2018, Entomologist’s Gazette 69: 47–63 Lord Walsingham and the Manchester Moth LAURENCE COOK Department of Entomology, The Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, U.K. [email protected] CHRISTIAN MCCONVILLE 12 Freshfield Avenue, Prestwich, M25 2GU, U.K. [email protected] Synopsis An interaction is described between three nineteenth century naturalists of different back - ground and character. They were the sixth Baron Walsingham, John Hartley Durrant and Robert Cribb, the first two of them noted taxonomists and the third an artisan collector. Their activities led to the acquisition by the Manchester Museum of a collection of over two thousand specimens of micro-Lepidoptera in exchange for a single individual of the Manchester Moth Euclemensia woodiella, found only once in Britain in 1829. The donation covered about 80 per cent of the species known at the time in the groups represented. The origin of the Manchester Moth is considered and the composition of the Museum’s comprehensive collection of British micro-Lepidoptera is briefly outlined. Key words: museum collection, micro-Lepidoptera, woodiella, exotic species Introduction The Victoria University of Manchester developed out of Owens College, founded in 1851. By 1870 more space was needed than could be provided at the original city centre location, and building started on a site on Oxford Road, a little to the south. The first buildings, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, architect of the British Museum (Natural History), were completed in 1873. On the north side there were premises housing departments of botany and zoology and, connected to them, galleries that would become the Manchester Museum. The impetus for the latter was the dissolution of an earlier museum belonging to the Manchester Society for the Promotion of Natural History. The Society had its own building and substantial collections but due to falling membership, debts and other factors it had become inviable (Kargon, 1977; Alberti, 2009). After discussion with the Corporation and with business and scientific figures, including Thomas Henry Huxley, a solution was found in the transfer to the University of the biological and geological holdings. The plan was to create a facility that would both promote scientific research and be open to the public. The University accepted responsibility for the collections in 1867 and the Museum first received the public in 1888. Subsequently, extensions were added and the range diversified to include Egyptology, archaeology and ethnography. The Manchester Society for the Promotion of Natural History had come into being in 1821, initially to preserve the ornithological and entomological collections of deceased textile manufacturer John Leigh Philips (1761–1814). The collections were enlarged and a museum set up with a curator in charge (Alberti, 2009; Thackray, 1974; Kargon, 1977). Although the museum was open to the public the society remained essentially a gentlemen’s club not available to 47 48 Entomologist’s Gazette (2018) Vol. 69 artisanal or working class naturalists. An association that fulfilled this role was the Banksian Society, formed in 1824 and operating until 1836 (Cash, 1873; Kargon, 1977). It maintained a library and developed a collection of specimens with notes on their location, habits etc. Following its demise the bulk of its holdings found their way to the Natural History Society and from there to the Manchester Museum. The Manchester Museum is the largest University-owned museum in the country. In entomology there are some three million specimens, curated separately in British and foreign sections (Logunov, 2010, 2012). Commencing with the material received on its foundation the collections have been continuously enlarged by successive curators, both by their own endeavours and through receipt of donations. The ultimate goal is to pool the entire holding, sorted fully into taxonomic order, but many specimens yet remain as they were acquired by the Museum. There is a clear practical advantage in combining the material, but until that is done some donations have interesting historical associations. The aim of this paper is to consider one such, the Walsingham collection of British micro-Lepidoptera, and the circumstances that led to its coming to Manchester. Three committed naturalists of very different character were involved. The naturalists involved Thomas de Grey, sixth Baron Walsingham (1843–1919) (Fig. 1) The de Greys were squires in Norfolk from the fourteenth century, with a substantial estate at Merton, near Thetford, in the East Anglian countryside. The first Baron Walsingham settled there in 1780 on his retirement as Lord Chief Justice, after previously serving as Solicitor-General and Attorney-General (Wikipedia, 2017; Salmon, 2000). Successive generations had public positions, and Thomas, the sixth Baron continued the tradition. