Sir Arthur Russell, 6th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Arthur Edward Ian Montagu Russell, 6th Baronet, MBE
, FRS
(30 November 1878 - 24 February 1964), was a British mineralogist of the 20th century. He was a collector and a collector of collections.
He was born in Swallowfield Park
, near Reading
, in Berkshire
, the son of Sir George Russell
, 4th Baronet and Lady Constance Charlotte Elisa Lennox. He was educated at Eton College
and studied chemistry at King's College London
. He served in France during World War I
and was invalided home in 1915.
He was appointed a Member of Order of the British Empire
(MBE) in 1920 and succeeded as 6th Baronet upon the death of his older brother in 1944.
In his lifetime he amassed a huge collection of minerals. Among the more important were the collections of Philip Rashleigh
(1728–1811), Lady Elizabeth Coxe Hippisley (1760–1843), John Hawkins
(1761–1841), John Hamrease (1764–1811), George Croker Fox (1784–1850)G. C., R. W. and A. Fox were members of the Fox family of Falmouth
., Edmund Pearse (1788–1856), Robert Were Fox
(1789–1877), Isaac Walker (1790–1853), Alfred Fox
(1794–1874), Sir Maziere Brady
(1796–1871), Baroness Burdett-Coutts (1814–1906), Sir Warington Wilkinson Smyth
(1817–1890), John Ruskin
(1819–1900), Col. R. B. Rimington (1828–1910), Arthur Champernowne
(1839–1887), J. H. Collins (1841–1916), W. Semmons (1841–1915) and Samuel Henson
(1848–1930).
The Russell Collection at Swallowfield Park became famous throughout the world, and was visited by mineralogists and collectors from across Europe and America.. The collection of about 12,000 of the finest British minerals is now in the Mineralogical Collection of the Natural History Museum
.
The Russell Society for amateur and professional mineralogists is named in his honour.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRS
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(30 November 1878 - 24 February 1964), was a British mineralogist of the 20th century. He was a collector and a collector of collections.
He was born in Swallowfield Park
Swallowfield Park
Swallowfield Park is a Grade II* listed stately home and estate in the English county of Berkshire. The house is situated near the village of Swallowfield, some 4 miles south of the town of Reading.-The House :...
, near Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, the son of Sir George Russell
Sir George Russell, 4th Baronet
Sir George Russell, 4th Baronet was a British barrister and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1898....
, 4th Baronet and Lady Constance Charlotte Elisa Lennox. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and studied chemistry at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. He served in France during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and was invalided home in 1915.
He was appointed a Member of Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE) in 1920 and succeeded as 6th Baronet upon the death of his older brother in 1944.
In his lifetime he amassed a huge collection of minerals. Among the more important were the collections of Philip Rashleigh
Philip Rashleigh
Philip Rashleigh FRS , antiquary and Cornish squire, eldest son of Jonathan Rashleigh, M.P. for Fowey in Cornwall , who married, on 11 June 1728, Mary, daughter of Sir William Clayton of Marden in Surrey, was born at Aldermanbury, London, 28 Dec.1729...
(1728–1811), Lady Elizabeth Coxe Hippisley (1760–1843), John Hawkins
John Hawkins (geologist)
John Hawkins was a geologist, traveller and writer,He was the youngest son of Thomas Hawkins of Trewinnard, St Erth, Cornwall, M.P. for Grampound, by Anne, daughter of James Heywood of London...
(1761–1841), John Hamrease (1764–1811), George Croker Fox (1784–1850)G. C., R. W. and A. Fox were members of the Fox family of Falmouth
Fox family of Falmouth
The Fox family of Falmouth, Cornwall, UK were very influential in the development of the town of Falmouth in the 19th century and of the Cornish Industrial Revolution...
., Edmund Pearse (1788–1856), Robert Were Fox
Robert Were Fox the Younger
Robert Were Fox FRS was a British geologist, natural philosopher and inventor. He is known mainly for his work on the temperature of the earth and his construction of a compass to measure magnetic dip at sea....
(1789–1877), Isaac Walker (1790–1853), Alfred Fox
Alfred Fox
Alfred Fox, of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, was owner and developer of Glendurgan Garden, now a National Trust property. He was a member of the Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
(1794–1874), Sir Maziere Brady
Maziere Brady
Sir Maziere Brady, 1st Baronet PC was an Irish judge, notable for his exceptionally long tenure as Lord Chancellor of Ireland.Brady was born in Dublin, the second son of Francis Brady of Booterstown and his wife Charlotte Hodgson...
(1796–1871), Baroness Burdett-Coutts (1814–1906), Sir Warington Wilkinson Smyth
Warington Wilkinson Smyth
Sir Warington Wilkinson Smyth was a British geologist.-Biography:Smyth was born at Naples, the son of Admiral W. H. Smyth and his wife Annarella Warington. His father was engaged in the Admiralty Survey of the Mediterranean at the time of his birth. Smyth was educated at Westminster and...
(1817–1890), John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
(1819–1900), Col. R. B. Rimington (1828–1910), Arthur Champernowne
Arthur Champernowne
Sir Arthur Champernowne was a Vice-Admiral of the West who lived at Dartington Hall in Devon, England.-Biography:Champernowne was the second son of Sir Philip Champernowne of Modbury, Devon, whose family had lived in Devon since arriving from Cambernon in Normandy in the eleventh century as part...
(1839–1887), J. H. Collins (1841–1916), W. Semmons (1841–1915) and Samuel Henson
Samuel Henson
Samuel Henson is a World Champion wrestler, winning a gold medal in freestyle for the USA at the 1998 FILA Wrestling World Championships, held in Tehran, Iran. He defeated Namig Abdullayev of Azerbaijan to take the gold...
(1848–1930).
The Russell Collection at Swallowfield Park became famous throughout the world, and was visited by mineralogists and collectors from across Europe and America.. The collection of about 12,000 of the finest British minerals is now in the Mineralogical Collection of the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
.
Honours and awards
- President of the British Mineralogical Society from 1939 to 1942.
- Bolitho Medal from Royal Geological Society of CornwallRoyal Geological Society of CornwallThe Royal Geological Society of Cornwall is a geological society based in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1814 to promote the study of the geology of Cornwall, and is the second oldest geological society in the world....
in 1948. - Henwood Medal from the Royal Institution of CornwallRoyal Institution of CornwallThe Royal Institution of Cornwall was founded in Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom, in 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest of seven similar societies established in England and Wales. The RIC moved to its present site in River Street...
in 1953. - Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1956. - He described and named the new species rashleighite.
- Was honoured by the naming of the minerals russelliteRusselliteRussellite is a bismuth tungstate mineral with the chemical formula Bi2WO6. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system. Russellite is yellow or yellow-green in color, with a Mohs hardness of 3½....
and arthuriteArthuriteArthurite is a mixture of divalent copper and iron ions in combination with trivalent arsenate, phosphate and sulfate ions with hydrogen and oxygen...
.
The Russell Society for amateur and professional mineralogists is named in his honour.