Prideaux John Selby
Encyclopedia
Prideaux John Selby was an English ornithologist, botanist and artist and landowner.
Selby is best known for his Illustrations of British Ornithology (1821–1834), the first set of life-sized illustrations of British birds. He also wrote Illustrations of Ornithology with William Jardine
and A History of British Forest-trees (1842).
Many of the illustrations in his works were drawn from specimens in his collection. In addition to the above works he contributed to Jardine's Naturalist's Library the volumes on the Pigeons (1835) and the Parrots (1836), the latter illustrated by Edward Lear
. He was for some time one of the editors of the Magazine of Zoology and Botany.
His collections were sold in 1885 and became dispersed. The South African birds collected by Andrew Smith
went to the Zoology Museum of the University of Cambridge.
Selby was born at Alnwick
in Northumberland, a son of the Beal
and Twizell House, Northumberland branch of the Selby family
and studied at University College, Oxford
. He succeeded in 1804 to the family estates at Beal and added to the landholdings there at a cost of some £14000 in about 1840. He sold the Beal estate amounting to 1450 acres (5.9 km²) in 1850 for £47000.
He married Lewis Tabitha Mitford and they had three daughters He died at Twizell House and was buried in Bamburgh
churchyard.
The standard botanical author abbreviation "P.Selby" is applied to species
he described.
Selby is best known for his Illustrations of British Ornithology (1821–1834), the first set of life-sized illustrations of British birds. He also wrote Illustrations of Ornithology with William Jardine
William Jardine (naturalist)
Sir William Jardine, 7th Baronet of Applegirth, Dumfriesshire was a Scottish naturalist.-Work:...
and A History of British Forest-trees (1842).
Many of the illustrations in his works were drawn from specimens in his collection. In addition to the above works he contributed to Jardine's Naturalist's Library the volumes on the Pigeons (1835) and the Parrots (1836), the latter illustrated by Edward Lear
Edward Lear
Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he popularised.-Biography:...
. He was for some time one of the editors of the Magazine of Zoology and Botany.
His collections were sold in 1885 and became dispersed. The South African birds collected by Andrew Smith
Andrew Smith (zoologist)
Sir Andrew Smith KCB was a Scottish surgeon, explorer, ethnologist and zoologist. He is considered the father of Zoology in South Africa having described many species across a wide range of groups in his major work, Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa.Smith was born in Hawick, Roxburghshire...
went to the Zoology Museum of the University of Cambridge.
Selby was born at Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
in Northumberland, a son of the Beal
Beal
-People:*Andrew Beal , American business billionaire*Dana Beal , American social and political activist*Ernest Frederick Beal , English war hero, recipient of the Victoria Cross*James H...
and Twizell House, Northumberland branch of the Selby family
Selby family
The Selby family was a prolific and widespread English family that originated in Selby, Yorkshire, but largely settled in Northumberland.The following are some of the more important branches of the family, several of which are interconnected by marriage between cousins:-Selby of...
and studied at University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
. He succeeded in 1804 to the family estates at Beal and added to the landholdings there at a cost of some £14000 in about 1840. He sold the Beal estate amounting to 1450 acres (5.9 km²) in 1850 for £47000.
He married Lewis Tabitha Mitford and they had three daughters He died at Twizell House and was buried in Bamburgh
Bamburgh
Bamburgh is a large village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It has a population of 454.It is notable for two reasons: the imposing Bamburgh Castle, overlooking the beach, seat of the former Kings of Northumbria, and at present owned by the Armstrong family ; and its...
churchyard.
The standard botanical author abbreviation "P.Selby" is applied to species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
he described.