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge. After first considering a military career he became a Member of Parliament from 1865 until 1870, when he inherited his father’s title. From then on he managed the family estates, while remaining active in politics in the House of Lords. He was a first class cricketer and celebrated in game shooting circles not only for his prowess on his Merton estate and his writings on the subject (Walsingham & Payne-Gallwey, 1887a, b) but also for a bag of 1070 grouse in a single day on his Yorkshire moorland shoot (Martin, 1987). In the academic field he was an FRS, Trustee of the British Museum, the Hunterian Museum (Royal College of Surgeons) and the Lawes Agricultural Trust, and was High Steward of Cambridge University (Rowland-Brown, 1920). In his capacity as a land owner he was president of the Ensilage Commission; as an entomologist he was an editor of the Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine from 1893 to 1912 (Durrant, 1920) and wrote numerous specialist publications (see below). He married three times but without an heir, the title going to a relative. Walsingham’s interest in natural history started at an early age. Durrant (1920) notes that at the age of eight he wrote that ‘I have found out that the catipillars hind feete are different from its froant ones’. From then on he was a keen entomologist, ornithologist and innovator in these fields, developing a bellows technique for inflating and drying larvae for preservation (Durrant, 1920), and Entomologist’s Gazette (2018) Vol. 69 49 Fig. 1. Lord Walsingham. From Durrant (1920). Fig. 2. John Hartley Durrant. By permission (17631) of Library and Archives of the Natural History Museum (London). Reproduced in Riley (1928). 50 Entomologist’s Gazette (2018) Vol. 69 shooting hummingbirds with dust shot to minimize damage to their skins (Martin, 1987). Throughout his life he travelled widely, not only collecting but making meticulous observations on the life histories, food plants and behaviour of his subjects of study. A special interest was the smaller species of Lepidoptera, grouped loosely as micro-Lepidoptera and often overlooked by collectors. They were first brought to his attention at a sale at Stevens’ Auction house in London. He soon assembled over 50,000 specimens by his own efforts and through purchase (Durrant, 1920). He was also expert at rearing and preserving the larvae. His monographs on the family Tortricidae in the British Museum (Walsingham, 1879), the Tortricidae, Tineidae and Pterophoridae of North America (Walsingham, 1880, 1882, 1884, 1907a), the micro-Lepidoptera of Hawaii (Walsingham, 1907b) and the Tineidae and some smaller groups in central America (Walsingham, 1909–15) were standard works for many years. By the time he decided to leave it to the British Museum (Natural History) his collection had increased to more than 260,000 specimens (Brown, 2015). John Hartley Durrant (1863–1928) (Fig. 2) John Hartley Durrant was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. He was appointed as Private Secretary and Entomological Assistant to Walsingham in 1885 (Harvey, Gilbert & Martin, 1996). They formed a strong academic and professional relationship. A publication by one almost always referred to the other in some fashion, and by 1910 they had published more than 2000 pages jointly or separately (Riley, 1928). Durrant specialised in Lepidoptera and had a great personal interest in nomenclature (Tams, 1928; Turner, 1928). He and Walsingham cooperated to formulate the ‘Merton’ rules (named for Walsingham’s estate) designed to regularise and codify the naming and classification of insect species (Walsingham & Durrant, 1896). These rules were criticised at the time in reviews which, while applauding the authors’ general acceptance of Linnean usage, considered some of the proposals to be unduly restrictive (Coues & Allen, 1897). Durrant was secretary of the British National Committee on Entomological Nomenclature from 1913 to 1924 (Busck, 1928). At the time of the First World War he worked with General Sir W. W. O. Beveridge on the Army Biscuit Inquiry, a successful attempt to prevent the spoiling of military rations by insect pests, often micro-Lepidoptera and sometimes foreign introductions (Durrant & Beveridge, 1913; 1914). He was also worked with the Red Cross Society. This, coupled with the loss of his daughter during the same period, aggravated previous ailments which led to a decline in health during the post-war period (Busck, 1928). He was at various times member, fellow and vice-president (1912–1913) of the Royal Entomological Society of London as well as one of the editorial staff for the Entomologist’s Record. He died at his home in Putney, 1928, after a ‘troubling 13 month illness’ (Busck, 1928). Robert Cribb and the Manchester Moth Members of the Banksian Society tended to be ‘naturalists in humble life’ Cash (1873), or ‘ordinary mechanics’ (Anonymous, 1830). Robert Cribb was one of them, and as a consequence almost no information about him has been preserved. His interests led him to obtain an insect that Walsingham was very keen to possess, however, so that the story of the moth he discovered must stand Entomologist’s Gazette (2018) Vol.