Dawson Turner
Dawson Turner | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1775-10-18 Great Yarmouth, England |
| Died | 1858-06-21 |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, botanist, antiquary |
| Known for | Cryptogamic botany, antiquarian studies |
Dawson Turner (18 October 1775 – 21 June 1858) was an English figure known for his roles as a banker, botanist, and antiquary. He concentrated on cryptogamic botany and was related by marriage to the botanist William Jackson Hooker and the historian Francis Palgrave.
Life
Turner was born to James Turner, who led Gurney and Turner's Yarmouth Bank, and Elizabeth Cotman, the daughter of a former mayor of Yarmouth. His early education took place at North Walsham Grammar School, where he studied under the botanist Robert Forby. Later, he attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, where his uncle served as Master. However, he did not complete a degree due to his father's illness and joined the family banking business in 1796.
While engaged in banking, Turner devoted his free time to botany, gathering plant specimens and working alongside prominent individuals such as James Sowerby. His botanical contributions led to his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1802, followed by his induction as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1816.
Turner's first marriage to Mary connected him with Captain George Manby, an inventor and barrack-master in Yarmouth; their correspondence endured for more than five decades.
By around 1820, Turner redirected his interests from botany toward antiquarian pursuits. He and his children took drawing lessons from Norfolk artist John Sell Cotman, with whom he traveled to Normandy. Their joint efforts culminated in the 1822 work Architectural Antiquities of Normandy, which featured Cotman's etchings.
Turner passed away in 1858 and was interred at Brompton Cemetery in London.
Bibliography
Dawson Turner's notable publications include:
- Synopsis of British Fuci (1802)
- Muscologia Hibernicae Spicilegium (focused on Irish moss ferns, 1804)
- Botanist's Guide through England and Wales, co-authored with Weston Dillwyn (1805)
- Nine articles published in Annals of Botany between 1800 and 1808
Family
In 1796—the same year he entered the family banking business—Turner wed Mary (1774–1850), daughter of William Palgrave from Norfolk. Mary gained recognition as a portrait artist; her etchings number 78 pieces held by the National Portrait Gallery, London. Together they had eleven children:
- Maria Dawson Turner (1797–1872), who married botanist William Jackson Hooker; their son was the botanist Joseph Dalton Hooker.
- Elizabeth Turner (1799–1852), wife of historian Francis Palgrave (né Cohen), who adopted the Palgrave surname following his conversion to Christianity.
- Mary Anne Turner (1803–1874)
- Harriet Turner (1806–1869), an engraver who married clergyman and naturalist John Gunn.
- Hannah Sarah Turner (born 1808), also an engraver; she married banker Thomas Brightwen.
- Eleanor Jane Turner (1811–1895), spouse of clergyman William Jacobson.
- Gurney Turner (1813–1848), whose son Dawson Turner participated in the first international rugby match in 1871.
- Dawson William Turner (1815–1885), known for his work in education.
Turner's family connections extended to being father-in-law to Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS, and Sir Francis Palgrave, FRS. He was also grandfather to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, FRS; poet and critic Francis Turner Palgrave; and Sir Robert Harry Inglis Palgrave, FRS.
Following Mary's death in 1850, Turner remarried Rosamund Matilda Duff (died 1863) at Gretna Green. This union was met with disapproval from both his family and business associates, leading him to relocate from Yarmouth to Barnes. In 1853, he retired to Lee Cottage in Old Brompton, where he remained until his passing. His collections were sold at Sotheby’s auctions in 1853 and 1859, fetching £4,563 15s and £6,558 9s respectively.
External links
- Overview of British Fuci Volume 1 Volume 2
- Muscologia Hibernicae Spicilegium
- Botanist’s Handbook for England and Wales Volume 1 Volume 2
- Dawson Turner Collection, American Philosophical Society