Samuel Dickenson (1733 – May 15, 1823) was an English clergyman and botanist. He was educated at St John's College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, where he was a contemporary of

Erasmus Darwin Erasmus Robert Darwin (12 December 173118 April 1802) was an English physician. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave-trade abolitionist, inventor, and poet. His poems ...

. He succeeded his father John Dickenson as Rector of St. Mary's, Blymhill and remained in the position from 9 January 1777 until his death, aged 90, in 1823. Dickenson contributed to various botanical and historical works and was tutor to Thomas Beddoes and

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

(uncle of the famous naturalist

Charles Robert Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

). He accompanied the 8 year old Darwin on an excursion to France, collecting plants, between October 1766 and March 1767. The inscription on his memorial in St. Mary's reads:

Revd. Samuel Dickenson during 46 years Rector of this place his character was adorned with many virtues, his mind richly stored with learning divine and humane, he was remarkably upright in his dealings & strictly temperate in his mode of living, in simplicity & godly sincerity. He had his conversation in the world.His son, John Horatio Dickenson, followed his father, first as curate then as Rector. The inscription on his memorial contrasts with his fathers's - 'In his own estimation he was the vilest of sinners - saved by exceeding abundant grace...'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickenson, Samuel 1733 births 1823 deaths 18th-century British botanists Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge 18th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century British botanists