Horace William Wheelwright
Encyclopedia
Horace William Wheelwright (5 January 1815 – 16 November 1865) was an English
hunter
, naturalist
and writer
who spent many years of his life in Australia
and Sweden
.
Wheelwright
was born at Tansor
, Northamptonshire
. He was educated at Reading Grammar School and then studied law
, practising as an attorney
1843-1846 at Thrapston
, Northamptonshire. He later travelled extensively through northern Europe, especially Norway and Sweden.
About 1852, at the time of the Victorian gold rush
, Wheelwright migrated to Australia. Unsuccessful at the diggings, he became a professional game shooter to supply the Melbourne market. The book he subsequently wrote about his Australian experiences, "Bush Wanderings of a Naturalist", is an important source of information about the natural history of the area around Melbourne in the 1850s.
Wheelwright eventually left Australia in the late 1850s to return to Europe, settling in Gårdsjö, in the province of Värmland
, near Karlstad, Sweden. He died in London following a fall in the street, which aggravated a longstanding hernia
condition, and the subsequent operation.
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...
hunter
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, 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...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who spent many years of his life in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Wheelwright
Wheelwright
A wheelwright is a person who builds or repairs wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the archaic word "wright", which comes from the Old English word "wryhta", meaning a worker or maker...
was born at Tansor
Tansor
Tansor is a village and civil parish in the English county of Northamptonshire. Lying near the River Nene, three miles north-east of the town of Oundle, Tansor forms part of the district of East Northamptonshire. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 185 people...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. He was educated at Reading Grammar School and then studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, practising as an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
1843-1846 at Thrapston
Thrapston
Thrapston is a small town in Northamptonshire, England. It is the headquarters of the East Northamptonshire district, and in 2001 had a population of 4,855. By 2006, this was estimated to be over 5,700....
, Northamptonshire. He later travelled extensively through northern Europe, especially Norway and Sweden.
About 1852, at the time of the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
, Wheelwright migrated to Australia. Unsuccessful at the diggings, he became a professional game shooter to supply the Melbourne market. The book he subsequently wrote about his Australian experiences, "Bush Wanderings of a Naturalist", is an important source of information about the natural history of the area around Melbourne in the 1850s.
Wheelwright eventually left Australia in the late 1850s to return to Europe, settling in Gårdsjö, in the province of Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
, near Karlstad, Sweden. He died in London following a fall in the street, which aggravated a longstanding hernia
Hernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
condition, and the subsequent operation.