Job Edward Lousley
Job Edward Lousley | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 18, 1907 Clapham, London, England |
| Died | January 6, 1976 (aged 68) Streatham Common, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, amateur botanist |
| Known for | Contributions to amateur botany; author of Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone and Flora of the Isles of Scilly |
Job Edward Lousley (18 September 1907 – 6 January 1976) was an English banker renowned for his significant contributions to amateur botany. He authored important publications including Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone within the New Naturalist series and produced the inaugural Flora of the Isles of Scilly (1971).
Early life and education
Lousley was born in Clapham, London, as the sole son of Jethro Lousley MBE (1882–1963) and Christine Clarke. He married Dorothy Winifred Thorpe, and they had one daughter, Margaret. His education at Strand Grammar School followed by Selhurst Grammar School sparked an early passion for natural history. During his youth, he made use of the facilities at the South London Botanical Institute and took part in numerous field excursions, which laid the groundwork for his botanical expertise.
Career
Beginning his professional journey in 1924 at Barclays Bank in South London, Lousley later moved to the City of London branch, working within the Stock Exchange and Trustee Department. By nineteen, he had already secured a position on the council of the British Naturalists' Association. He became a member of prominent botanical organizations such as the Watson Botanical Exchange Club in 1926 and the Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles in 1927, establishing a reputable standing in British flora studies.
Early in his career, Lousley focused on docks (Rumex), a group often overlooked by botanists. His pioneering research was published through key papers released in 1939 and 1944 that clarified species boundaries and described hybrids. Notably, he identified Rumex wrightii as a species new to science. Prior to World War II, extensive field research enabled him to assemble what emerged as Britain’s largest private herbarium. His investigations into the flora of the Isles of Scilly commenced with visits beginning in 1936, resulting in a detailed flora manuscript completed by 1941 but only published thirty years later.
Throughout WWII, while based in London, Lousley examined bomb-damaged urban sites to study their plant life. Together with Richard Fitter, he co-wrote Natural History of the City (1953), documenting 269 plant species within London's Square Mile. He was the first to report American Willow-herb (Epilobium ciliatum) in England (1945) and discovered new hybrids such as London Ragwort (Senecio x londinensis). His botanical knowledge also extended to species introduced through industrial materials like woollen shoddy.
In 1950, Lousley published Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone (New Naturalist No. 103) and succeeded A. J. Wilmott as secretary of the BSBI. From 1955 to 1968, he served as honorary curator at the South London Botanical Institute. In recognition of his contributions, he received the first H. H. Bloomer Award from the Linnean Society in 1963. After retiring from Barclays Bank as Departmental Manager in 1967, he left behind a distinguished legacy that connected finance with botanical scholarship.
Death
Lousley passed away in 1976 at Streatham Common, London. His herbarium was entrusted to the University of Reading, while various personal materials—including notebooks, photographs, correspondence, and his manuscript on the flora of Scilly—are preserved at the Isles of Scilly Museum.
Publications
- J E Lousley. (1950) Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone. New Naturalist No 16. London: HarperCollins.
- J E Lousley. (1971) The Flora of the Isles of Scilly. Newton Abbot: David and Charles.
- J E Lousley and A C Leslie. (1976) Flora of Surrey with supplement. Newton Abbot: David and Charles.
- J E Lousley and D H Kent. (1981) Docks and Knotweeds. BSBI.