Frederick Corbin Lukis (24 February 1788 – 15 November 1871) was a British

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

, naturalist, collector, and

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

Background

Lukis was born in La Grange, Saint Peter Port,

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. He was the youngest of the four children of Sarah (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Collings; 1749–1816) and Captain John Lukis (1753–1832). His father was a member of the Royal Guernsey militia who made a fortune in the "slightly murky world" of

privateering A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

and importing expensive wine. Already in his youth Lukis became interested in natural history, and probably attended Elizabeth College.

Career

He was strongly influenced by his elderly relative, the botanist Joshua Gosselin (1739–1813), who took him to his first excavation at a recently discovered artificial cavern. The experience triggered a lifelong passion for the protection of the island's heritage. He became a member of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

on 28 April 1853, but never published in the Society's journal, ''Archaeologia''. Like his father, he served in the island's militia, becoming a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and aide-de-camp to the island's last governor William Keppel.

Family

On 17 February 1813, Lukis married his first cousin, Elizabeth Collings (1791–1865). They had three daughters and six sons, some of whom inherited his interests. John Walter Lukis (1816–1894), his second son, was a mining engineer and excavator; the eldest daughter,

Louisa Collings Louisa Elizabeth Collings (''née'' Lukis; 4 June 1818 or 1828 – 24 March 1887) was an amateur lichenologist and natural history collector from the Channel Islands. She was the wife of William Thomas Collings, Seigneur of Sark, and an anc ...

, was a lichenologist; his third son, William Collings Lukis, was an antiquarian and archaeologist; the fifth son, François du Bois Lukis (1826–1907), was a lieutenant and archaeologist. His youngest daughter, Mary-Anne (1822–1906), provided watercolour sketches of Lukis' artefacts. Lukis died at the house he was born in. Lukis' collection was donated by his son François du Bois to the Guernsey Museum, and forms its nucleus. His living descendants include the actor Adrian Lukis;

Christopher Beaumont, 23rd Seigneur of Sark Christopher Beaumont, 23rd Seigneur of Sark (born 4 February 1957) is the present Seigneur of Sark in the Channel Islands. He is a former British Army officer. Biography Beaumont was educated at Clifton College and the Royal Military Academy ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lukis, Frederick 1788 births 1871 deaths British antiquarians British archaeologists Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Guernsey people Natural history collectors People educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey