William Ick (1800 – 23 September 1844) was an English botanist and geologist. In 1837 he won a prize offered by the United Committee of the Birmingham Botanical and Warwickshire Floral Societies for the best

herbarium A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

, known as a ', of native plants collected within of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

within a one-year period from 1 August 1836.

Early life

Ick was born at Newport in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

in 1800. In 1803 his family moved to Birmingham. His father was a dealer in skins and hides.

Education

He was awarded a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in Geology from a German university.

Career

Ick was a tutor at a school near

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

before becoming the first curator of the

Birmingham Philosophical Institution The Birmingham Philosophical Institution was a society established in Birmingham, England for the exchange of scientific knowledge. The Institution was established in either 1800 or 1803 (sources are uncertain) in cramped premises in Cannon Street ...

Contribution to botany

In 1835 the United Committee of the Birmingham Botanical and Warwickshire Floral Societies offered a prize for the best herbarium of native plants collected within a 10 miles radius of central Birmingham between 1 August 1836 and 1 August 1837. Ick won this prize with a herbarium of around 320 pressed plants and published his findings. In 1948 Ick's herbarium was presented to

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BM&AG) is a museum and art gallery in Birmingham, England. It has a collection of international importance covering fine art, ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, natural history, archaeology, ethnography, local ...

after being lost for over a century

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ick, William English botanists 19th-century British geologists 1800 births 1844 deaths People from Newport, Shropshire People from Birmingham, West Midlands