James Bolton (1735 – 7 January 1799) was an English
naturalist,
botanist,
mycologist, and
illustrator.
Background
James Bolton was born near
Warley in the
West Riding
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
of
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
in 1735, the son of William Bolton, a
weaver. James initially followed in his father's trade, but later became a self-taught art teacher and finally a
publican
In antiquity, publicans ( Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed th ...
in his home village of Warley.
[Edmondson, J. (1995) New insights into James Bolton of Halifax. ''Mycologist'' 9: 174-178] He married Sarah Blackburn in 1768 and the couple had four children. He and his family lived all their lives in the
Halifax area.
James and his older brother, Thomas Bolton (1722–1778), were keen naturalists, Thomas having a particular interest in
entomology and
ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
.
[ ]Edward Donovan
Edward Donovan (1768 – 1 February 1837) was an Anglo-Irish writer, natural history illustrator, and amateur zoologist. He did not travel, but collected, described and illustrated many species based on the collections of other naturalists. H ...
named the dragonfly '' Cordulegaster boltonii'' after a specimen collected by Thomas Bolton. The two brothers contributed to the natural history section in ''The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Halifax in Yorkshire'', published in 1775 by John Watson.[ James Bolton subsequently developed his interest further by writing or illustrating a number of important natural history books.
]
Ferns and flowering plants
In 1785, Bolton provided the illustrations for Richard Relhan's ''Flora Cantabrigiensis''. In the same year, he also published the first of his own works, part one of ''Filices Britannicae'', an illustrated account of British fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...
s in two volumes. James Bolton not only drew the illustrations, but etched them himself. Moreover, he did not merely collate existing information on ferns, but undertook original research and field work. The book includes a description and illustration of a new fern species, now known as '' Woodsia alpina'' (Bolton) Gray. At this time, Bolton was commissioned by the wealthy Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland
Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland (11 February 1715 – 17 July 1785) was a British aristocrat, styled Lady Margaret Harley before 1734, Duchess of Portland from 1734 to her husband's death in 1761, and Dowager Duchess of Por ...
(1715–1785) to illustrate plants in her museum collection.[
James Bolton's additional illustrations of native and exotic flowering plants were never published. A number of his original watercolours, however, are extant, including ''Fifty Flowers Drawn from Nature at Halifax'' (1785–1787) at the ]Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...
, an album from 1794 called "Twelve Posies Gathered in the Fields" held at Liverpool Museum
World Museum is a large museum in Liverpool, England which has extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. Special attractions include the Natural History Centre and a planetarium. Entry to the ...
, and a collection of botanical paintings in the Lindley Library at the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
.
In 1788 the genus ''Boltonia
''Boltonia'' is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae native primarily to North America with one species in eastern Asia.
; Species
* '' Boltonia apalachicolensis'' - Apalachicola doll's daisy - Florida Panhandle
* '' Boltonia asteroides' ...
'' (''Compositae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...
'') was named in his honour by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle
Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle (; 15 June 1746 – 18 August 1800) was an 18th-century French botanist and civil servant. Born into an affluent upper-class Parisian family, connections with the French Royal Court secured him the position of ...
.[
]
Fungi
Bolton's chief interest was in fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...
, which he assiduously collected, carried home in his vasculum and illustrated. He also corresponded with many of the notable mycologists of his day, including Jean Bulliard, James Dickson James or Jim Dickson may refer to:
Politicians
*James Dickson (Scottish politician) (c. 1715–1771), MP for Lanark Burghs 1768–1771
*James Dickson (New South Wales politician) (1813–1863), member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
*Ja ...
, John Lightfoot, and Carl Willdenow. The result was the publication of the first English-language work devoted to fungi, Bolton's three-volume ''An History of Fungusses growing about Halifax'', published 1788–1790, with a supplement in 1791. The work was dedicated to Henry Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough
Earl of Gainsborough is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation ended in extinction when the sixth Earl died without heirs. However, the title was re ...
(1743–1798), who was one of Bolton's patrons and helped fund the project. As with the earlier book on ferns, Bolton not only undertook the illustrations, but also did the etchings for the work, which were then hand-coloured. Among the species covered, many were newly described, including such familiar fungi as the Wood Woollyfoot ''Gymnopus peronatus
''Gymnopus peronatus'' (formerly called ''Collybia peronata'' or ''Marasmius urens'') is a species of gilled mushroom which is common in European woods. The English name wood woolly-foot has been given to this species.
Naming
This species wa ...
'' (Bolton) P. Kumm., the inkcap '' Coprinellus domesticus'' (Bolton) Vilgalys ''et al.'', the Cramp Ball ''Daldinia concentrica
The inedible fungus ''Daldinia concentrica'' is known by several common names, including King Alfred's cake, cramp balls, and coal fungus. As with other fungi the light spores are distributed globally and the fungi develop wherever conditions ar ...
'' (Bolton) Ces. & De Not., the bracket ''Daedaleopsis confragosa
''Daedaleopsis confragosa'', commonly known as the thin walled maze polypore or the blushing bracket, is a species of polypore fungus in the family Polyporaceae. A plant pathogen, it causes a white rot of injured hardwoods, especially willows. T ...
'' (Bolton) J. Schröt., the agaric '' Lepiota cristata'' (Bolton) P. Kumm., and the Fairy-Ring Champignon '' Marasmius oreades'' (Bolton) Fr.[ The book was translated into German, as ''Geschichte der merkwürdigsten Pilze'', and published in four volumes (1795–1820) with notes by Willdenow.
An additional album of 233 unpublished paintings of fungi, known as ''Icones fungorum circa Halifax nascentium'', is held in the Special Collections Library of the ]United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
. A collection of 36 "fungi illustrations" (c. 1780) is also held at the Natural History Museum[ and some additional sketches are in the library of the ]Earl of Derby
Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...
at Knowsley Hall
Knowsley Hall is a stately home near Liverpool in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. It is the ancestral home of the Stanley family, the Earls of Derby. The hall is surrounded by of parkland, which contains the Knowsley ...
.[
Few of Bolton's fungal collections survive, but some of his specimens are in the mycological herbarium at the ]Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...
and others in the Edward Robson herbarium at Sunderland Museum.
Songbirds
Bolton's final published work was ''Harmonia ruralis'', an "essay towards a natural history of British songbirds", issued in two volumes (1794–6). Birds and their nests were drawn from life, whilst the text contained many of Bolton's first-hand observations. The popularity of the subject matter led to two subsequent but posthumous editions in 1830 and 1845.
Works
*
*''An History of Fungusses, Groving About Halifax'', 4 voll., Huddersfield, 1788-1791.
**
**
**
**
James Bolton today
An exhibition devoted to James Bolton and his works was held at the Liverpool Museum in 1995-6 and he was one of the artists featured in the ''Nature Observed'' exhibition at the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
in 2006. Bolton's fern and fungi books, with their descriptions of new species, remain of scientific value today, whilst his bird studies from ''Harmonia ruralis'' have retained their attraction - and have been reproduced as prints, on table mats and coasters, and even on tea towels.
Further reading
* Edmondson, J. (1995). ''James Bolton of Halifax''. Liverpool: National Museums & Galleries
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolton, James
English botanists
English mycologists
English naturalists
1735 births
1799 deaths
Botanical illustrators
British pteridologists
English ornithologists
18th-century English people
18th-century British artists
18th-century British botanists