Elizabeth Frances Coxen née Isaac (1825–1906) was an Australian naturalist and

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

. Born in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, England, she emigrated to with her family to Sydney, Australia in 1839. She was a collector of shells, insects and birds, as was her husband,

Charles Coxen Charles Coxen (20 April 1809 – 17 May 1876) was a naturalist and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He was a brother-in-law of John Gould who had married his sister Elizabeth. Early ...

, and they donated many specimens to the

Queensland Museum The Queensland Museum is the state museum of Queensland, dedicated to natural history, cultural heritage, science and human achievement. The museum currently operates from its headquarters and general museum in South Brisbane with specialist m ...

, where Elizabeth worked as curator. After her husband's death she became the first female elected a member of the

Royal Society of Queensland The Royal Society of Queensland was formed in Queensland, Australia in 1884 from the Queensland Philosophical Society, Queensland's oldest scientific institution, with royal patronage granted in 1885. The aim of the Society is "Progressing scie ...

Charles Coxen and Elizabeth Coxen plaque

She died in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

on 11 August 1906 and was buried with her husband in the cemetery of Christ Church in

Tingalpa Tingalpa is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Tingalpa had a population of 8,290 people. Geography The suburb has some older style homes built in the post war period – weatherboard and chamferboard post war ...

. Her friends commissioned a plaque commemorating her at St John the Baptist Anglican Church at

Bulimba Bulimba is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bulimba had a population of 6,843 people. Geography Bulimba is located north-east of the CBD on the southern bank of the Brisbane River, but it is by road. Topo ...

. She is commemorated in the name of the land snail ''Spurlingia coxenae'' (now known as ''Spurlingia dunkiensis'').

References

External links

* 1825 births 1906 deaths Australian naturalists People from Gloucestershire (before 1904) English emigrants to Australia Australian curators Conchologists Australian women curators {{Australia-scientist-stub