Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
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 ...
He was the son of Sir Andrew Searle Hart and his wife Frances MacDougall, daughter of Henry MacDougall, Q.C., of Dublin.Andrew Searle Hart, 1811-1890 /ref> He was educated at
Trinity College, Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
, with a B.A. in experimental and natural science.
Botany and exploration
From the age of 17, Hart conducted a botanical survey of
Donegal Donegal may refer to:
County Donegal, Ireland
* County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster
* Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland
* Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
(lasting until 1898), which led to his publication ''Flora of the County Donegal'', widely regarded as his most important botanical work. The publication was destroyed during a fire as part of the 1916
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...
.Hart, Henry Chichester (1847-1908) /ref>
In 1886, H. C. Hart wagered fifty guineas with the naturalist R. M. Barrington that he could walk the between the tram terminus in Terenure in Dublin, Ireland to the summit of Lugnaquilla in Wicklow and back in under 24 hours. Hart, accompanied by Sir Frederick Cullinan, walked from
Terenure
Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area.
Location and transport
Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...
Wicklow Mountains
The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. Wh ...
- a total of 75 miles - and back in 24 hours, making a record at the time. Hart left Terenure at 10:58 pm on 20 June 1886 and arrived back at 10:48 pm the next evening.The Irish Times, Wednesday, 8 April 2015 /ref> /ref> The success of this challenge is remembered by the commemorative Hart Walk.
In 1875–1876, Hart accompanied Sir George Strong Nares as a naturalist on his British Arctic Expedition. He was also a naturalist on the
Palestine Exploration Fund
The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society based in London. It was founded in 1865, shortly after the completion of the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem, and is the oldest known organization in the world created specifically for the study ...
's 1883-1884 expedition to
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
.
Personal life
In 1887, he married Edith Susan Anna Donelly (1852-1901), daughter of William Donnely, C.B., L.L.D, of Dublin. They had two daughters and divorced in 1897.An Irish Family History, Vol 3, The Harts of Glenalla, by K.E. Whitton
Hart was also interested in
Elizabethan literature
Elizabethan literature refers to bodies of work produced during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), and is one of the most splendid ages of English literature. In addition to drama and the theatre, it saw a flowering of poetry, with n ...
and he edited numerous Shakespeare plays for the Arden Shakespeare and many works by
Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
for Methuen's Standard Library.50. H.C. Hart, a critical introduction /ref>
He lived at Carrablagh House,
Portsalon
Portsalon ( ga, Port an tSalainn) is a coastal townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It's situated on the scenic Lough Swilly and it is known for its beach, which was deemed to be the second most beautiful beach in the world by ''The Observer'' ne ...
,
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
. He was
High Sheriff of Donegal
The High Sheriff of Donegal was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland, from the late 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Irish Free State and replaced by the office of Donega ...
in 1895.
Publications
# On the botany of the British polar expedition of 1875–1876, (1880).
# On the botany of Sinai and South Palestine, (1885).
# Flora of Howth, (Hodges, Figgis, 1887).
The animals mentioned in the Bible (Religious Tract Society, 1888).
# Flora of the County Donegal, (Sealy, Bryers and Walker ; 1898).