James Ebenezer Bicheno
Encyclopedia
James Ebenezer Bicheno was a British
author and colonial official.
Bicheno was the son of the Rev. James Bicheno, minister of the Baptist Church in Newbury, Berkshire
. He was called to the bar in 1822 but seems to have spent most of his time until 1832 in writing and natural history pursuits, especially with the Linnean Society. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1827.
In 1832 he left London to live at Ty Maen South Cornelly Glamorgan, where he had been one of the founders of the Maesteg Ironworks in 1826. and where he was a friend of Lewis Weston Dillwyn
. This investment ultimately failed and he needed to look for an income.
He was appointed colonial secretary
of Van Diemen's Land
in September 1842. He was a keen amateur botanist and experimented with plants on his small farm on the banks of the New Town Rivulet
. He had several papers on botany and natural history published in its Transactions and assisted Sir William Jardine
in preparing the two volumes of Illustrations of Ornithology (Edinburgh, 1830). He lectured on botany to the Mechanics' Institute and had papers published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tasmania.
Bicheno was a large man, and it was said that he could fit three full bags of wheat in his trousers.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author and colonial official.
Bicheno was the son of the Rev. James Bicheno, minister of the Baptist Church in Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
. He was called to the bar in 1822 but seems to have spent most of his time until 1832 in writing and natural history pursuits, especially with the Linnean Society. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1827.
In 1832 he left London to live at Ty Maen South Cornelly Glamorgan, where he had been one of the founders of the Maesteg Ironworks in 1826. and where he was a friend of Lewis Weston Dillwyn
Lewis Weston Dillwyn
Lewis Weston Dillwyn, FRS was a British porcelain manufacturer, naturalist and Member of Parliament.He was born in Walthamstow, Essex, the eldest son of William Dillwyn and Sarah Dillwyn...
. This investment ultimately failed and he needed to look for an income.
He was appointed colonial secretary
Chief Secretary
The Chief Secretary is the title of a senior civil servant in members of the Commonwealth of Nations, and, historically, in the British Empire. Prior to the dissolution of the colonies, the Chief Secretary was the second most important official in a colony of the British Empire after the...
of Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
in September 1842. He was a keen amateur botanist and experimented with plants on his small farm on the banks of the New Town Rivulet
New Town Rivulet
The New Town Rivulet is a permanently flowing creek in Hobart, Tasmania that has as its headwaters the springs and snow water run-offs of Mount Wellington.-Location:...
. He had several papers on botany and natural history published in its Transactions and assisted Sir William Jardine
William Jardine (naturalist)
Sir William Jardine, 7th Baronet of Applegirth, Dumfriesshire was a Scottish naturalist.-Work:...
in preparing the two volumes of Illustrations of Ornithology (Edinburgh, 1830). He lectured on botany to the Mechanics' Institute and had papers published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tasmania.
Bicheno was a large man, and it was said that he could fit three full bags of wheat in his trousers.
Commemoration
- BichenoBicheno, TasmaniaBicheno is a town on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 185 km north-east of Hobart on the Tasman Highway, with a population of 640. It is part of the municipality of Glamorgan/Spring Bay...
, a town on the east coast of TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , 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...
was named after him. - Bicheno's Finch was named to commemorate him.