James Eustace Bagnall
Encyclopedia
James Eustace Bagnall ALS (7 November 1830 – 3 September 1918) was an English
naturalist
with a particular interest in botany
, especially bryology
. He was the author of the first Flora
of Warwickshire
(VC38) in 1891. A noted bryologist, he wrote the Handbook of Mosses in the Young Collector Series, various editions of which were published between 1886 and 1910. His botanical author abbreviation is "Bagn."
1845 and 1897, he worked as a clerk at Hinks and Wells, who were Birmingham manufacturers of steel pen-nibs. He never married. He died on 3 September 1918.
.
Bagnall's herbarium and papers are held by the Birmingham Central Library. The National Museum and Gallery of Wales, Cardiff, has 125 of his bryological specimens. Other herbaria hold specimens he collected (e.g. the Fielding-Druce Herbarium (OXF)).
s of the counties surrounding his home in Birmingham. One of his earliest publications, in 1874, was a moss Flora of Warwickshire.
In 1876, he published a Flora of Sutton Park
, now a National Nature Reserve
. There were very few plant records from Sutton Park before this account, so that his Flora served as the foundation for all later Floras. An version with updated species names is available online.
In 1891, his Flora of Warwickshire was published. This was the first Flora of Warwickshire (VC38), and was based on a series of papers Bagnall had published in the Midland Naturalist between 1881 and 1885. Comprising 561 pages in three sections, this comprehensive work describes the topography, geology and meteorology of the county; divides it into districts based on drainage basins; lists the flora, including bryophytes, lichens and fungi, with most records broken down by district; and finishes with a detailed history of botanising in Warwickshire. The Summary chapter contains statistical analyses, which show, for example, that Warwickshire contained 100% of the species known at the time from 80 or more British counties, but only 9% of those found in fewer than 10 counties, so that it was not a notable county for rare plants.
The first attempt at a comprehensive Flora of Staffordshire
(VC39) was by Robert Garner in 1844. In 1901, when Bagnall was already well-known for The Flora of Warwickshire, his Flora of Staffordshire was published. This 74 page work was intended to update Garner's Flora and contains a substantial number of new records, many by Bagnall himself. It was only superseded in 1972. Bagnall also contributed the botanical chapter for the 1908 volume of the Victoria County History
of Staffordshire. As with his Flora of Warwickshire, Bagnall divided the county into drainage areas and classified records by these areas.
. As mentioned above, one of his earliest publications, in 1874, was a moss Flora of Warwickshire. His most widely distributed work is his Handbook of Mosses, a contribution to The Young Collector Series published in London by Swan Sonnenschein, etc. The handbook was published and reprinted in at least six editions between 1886 and 1910, and is now available online. It describes how to study mosses, including the apparatus needed and the preparation and storage of specimens; their development, habitats (including descriptions of typical species) and geographical distribution; and their classification. It also includes chapters on cultivation and use.
Bagnall contributed chapters or sections on bryophytes to a number of works, including the Victoria County History of Warwickshire in 1904, the Victoria County History of Staffordshire in 1908 and The Botany of Worcestershire in 1909.
. (An updated version is available online.)
. Reprinted/republished in at least 6 editions 1889 (3rd), 1891, 1896 (4th), 1907 (5th), 1910 (6th) (London, Swan Sonnenschein).
(supplement to the Journal of Botany)
. Bagnall is listed as having revised this work.
. A facsimile reproduction was published in 1978 (Wakefield : EP Pub.). Bagnall is credited by Lawley with the section on bryophytes.
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...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
with a particular interest in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, especially bryology
Bryology
Bryology is the branch of botany concerned with the scientific study of bryophytes . Bryophytes were first studied in detail in the 18th century...
. He was the author of the first Flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
(VC38) in 1891. A noted bryologist, he wrote the Handbook of Mosses in the Young Collector Series, various editions of which were published between 1886 and 1910. His botanical author abbreviation is "Bagn."
Life
James Eustace Bagnall was born in Birmingham on 7 November 1830. He was the eldest son of James Bagnall (1804–1874) and his wife Jane Amelia (née Wall, 1806–1888). When younger, he lived with his family in central Birmingham, being educated at Singers' Hill School; from 1881, census returns show him living with his sister Fanny in the Aston district of Birmingham. Initially he worked at his father's warehouse as a brass-founder. Between c.C.
c. may refer to:* Circa: in genealogy and historical writing, c. means circa, and is used when the dates of events are approximately known...
