Henry Harpur Crewe
Encyclopedia
Henry Harpur Crewe was an English
clergyman and naturalist
. He was rector of Breadsall
and then Drayton Beauchamp
from 1860 until his death.
bt. of Calke
. He obtained a BA degree from Canterbury in 1851. In 1857 he was the rector of Breadsall
in Derbyshire, a small village which also included the naturalists Joseph Whittaker
and Francis Darwin
.
He was interested in natural history from an early age, contributing observations to The Zoologist
. His main interest was in entomology
, particularly Pug moths (Eupithecia
). He was also a good botanist and a keen horticulturist (especially crocuses).
One of his partners in botany was Joseph Whittaker
of Breadsall and Morley
who had practised botany in South Australia
. In 1846 Harpur-Crewe and Whittaker reported on the earlier local extinction
from Derbyshire of the Lady's Slipper Orchid Cypripedium calceolus
. Whittaker’s plant collecting activities began to decline around 1863 at about the time Crewe moved away to take up the position of Rector in the parish of Drayton Beauchamp
in Buckinghamshire. In 1864 they cooperated in the production of a manuscript list of the principal flowering plants and ferns of Derbyshire. His productive partnership with Crewe lasted for at least eighteen years.
In 1877 Harpur-Crewe reported on a visit he made to Tresco
in the Scilly Isles where he commented on the insects which where "all the plants of Australia, the Cape, New Zealand, &c., flourish with almost
native luxuriance.
also has a small collection of Crewe's plants. His abbreviation is "Crewe". A miniature yellow double leafed wallflower Erysimum cheiri
was rediscovered by Harpur-Crewe and is now named "Harpur Crewe".
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
clergyman and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
. He was rector of Breadsall
Breadsall
Breadsall is a village in the English county of Derbyshire, . Breadsall Priory is nearby.-History:Breadsall was mentioned in the Domesday book as belonging to Henry de Ferrers and being worth four pounds...
and then Drayton Beauchamp
Drayton Beauchamp
Drayton Beauchamp is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the east of the county, near the border boundary Hertfordshire, about six miles from Aylesbury and two miles from Tring.-History:...
from 1860 until his death.
Biography
Henry Robert Harpur-Crewe was the nephew of Sir George CreweSir George Harpur Crewe, 8th Baronet
Sir George Harpur Crewe, 8th Baronet was an English Tory politician who represented the constituency of South Derbyshire.-Biography:...
bt. of Calke
Calke Abbey
Calke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, England, in the care of the charitable National Trust.The site was an Augustinian priory from the 12th century until its dissolution by Henry VIII...
. He obtained a BA degree from Canterbury in 1851. In 1857 he was the rector of Breadsall
Breadsall
Breadsall is a village in the English county of Derbyshire, . Breadsall Priory is nearby.-History:Breadsall was mentioned in the Domesday book as belonging to Henry de Ferrers and being worth four pounds...
in Derbyshire, a small village which also included the naturalists Joseph Whittaker
Joseph Whittaker (botanist)
Joseph Whittaker was a British Botanist who visited South Australia in 1839. Whittaker has 300 plants from that trip in Kew Gardens and 2,200 pressed British plants in Derby Museum and Art Gallery.-Early Days:...
and Francis Darwin
Francis Sacheverel Darwin
Sir Francis Sacheverel Darwin was a physician and traveller who was knighted by King George IV.- Early life :...
.
He was interested in natural history from an early age, contributing observations to The Zoologist
The Zoologist
The Zoologist was a monthly natural history journal founded in 1843 by the publisher Edward Newman, published in London. Newman acted as editor until his death in 1876, when he was succeeded by James Edmund Harting and William Lucas Distant .Originating from an enlargement of The Entomologist...
. His main interest was in entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, particularly Pug moths (Eupithecia
Eupithecia
Eupithecia is a large genus of moths of the family Geometridae. There are hundreds of described species, found in all parts of the world , and new species are discovered on a regular basis....
). He was also a good botanist and a keen horticulturist (especially crocuses).
One of his partners in botany was Joseph Whittaker
Joseph Whittaker (botanist)
Joseph Whittaker was a British Botanist who visited South Australia in 1839. Whittaker has 300 plants from that trip in Kew Gardens and 2,200 pressed British plants in Derby Museum and Art Gallery.-Early Days:...
of Breadsall and Morley
Morley, Derbyshire
Morley is a civil parish within the area of Erewash Borough Council in the English county of Derbyshire, north of Derby It is on the eastern side of Morley Moor, with Morley Smithy to the north. The parish church of St Matthew stands near the Tithe Barn and dovecote of Morley Hall...
who had practised botany in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. In 1846 Harpur-Crewe and Whittaker reported on the earlier local extinction
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from Derbyshire of the Lady's Slipper Orchid Cypripedium calceolus
Cypripedium calceolus
Cypripedium calceolus is a lady's-slipper orchid, and the type species of the genus Cypripedium.It is a widespread plant worldwide, found from Europe east through Asia to the Pacific Ocean. It is found in open woodland on moist calcareous soils. It is found in continental Europe growing in the...
. Whittaker’s plant collecting activities began to decline around 1863 at about the time Crewe moved away to take up the position of Rector in the parish of Drayton Beauchamp
Drayton Beauchamp
Drayton Beauchamp is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the east of the county, near the border boundary Hertfordshire, about six miles from Aylesbury and two miles from Tring.-History:...
in Buckinghamshire. In 1864 they cooperated in the production of a manuscript list of the principal flowering plants and ferns of Derbyshire. His productive partnership with Crewe lasted for at least eighteen years.
In 1877 Harpur-Crewe reported on a visit he made to Tresco
Tresco
Tresco is the second-biggest island of the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is in size, measuring about by .-History:In early times one group of islands was in the possession of a confederacy of hermits. King Henry I gave it to Tavistock Abbey which established a priory on Tresco;...
in the Scilly Isles where he commented on the insects which where "all the plants of Australia, the Cape, New Zealand, &c., flourish with almost
native luxuriance.
Legacy
Harpur-Crewe's plant collection are in the Natural History Museum whilst his letters are at Kew Gardens. The Wisbech and Fenland MuseumWisbech & Fenland Museum
The Wisbech & Fenland Museum, located in the town of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England, is one of the oldest purpose-built museums in the United Kingdom. The Museum Society was founded in 1835 and the present building was opened in 1847....
also has a small collection of Crewe's plants. His abbreviation is "Crewe". A miniature yellow double leafed wallflower Erysimum cheiri
Erysimum cheiri
Erysimum cheiri is a species of wallflower known by the common name Aegean wallflower in English. It is also known as giroflée and revenelle in French, goldlack in German, alhelí in Spanish and violacciocca in Italian.-Distribution:The plant is native to Europe but it is common and widespread on...
was rediscovered by Harpur-Crewe and is now named "Harpur Crewe".