Arthur Harry Church FRS (28 March 1865 – 24 April 1937) was a British

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and botanical illustrator. He was also a pioneer amateur photographer. From 1908 to his retirement in 1930 he was a lecturer in botany at Oxford University and was best known for his inspiring lectures.

Biography

Church was born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the son of a saddler, and went to school locally. He taught briefly at Ashburton Grammar School. In 1887 his mother died and, with his inheritance of £100, he went to

University College of Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

. With a first (

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

external) degree in Botany he won in 1891 a scholarship to

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

, obtaining a first-class

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

degree in botany in 1894. He was a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

of Jesus College from 1908 to 1912 and University

Reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

in Botany from 1910 to 1930. He was elected as a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1921. His particular fields of interest were

phyllotaxy In botany, phyllotaxis () or phyllotaxy is the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem. Phyllotactic spirals form a distinctive class of patterns in nature. Leaf arrangement The basic arrangements of leaves on a stem are opposite and alternat ...

, the development and arrangement of parts of the flower and one-celled sea plants. Church was chiefly interested in morphology and did not take much interest in evolutionary trees although he wrote on the adaptations involved in evolution of land plants in his work on the ''Thalassiophyta'' (1919). He was a fine illustrator and photographer, sometimes illustrating his own publications. He was also known for his abilities in preparing microscopic specimens, illustration, and above all inspiring lectures. His publishing was quite limited. He married Emma Palmer Pratt of

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

. They had three daughters. Each daughter was given as her middle name the name of a plant in flower at the time of her birth: Audrey Althea (

hollyhock ''Alcea'' is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the streambank wild hollyhock, ...

), Rosemary Doronica (''

Doronicum orientale ''Doronicum orientale'', the leopard's bane, is a European plant species in the family Asteraceae. Description ''Doronicum orientale'' is a perennial herb that has daisy-like yellow flower heads on long, straight stems, which attract nectar-e ...

'') and Grace Coryla (

hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

Publications

* *

References

External links

Profile of Church
in ''

Oxford Today ''Oxford Today: The University Magazine'' was a magazine for the alumni of Oxford University.Contact details

''
Arthur Harry Church biography
1865 births 1937 deaths Scientists from Plymouth, Devon Alumni of Aberystwyth University Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal Society British botanists Botanical illustrators 19th-century British painters British male painters 20th-century British painters 19th-century British male artists 20th-century British male artists {{UK-botanist-stub