James Henry Bowker
Encyclopedia
Colonel
James Henry Bowker (August 1822 - 27 October 1900), was a South African naturalist and soldier. He was co-author with Roland Trimen
of South African Butterflies (1887-89).
He was the ninth and youngest son of Miles Bowker (born c.1758 at Deckham
's Hall, Gateshead
, Durham
), and Anna Maria Mitford, (born 1782 in Mitford
, Northumberland
, died 8 July 1868 at Tharfield), both 1820 Settlers
. James Henry Bowker was born on a farm known as Tharfield, on the Klein Monden River, north of Port Kowie
. He was appointed inspector in 1855 of the Frontier Armed and Mounted Police ( F.A.M.P), later succeeding Sir Walter Currie as Commandant. He also acted as High Commissioner of Basutoland
. During the Seventh and Eighth Kaffir Wars he was promoted to Colonel. He took part in the suppression of the Kat River Rebellion and the capture of Fort Armstrong in 1846-7, for which he earned a medal and clasp. For a while he was Chief Commissioner on the diamond fields of Griqualand West
. There is still a road named after him in Maseru. the Capital of Lesotho (formerly Basutoland)
He was a knowledgeable naturalist and collected large numbers of butterflies which he then supplied to museums. His older sister Mary Elizabeth Bowker (1818-1899), who had married Frederick William Barber, was a noted botanist and entomologist as well as being a painter and author. She corresponded regularly with Joseph
and William Hooker
, and Charles Darwin
.
James Henry Bowker never married.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
James Henry Bowker (August 1822 - 27 October 1900), was a South African naturalist and soldier. He was co-author with Roland Trimen
Roland Trimen
Roland Trimen FRS was a British-South African entomologist, best-known for South African Butterflies , a collaborative work with Colonel James Henry Bowker....
of South African Butterflies (1887-89).
He was the ninth and youngest son of Miles Bowker (born c.1758 at Deckham
Deckham
Deckham is a suburb of Gateshead, bordered by Low Fell, Felling & Sheriff Hill.It is situated on the B1296 Old Durham Road which is a former route of the famous Great North Road....
's Hall, Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
), and Anna Maria Mitford, (born 1782 in Mitford
Mitford
Mitford is a village in the borough of Castle Morpeth in the Wansbeck parliamentary constituency, in Northumberland, England, about west of Morpeth.- History :...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, died 8 July 1868 at Tharfield), both 1820 Settlers
1820 Settlers
The 1820 Settlers were several groups or parties of white British colonists settled by the British government and the Cape authorities in the South African Eastern Cape in 1820....
. James Henry Bowker was born on a farm known as Tharfield, on the Klein Monden River, north of Port Kowie
Port Alfred
Port Alfred is a small town with a population of just under 20,000 in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated on the eastern seaboard of the country at the mouth of the Kowie River, almost exactly half-way between the larger cities of Port Elizabeth and East London and 30 km...
. He was appointed inspector in 1855 of the Frontier Armed and Mounted Police ( F.A.M.P), later succeeding Sir Walter Currie as Commandant. He also acted as High Commissioner of Basutoland
Basutoland
Basutoland or officially the Territory of Basutoland, was a British Crown colony established in 1884 after the Cape Colony's inability to control the territory...
. During the Seventh and Eighth Kaffir Wars he was promoted to Colonel. He took part in the suppression of the Kat River Rebellion and the capture of Fort Armstrong in 1846-7, for which he earned a medal and clasp. For a while he was Chief Commissioner on the diamond fields of Griqualand West
Griqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
. There is still a road named after him in Maseru. the Capital of Lesotho (formerly Basutoland)
He was a knowledgeable naturalist and collected large numbers of butterflies which he then supplied to museums. His older sister Mary Elizabeth Bowker (1818-1899), who had married Frederick William Barber, was a noted botanist and entomologist as well as being a painter and author. She corresponded regularly with Joseph
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
and William Hooker
William Jackson Hooker
Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
, and Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles 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...
.
James Henry Bowker never married.