published in 1906, was a synthesis of the work of all the earlier Anglian naturalists (Bungay and Lowestoft).
Emmerson P H (1856-1936) a recorder of the wildlife of Broadland, which he also captured as a pioneer of landscape photography (Norwich)
Fitzgerald Edward (1809-1883) wrote about the landscape of the Suffolk coastlands and the character of its fisher folk. He was friend of the poet Alfred Tennyson who encapsulated strong feelings of nature at a time when science was taking its first grip.(Boulge)
Hele Nicholas Fenwick was a Scottish surgeon who lived for 33 years in Aldeburgh, was a born naturalist and antiquarian. The results of his zealous study of the abounding bird life of the district appeared in his book 'Notes and Jottings about Aldeburgh'. A London reviewer gave it high praise for power of perception and enthusiasm equalling Gilbert Whites 'Selborne'. The fine collection of flora and fauna he accumulated over the years is now in the Ipswich Museum.
Henslow John, (1796-1861) botanist, friend teacher and correspondent of Charles Darwin- father-in-law of Joseph Hooker (Hitcham)
Hooker Joseph (1785-1865) world class botanist, friend of Charles Darwin, married daughter of John Henslow. Global plant-hunter (Halesworth)
Hooker William (1785-1865) brewer and maltster, botanical taxonomist and plant illustrator, pioneer biogeographer- father of Joseph. His herbarium was used to start the plant collection of Key. First director of Kew Gardens.(Norwich & Halesworth)
Hoy James- ornithologist who made some of the first regional comparisons of the ecology of East Anglian reedbeds Lincs to Suffolk (Stoke Nayland)
Kingsley Charles (1819-1875) -friend of William Bunbury, Darwin and Joseph Hooker- His descriptions of wild fenlands have not been excelled. He popularised the science of marine and fresh water biology. Together with John Ruskin he was one of the first to draw attention to the need to protect wildlife against the pressures of economic development. They both articulated in prose the delights of nature study (the Lincs/Cambs Fens)
Kirby William (1759-1850) an amateur entomologist who paired up with William Hooker on local collecting expeditions.(Barham)
Lyell Charles His connections with East Anglia are through kinship: the marriage of his sister to Sir Charles Bunbury; and field work along the coastline. Lyell's work would be for the rising generation of Joseph Hooker and Darwin its starting point and accepted vocabulary. In the summer of 1817, as a 20 year old, he explored the Denes of Yarmouth. Contrary to all accepted opinion and concluded that the River Yare originally entered the sea to the north of the town, a mouth that was blocked by sandbanks forcing the river to bend to the south. Searching for evidence of more recent changes at Gorleston, he dug a pit in the sand dunes and found the shingle of a former shoreline 8 ft down. He concluded that it had taken about 35 years for the sand to cover the old beach which was then stabilised by the growth of sand dune plants. This theme of a constantly changing planetary surface became the main principle of his book Principles of Geology, the first volume of which was published in 1830. Lyell's work would be for the rising generation of Joseph Hooker and Darwin its starting point and accepted vocabulary.(Yarmouth)
Lubbock Richard prolific traveller in search of nature sites published a substantial record of his findings in Observations on the Fauna of Norfolk.(Norwich)
Paget Brothers James (1814-1899) and Charles (George? 1809-1892) naturalists whose writings on local wildlife, particularly birds and fish, influenced Arthur Patterson. The brothers published "The Natural History of Yarmouth" in 1834. James exchanged specimens with William Hooker, and was in contact with Darwin and Pasteur. He was an amateur painter, taught by the Crome brothers (his wife was also one of their pupils). James also moved in the circle of Tennyson and Browning. All of the Paget brothers excelled in the professions . Brother Henry became bishop of Chester, where Kingsley was a canon (Yarmouth)
Patterson Arthur (1857-1935) a Breydoner of Yarmouth- from a keen wildfowler he changed his ways in the face of the decimation of bird life on the Broads, wrote popular books about the Yarmouth nature scene.(Yarmouth) Born in 1857, he was a lone survivor of nine children, and somehow overcame the lethal state of public health in the town's 'Rows'. Virtually self-educated he lived, most of his life in Yarmouth where he touched upon many aspects of the rich wildlife in Bredon Water, the local tidal lagoon, and the prolific bounty of the North Sea fisheries. His books and articles on the local scene chart the move from self-taught natural history driven by the goals of hunting and fishing to the beginnings of the scientific recording of natural processes. After a Christmas Day walk along the sea wall of Breydon Water in 1925, he realised that 'the flood-tide of time swept before it men and seaweed, and age-long institutions' which had been embedded in the social life of the eelmen, smelters and wildfowlers he knew as a boy.
Smith James Edward (1795-1828)- a botanist colleague of Dawson Turner, to whom he introduced William Hooker as a talented young botanist in need of a patron. He played an important part in the establishment of the Linnean Society through his purchase of Linnaeus' herbarium, and he was its first president. He left Norwich for a medical career in Edinburgh and returned to Norfolk (Rackheath?) by way of London society.
His companions in Norfolk and Suffolk were:-
Thomas Jenkinson Woodward L.L.D. J.P. for Norfolk was born in Huntingdon in 1744, where his family had been long established, and educated at Eton and Clare College Cambridge. He was the son of Benjamin Woodward of Huntingdon and married Frances, only child of Thomas Manning of Bungay and Debenham, who was born in 1749 and died in 1833. M. J. Woodward was a cultivated man and fond of botany. His parents died when he was quite young, leaving him, however, well off. He was educated at Eton and Clare Hall, Cambridge, where he graduated LL.B in 1769. Shortly after he married Francis (d 27 Nov 1833) daughter and heiress of Thomas Manning of Bungay, Suffolk.
He was appointed a magistrate, and deputy-lieutenant for the county of Suffolk and on his subsequent removal to Walcot House, Diss, Norfolk, to the same offices for that county. He was elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1789.
He came to Norfolk in 1770 and practised as a lawyer in Bungay, owning a house there and also Ditchingham Lodge. In 1801 he left this neighbourhood and went to Walcott Hall, near Diss, where he died in 1820. Many Bungay records belonged to Mr Manning and passed at his death to his son-in-law Woodward.
He died at Diss on 28 Jan 1820, and was buried there. He left no issue. To botany, especially the English flora, he was devoted, and is described by Sir James Edward Smith, who founded the Linnean Society. as 'one of the best English botanists, whose skill and accuracy are only equaled by his liberality and zeal in the service of the science', and it was in his honour that Smith named a genus Woodwardia.
Stevenson Henry made special studies of coastal bird migration, published three volumes on the Birds of Norfolk, accompanied William Hooker on many nature rambles (Norwich).
Turner Dawson- (1775-1858 man of great learning and patron of the arts- banker and author of several botanical texts- Fellow of the Linnean Society- father in law, and patron of William Hooker (Yarmouth). He also encouraged Pleasance Smith, widow of Sir James, to produce a memoir of her late husband
Facets of the life of Arthur Patterson of Yarmouth