Alexander Walter Scott
Encyclopedia
Alexander Walker Scott was an Australian entomologist mainly interested in butterflies.
Scott was the son of Dr Helenus and Augusta Maria Scott and born in Bombay, India
and was educated at Bath Grammar School and Peterhouse, Cambridge
, receiving a BA
in 1822 and an MA
in 1825. Scott was elected to the new Legislative Assembly
, representing Northumberland and Hunter
from 1856 to 1859, Northumberland
1858 to 1859 and Lower Hunter
from 1860 to 1861. He supported the secret ballot and franchise extension. In 1861 he was nominated to the Legislative Council
for life, but he took no part in it and resigned in 1866.
A failed entrepreneur, he later became a prominent figure in the commercial establishment of the Newcastle
region. He lived at Ash Island
on the Hunter River
with his wife, formerly Harriet Colcott, a seamstress, and his two daughters Harriet (1830–1907) and Helena (1832–1910) Scott, both born in Sydney. At Ash Island the sisters helped their father in his entomological work, collecting, preparing and drying specimens of plants and insects, and also accepted painting, drawing and lithography
commissions from Australian naturalists including Gerard Krefft
, William Macleay
, Thomas Sutcliffe Mort
, Edward Pierson Ramsay
, William Woolls
and Ferdinand von Mueller
.
The Scott sisters became established with the publication of Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations, drawn from the life by Harriet and Helena Scott which illustrated insects in the stages of metamorphosis, in the environment in which they lived and fed. This work, published in 1864, was time-consuming and expensive and publication was delayed for 12 years. Although published (in London : John van Voorst) under Alexander Walker Scott it was an entirely collaborative work as its title states.
Alexander Walker Scott was a trustee of the Australian Museum
1862-79 and a
Fellow of The Entomological Society of New South Wales, founded in 1862, as were
both Helena and Harriet, though in their case it was honorary, a rare distinction. He died in Paddington
.
Scott was the son of Dr Helenus and Augusta Maria Scott and born in Bombay, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and was educated at Bath Grammar School and Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
, receiving a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1822 and an MA
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1825. Scott was elected to the new Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
, representing Northumberland and Hunter
Electoral district of Northumberland and Hunter
Northumberland and Hunter was aa electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1856 to 1859, in the Newcastle area and named after Northumberland County and the Hunter River. It elected three members, with voters casting three votes and the first...
from 1856 to 1859, Northumberland
Electoral district of Northumberland
Northumberland was an electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1859 to 1913, in the Newcastle area and named after Northumberland County. It elected two members simultaneously between 1880 and 1887 and three members between 1887 and 1894...
1858 to 1859 and Lower Hunter
Electoral district of Lower Hunter
Lower Hunter was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales from 1859 to 1880.-Members for Lower Hunter:...
from 1860 to 1861. He supported the secret ballot and franchise extension. In 1861 he was nominated to the Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
for life, but he took no part in it and resigned in 1866.
A failed entrepreneur, he later became a prominent figure in the commercial establishment of the Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
region. He lived at Ash Island
Ash Island
Ash Island is an island in the River Thames in England, adjacent to Molesey Lock. Although the lock is at East Molesey, Surrey, the island is administratively within the London Borough of Richmond. The main weir is at the downstream end of the island connecting to the lock; the second weir is at...
on the Hunter River
Hunter River
The Hunter River is a major river in New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River rises in the Liverpool Range and flows generally south and then east, reaching the Pacific Ocean at Newcastle, the second largest city in New South Wales and a major port....
with his wife, formerly Harriet Colcott, a seamstress, and his two daughters Harriet (1830–1907) and Helena (1832–1910) Scott, both born in Sydney. At Ash Island the sisters helped their father in his entomological work, collecting, preparing and drying specimens of plants and insects, and also accepted painting, drawing and lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
commissions from Australian naturalists including Gerard Krefft
Gerard Krefft
Johann Ludwig Gerard Krefft , one of Australia's first and greatest zoologists and palaeontologists. In addition to many scientific papers, his books include The Snakes of Australia, A Catalogue of the Minerals and Rocks in the Australian Museum and A Short Guide to the Australian Fossil Remains...
, William Macleay
William Sharp MacLeay
William Sharp Macleay was a British civil servant and entomologist.-Early life:Macleay was born in London, eldest son of Alexander Macleay who named him for his then business partner, fellow wine merchant William Sharp. He attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge graduating with...
, Thomas Sutcliffe Mort
Thomas Sutcliffe Mort
Thomas Sutcliffe Mort was an Australian industrialist responsible for improving refrigeration of meat. He was renowned for speculation in the local pastoral industry as well as industrial activities such as his Ice-Works in Sydney's Darling Harbour and dry dock and engineering works at...
, Edward Pierson Ramsay
Edward Pierson Ramsay
Edward Pierson Ramsay was an Australian zoologist who specialised in ornithology.-Early life:Pierson was born in Dobroyd Estate, Long Cove, Sydney and educated at St Mark's Collegiate School, The King's School, Parramatta...
, William Woolls
William Woolls
William Woolls was an Australian botanist, clergyman and schoolmaster.Woolls, the nineteenth child of merchant Edward Woolls, was born at Winchester, England and educated at the grammar school, Bishop's Waltham, and at 16 years of age endeavoured unsuccessfully to obtain a cadetship in the British...
and Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
.
The Scott sisters became established with the publication of Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations, drawn from the life by Harriet and Helena Scott which illustrated insects in the stages of metamorphosis, in the environment in which they lived and fed. This work, published in 1864, was time-consuming and expensive and publication was delayed for 12 years. Although published (in London : John van Voorst) under Alexander Walker Scott it was an entirely collaborative work as its title states.
Alexander Walker Scott was a trustee of the Australian Museum
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
1862-79 and a
Fellow of The Entomological Society of New South Wales, founded in 1862, as were
both Helena and Harriet, though in their case it was honorary, a rare distinction. He died in Paddington
Paddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
.
Works
- Description of an ovo-viviparous moth, belonging to the genus Tinea. Trans. Ent. Soc. London 1: 33-36 (1863).
- Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations, drawn from the life by Harriet and Helena Scott. 1. London : John van Voorst [ii]+36 pp., pls 1-9.(1864).
- On the "Agrotis vastator", a species of moth, now infesting the seaboard of New South Wales. Trans. Ent. Soc. London 2: 40-48 (1869).
- Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations, with illustrations drawn from the life by his daughters, Harriet Morgan and Helena Forde. Edited and revised by Arthur Sidney Olliff and Helena Forde. Sydney : Australian Museum 2 volumes.