1845 and 1897, he worked as a clerk at Hinks and Wells, who were Birmingham manufacturers of steel pen-nibs. He never married. He died on 3 September 1918.
Contributions to Natural History
"Bagnall did not discover the delights of botany until the age of 34, when a friend lent him a microscope." He says of himself that "all my work, whether clerical or botanical, has been done in the scant leisure of a manufactory clerk" and that his "knowledge of botany has been self-acquired." Via the collection of specimens and the collation of records, his main contribution was to what is now called biogeographyBiogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
.
Bagnall's herbarium and papers are held by the Birmingham Central Library. The National Museum and Gallery of Wales, Cardiff, has 125 of his bryological specimens. Other herbaria hold specimens he collected (e.g. the Fielding-Druce Herbarium (OXF)).
Local Floras
Bagnall made important contributions to the FloraFlora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
s of the counties surrounding his home in Birmingham. One of his earliest publications, in 1874, was a moss Flora of Warwickshire.
In 1876, he published a Flora of Sutton Park
Sutton Park
Sutton Park, in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, is one of the largest urban parks in Europe and the largest outside a capital city; it is larger than Richmond Park in London....
, now a National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
. There were very few plant records from Sutton Park before this account, so that his Flora served as the foundation for all later Floras. An version with updated species names is available online.
In 1891, his Flora of Warwickshire was published. This was the first Flora of Warwickshire (VC38), and was based on a series of papers Bagnall had published in the Midland Naturalist between 1881 and 1885. Comprising 561 pages in three sections, this comprehensive work describes the topography, geology and meteorology of the county; divides it into districts based on drainage basins; lists the flora, including bryophytes, lichens and fungi, with most records broken down by district; and finishes with a detailed history of botanising in Warwickshire. The Summary chapter contains statistical analyses, which show, for example, that Warwickshire contained 100% of the species known at the time from 80 or more British counties, but only 9% of those found in fewer than 10 counties, so that it was not a notable county for rare plants.
The first attempt at a comprehensive Flora of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
(VC39) was by Robert Garner in 1844. In 1901, when Bagnall was already well-known for The Flora of Warwickshire, his Flora of Staffordshire was published. This 74 page work was intended to update Garner's Flora and contains a substantial number of new records, many by Bagnall himself. It was only superseded in 1972. Bagnall also contributed the botanical chapter for the 1908 volume of the Victoria County History
Victoria County History
The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 and was dedicated to Queen Victoria with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of...
of Staffordshire. As with his Flora of Warwickshire, Bagnall divided the county into drainage areas and classified records by these areas.
Bryology
Bagnall was a noted field bryologistBryology
Bryology is the branch of botany concerned with the scientific study of bryophytes . Bryophytes were first studied in detail in the 18th century...
. As mentioned above, one of his earliest publications, in 1874, was a moss Flora of Warwickshire. His most widely distributed work is his Handbook of Mosses, a contribution to The Young Collector Series published in London by Swan Sonnenschein, etc. The handbook was published and reprinted in at least six editions between 1886 and 1910, and is now available online. It describes how to study mosses, including the apparatus needed and the preparation and storage of specimens; their development, habitats (including descriptions of typical species) and geographical distribution; and their classification. It also includes chapters on cultivation and use.
Bagnall contributed chapters or sections on bryophytes to a number of works, including the Victoria County History of Warwickshire in 1904, the Victoria County History of Staffordshire in 1908 and The Botany of Worcestershire in 1909.
Honours and awards
- On 15 January 1885, he was elected an Associate of the Linnean Society (ALS).
- In 1888, he was awarded the Darwin Prize of the Midland Union of Natural History Societies, with the citation "Botany". The prize (whose title and purposes had been approved by Charles DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
) was "given annually for a paper indicating original research upon a subject within the scope of the Societies in the Union, contributed by a member for publication in the Journal of the Union," and included a medalMedalA medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
. - In 1909, he was elected an honorary member of the Moss Exchange Club.
List of Bagnall's major publications
(January).. (An updated version is available online.)
- He was a regular contributor to the Midland Naturalist, which was published between 1878 and 1893 in Vols 1-16.
. Reprinted/republished in at least 6 editions 1889 (3rd), 1891, 1896 (4th), 1907 (5th), 1910 (6th) (London, Swan Sonnenschein).
(supplement to the Journal of Botany)
- According to Lawley, Bagnall contributed a section on bryophytes in
. Bagnall is listed as having revised this work.
. A facsimile reproduction was published in 1978 (Wakefield : EP Pub.). Bagnall is credited by Lawley with the section on bryophytes.