Northamptonshire Natural History Society
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A History of the Society |
The Northamptonshire Natural History Society was founded in 1876 by George Claridge Druce - a leading botanist of the day. The first meeting was held in the Council Chamber of the Guildhall in Northampton and was chaired by Lord Lilford, the great Victorian ornithologist. Lord Lilford went on to serve as President of the Society from 1876 to 1896.
From the very beginning, the Society welcomed naturalists and scientists from all walks of life. Social, political and theological barriers were breached, and the membership included working men and women, clerics, businessmen, lawyers, doctors, architects and others of the 'professional' class, and such eminent names as Earl Spencer, Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, Joseph Hooker, Nathaniel Rothschild, Sir Herewald Wake, V.D. Cary-Elwes and Lady Knightley of Fawsley.
The Society - now in its 131st year - continues to promote interest and research into natural history and allied sciences, especially relating to Northamptonshire, and consists of a number of Sections dealing with archaeology and history, astronomy, geology, natural sciences and photography. The Journal, which began publication in 1880, contains a wealth of information accrued since the formative years of the Victorian era, as many of the original members were active in their respective fields as early as the 1840s and 1850s.