William Sharp MacLeay
Encyclopedia
William Sharp Macleay was a British
civil servant and entomologist.
, eldest son of Alexander Macleay
who named him for his then business partner, fellow wine merchant William Sharp. He attended Westminster School
and Trinity College, Cambridge
graduating with honours in 1814. He was then appointed attaché to the British embassy at Paris
, and secretary to the board for liquidating British claims on the French government, and following his father in taking an interest in natural history became friendly with Georges Cuvier
, and other celebrated men of science.
Other minor publications on insects including Remarks on the devastation occasioned by Hylobius abietis in fir plantations in the Zoological Journal and several notes in the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London
. Macleay sent many insects to Frederick William Hope
, now in the Hope Department of Entomology. He was also a correspondent of Charles Darwin
, though he disagreed fervently with the latter's theories of evolution.
Macleay was the originator of the short-lived Quinarian system
of classification, which is used extensively in his Horae Entomologicae.
, Cuba
, for the abolition of the slave trade; he became commissary judge in 1830, and then was appointed judge to the Mixed Tribunal of Justice in 1833. He retired in 1836 on a pension of £900. Throughout these years he also maintained a correspondence with his sister Frances (Fanny) Leonora Macleay (1793–1836). These letters typically convey a harsh, even severe impression of his character.
Macleay had maintained his scientific work whilst in Havana and was elected to the Linnean Society, of which his father had been Secretary (1798–1825), and the Zoological Society. He was elected president of the natural history section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
.
in 1839, living briefly at the Colonial Secretary's House in Macquarie Place with his parents before moving in September of that year to the family's still unfinished Elizabeth Bay House
. He took possession of the estate in 1845 having taken on his father Alexander's considerable debts and the mortgages on the property (he formally inherited it in 1848). In an attempt to raise funds he also sold furniture he had acquired in London on behalf of his father but for which he had never been reimbursed. He did not however complete the house, and it remained without its planned colonnade. The house became a meeting place for a small circle of intellectuals and naturalists, though Macleay was not known for being actively sociable. Thomas Mitchell Jnr satirised the house and owner: 'Bleak House blears blindly o'er Eliza's Bay, chill as its owner's hospitality' (Carlin, p45). Macleay was interested in the natural history of Australia, the marine fauna around Port Jackson
in particular. Later he collected a large number of Australian insects; on his death these were bequeathed to his cousin William John Macleay
, whose interest in natural history he encouraged and who in 1888 transferred them to the Macleay Museum
, University of Sydney
, for which act he was knighted. He also encouraged the scientific interests of his brother George Macleay
.
Macleay lived alone at Elizabeth Bay House until his death in 1865.
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...
civil servant and entomologist.
Early life
Macleay was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, eldest son of Alexander Macleay
Alexander Macleay
Hon. Alexander Macleay MLC FLS FRS was a leading member of the Linnean Society and a fellow of the Royal Society.Macleay was born on Ross-shire, Scotland, eldest son of William Macleay, provost of Wick...
who named him for his then business partner, fellow wine merchant William Sharp. He attended Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
graduating with honours in 1814. He was then appointed attaché to the British embassy at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and secretary to the board for liquidating British claims on the French government, and following his father in taking an interest in natural history became friendly with Georges Cuvier
Georges Cuvier
Georges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
, and other celebrated men of science.
Early scientific career
Macleay's principal work was Horae Entomologicae; or, Essays on the Annulose Animals, parts 1-2 (1819–1821). He also published Annulosa Javanica or an Attempt to illustrate the Natural Affinities and Analogies of the Insects collected in Java by T. Horsfield, no. 1 (London, 1925).Other minor publications on insects including Remarks on the devastation occasioned by Hylobius abietis in fir plantations in the Zoological Journal and several notes in the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London
Royal Entomological Society of London
The Royal Entomological Society of London is devoted to insect study. It has a major national and international role in disseminating information about insects and improving communication between entomologists....
. Macleay sent many insects to Frederick William Hope
Frederick William Hope
Frederick William Hope was an English entomologist and founder of the Hope Department of Entomology at the University of Oxford....
, now in the Hope Department of Entomology. He was also a correspondent of 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...
, though he disagreed fervently with the latter's theories of evolution.
Macleay was the originator of the short-lived Quinarian system
Quinarian system
The Quinarian system was a method of zoological classification which had a brief period of popularity in the mid 19th century, especially among British naturalists. It was largely developed by the entomologist W. S. MacLeay in 1819. The system was followed by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and William...
of classification, which is used extensively in his Horae Entomologicae.
Havana
In 1825, Macleay was appointed British commissioner of arbitration to the joint British and Spanish Court of Commission in HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, for the abolition of the slave trade; he became commissary judge in 1830, and then was appointed judge to the Mixed Tribunal of Justice in 1833. He retired in 1836 on a pension of £900. Throughout these years he also maintained a correspondence with his sister Frances (Fanny) Leonora Macleay (1793–1836). These letters typically convey a harsh, even severe impression of his character.
Macleay had maintained his scientific work whilst in Havana and was elected to the Linnean Society, of which his father had been Secretary (1798–1825), and the Zoological Society. He was elected president of the natural history section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
.
Australia
Macleay emigrated to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , 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...
in 1839, living briefly at the Colonial Secretary's House in Macquarie Place with his parents before moving in September of that year to the family's still unfinished Elizabeth Bay House
Elizabeth Bay House
Elizabeth Bay House is a historic home in the suburb of Elizabeth Bay in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Built between 1835 and 1839, Elizabeth Bay House was known as 'the finest house in the colony'. Elizabeth Bay House is a home in the Regency style, originally surrounded by a garden, but...
. He took possession of the estate in 1845 having taken on his father Alexander's considerable debts and the mortgages on the property (he formally inherited it in 1848). In an attempt to raise funds he also sold furniture he had acquired in London on behalf of his father but for which he had never been reimbursed. He did not however complete the house, and it remained without its planned colonnade. The house became a meeting place for a small circle of intellectuals and naturalists, though Macleay was not known for being actively sociable. Thomas Mitchell Jnr satirised the house and owner: 'Bleak House blears blindly o'er Eliza's Bay, chill as its owner's hospitality' (Carlin, p45). Macleay was interested in the natural history of Australia, the marine fauna around Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
in particular. Later he collected a large number of Australian insects; on his death these were bequeathed to his cousin William John Macleay
William John Macleay
Sir William John Macleay . was an Australian politician, zoologist and naturalist.-Early life:Macleay was born at Wick, Caithness, Scotland, second son of Kenneth Macleay of Keiss and his wife Barbara, née Horne...
, whose interest in natural history he encouraged and who in 1888 transferred them to the Macleay Museum
Macleay Museum
The Macleay Museum in Sydney, Australia, is a natural history museum located on the main campus of the University of Sydney.- History :The building in which the museum is housed was built off Science Lane in 1887...
, University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, for which act he was knighted. He also encouraged the scientific interests of his brother George Macleay
George Macleay
Sir George Macleay KCMG, was an Australian explorer and politician.Macleay was born in London, the third son of Alexander Macleay and educated at Westminster School. He came to Australia in 1826....
.
Macleay lived alone at Elizabeth Bay House until his death in 1865.
External links
- Macleay, William Sharp (1792-1865) National Library of Australia, Trove, People and Organisation record for William Sharp Macleay
- About the Macleay Museum
- Elizabeth Bay House guidebook online version