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James Backhouse

See also http://www.parksandgardens.org/further-reading/explore/176-historical-profiles/481-the-backhouse-nursery-of-york-1815-1955 for two other James Backhouse botanists and nursery owners of York.

James Backhouse (8 July 1794 – 20 January 1869) was a botanist and missionary for the Quaker church in Australia. His son, also James Backhouse (1825–1890), was also a botanist.

Australia

For his legacy, in 1964 the Australia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) instituted a lecture series, as explained in the introduction to the third in the series given by Rudi Lemberg in 1966.

England

James Backhouse was honoured by having the plant genus Backhousia named after him, all species are endemic to Australia.

In 2017 a commemorative plaque was unveiled at 92 Micklegate, York, once the home of the Backhouse brothers, and now of the York Conservation Trust. This was the result of a collaboration between the York Civic Trust, The York Conservation Trust, and the Yorkshire Gardens Trust. From 1859, he lived at Holgate House.

Family

James Backhouse was the third of five consecutive generations named James Backhouse, so they are also often mentioned with generational suffix ordinals:

  1. His grandfather James Backhouse (1) (1720–1798), who was the founder of Backhouse's Bank;
  2. His father James Backhouse (2) (1757–1804);
  3. James Backhouse (3) (1794–1869) himself;
  4. His son James Backhouse (4) (1825–1890), who was a notable botanist; and
  5. His grandson James Backhouse (5) (1861–1945), who was the author of A handbook of European birds (1890) and other publications.

After his return from Australia in 1841, James (3) made trips to Norway, to do his missionary work, but also to collect plants, together with his son James (4).

References

External links