The Yorkshire Naturalists' Union is an association of amateur and professional naturalists covering a wide range of aspects of natural history. It is one of

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

's oldest extant wildlife organisations and oldest natural history

federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

. Its Mycological Committee, founded in 1892, is the oldest permanent organisation dedicated to the study of

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 ...

in Great Britain.

History

The Yorkshire Naturalists' Union was founded in 1861 as 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 ...

Consolidated Naturalists' Society. Initially a collaboration of five local natural history field clubs, additional clubs and societies from across

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

continued to join. The association renamed itself the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union in 1876.

Activities

The Yorkshire Naturalists' Union organises joint field trips, co-operates with the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

and other county-sized associations, and publishes a journal, ''The Naturalist''. The journal was first published by the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union in August 1878.

Notable members

* William Sawney Bisat(1886–1973), geologist *

Frederick Orpen Bower Frederick Orpen Bower FRSE FRS (4 November 1855 – 11 April 1948) was an English botanist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1891. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Linnean Society in 1909 and the Darwin Medal of the Ro ...

(1855–1948), botanist * William Norwood Cheesman (1847–1925), mycologist *

Alfred Clarke Alfred Clarke may refer to: * Alf Clarke (1926–1971), English footballer and manager * Alfred Clarke (Australian cricketer) (1868–1940), Australian cricketer * Alfred Clarke (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (1831–1878), English cricketer * Alfr ...

(1848–1925), mycologist and photographer *

William Eagle Clarke Dr William Eagle Clarke FLS FRSE PBOU I.S.O LL.D. (16 March 1853 – 10 May 1938) was a British ornithologist. Life Clarke was born in Leeds where his father William Clarke was a solicitor and educated at the Grammar School and at Yorkshire ...

(1853–1938), ornithologist * Charles Crossland (1844–1916), mycologist and ecologist *

James William Davis James William Davis (1846, Leeds-1893) was a British naturalist who specialised in fossil fish. He lived at Chevinedge, Halifax in Yorkshire. James William Davis was a leading member of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union and a Fellow of the Geolog ...

(1846–1893), geologist *

John Farrah John Farrah, F.L.S., F.R.Met.S (28 May 1849 – 13 November 1907) was a British grocer, confectioner, biologist and meteorologist from Harrogate, North Riding of Yorkshire, England. In the late 19th century he developed the business strategy ...

(1849–1907), botanist and meteorologist * Percy H. Grimshaw (1869–1939), entomologist and zoogeographer * Henry Bendelack Hewetson (1850–1899), ornithologist *

William Walsham How William Walsham How (13 December 182310 August 1897) was an English Anglican bishop. Known as Walsham How, he was the son of a Shrewsbury solicitor; How was educated at Shrewsbury School, Wadham College, Oxford and University College, Durham. ...

(1823–1897), botanist and

Bishop of Wakefield The Bishop of Wakefield is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. The title was first created for a Diocese, diocesan Anglican minist ...

George Edward Massee George Edward Massee (20 December 1845 – 16 February 1917) was an English mycologist, plant pathologist, and botanist. Background and education George Massee was born in Scampston, East Riding of Yorkshire, the son of a farmer. He was educat ...

(1845–1917), mycologist *

Seth Lister Mosley Seth Lister Mosley FES (1848–1929) was an English naturalist, ornithologist and curator who lived in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Born into a working-class family, he had little in the way of formal education. Career He initially worked ...

(1847–1829), ornithologist and museum curator * James Needham (1849–1913), mycologist and ecologist *

Arthur Anselm Pearson Arthur Anselm Pearson (12 April 1874 – 13 March 1954) was an English mycologist. He often published under the name A. A. Pearson. Background and career Pearson was born in London, but educated in Belgium. After leaving school he worked a ...

(1874–1954), mycologist *

George Taylor Porritt George Taylor Porritt (18481927) was an English wool merchant, naturalist and lepidopterist from Huddersfield, Yorkshire. He is best known for his work on the effects of industrial pollution on the changes in frequency of melanin in populations ...

(1848–1927), entomologist *

Albert Seward Sir Albert Charles Seward FRS (9 October 1863 – 11 April 1941) was a British botanist and geologist. Life Seward was born in Lancaster. His first education was at Lancaster Grammar School and he then went on to St John's College, Cambrid ...

(1863–1941), botanist and geologist.

Professor of Botany, Cambridge University The chair of the Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge was founded by the university in 1724. In 2009 the chair was renamed the Regius Professor of Botany. Professors of Botany * Richard Bradley (1724) * John Martyn (1733) * Thomas ...

from 1906 to 1936 * Henry Thomas Soppitt (1858–1899), mycologist *

James Varley James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

(1817–1883), ornithologist and entomologist *

Harold Wager Harold William Taylor Wager FRS (11 March 1862 – 17 November 1929) was a British botanist and mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their ...

(1862–1929), mycologist *

Roy Watling Roy Watling , PhD., DSc, FRSE, F.I.Biol., C.Biol., FLS (born 1938) is a Scottish mycologist who has made significant contributions to the study of fungi both in identification of new species and correct taxonomic placement, as well as in fung ...

(b. 1938), mycologist *

Thomas William Woodhead Thomas William Woodhead (1863–1940) was an English plant ecologist. He was early proponent of ecology, who helped the growth of plant ecology as a discipline in England, and later became Professor of Biology at Huddersfield Technical College. ...

(1863–1940), plant ecologist

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Yorkshire Naturalists' Union
Official webpage of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union
Biology societies Natural history societies 1861 establishments in England Organisations based in Yorkshire

History

Activities

Notable members

See also

References

External links