Francis Arthur Bather FRS (17 February 1863, in

Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

– 20 March 1934) was a British

palaeontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and

malacologist Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...

. His mother, Lucy Elizabeth Blomfield, was a daughter of Charles Blomfield,

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. His father, Arthur Henry Bather, who was

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

, was a clerk in the office of the Accountant-General for the Navy. Bather joined the Department of Geology 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. ...

in 1887. He became Keeper in succession to

Arthur Smith Woodward Sir Arthur Smith Woodward, FRS (23 May 1864 – 2 September 1944) was an English palaeontologist, known as a world expert in fossil fish. He also described the Piltdown Man fossils, which were later determined to be fraudulent. He is not relate ...

in 1924, retiring in 1928. Bather was awarded the

Lyell Medal The Lyell Medal is a prestigious annual scientific medal given by the Geological Society of London, equal in status to the Murchison Medal. This medal is awarded based on one Earth Scientist's exceptional contribution of research to the scientific ...

of the Geological Society, of which he also served as president. He was an Honorary Member of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall, and was elected a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1909. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1928. In 1932 Bather was awarded the

Mary Clark Thompson Medal The Mary Clark Thompson Medalis awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "for most important service to geology and paleontology." Named after Mary Clark Thompson and first awarded in 1921, it was originally presented every three years toget ...

from the National Academy of Sciences. He married Stina Bergöö, daughter of Adolf Bergöö of Stockholm, and sister of the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

artist

Karin Bergöö Larsson Karin Larsson, née Bergöö, (3 October 1859 – 18 February 1928) was a Swedish artist and designer who collaborated with her husband, Carl Larsson, as well as being often depicted in his paintings. Early life and education Karin Bergö ...

and they had a daughter and two sons. A photographic portrait is in the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director ...

.
Portrait of Francis Arthur Bather

Bibliography

*''Puns of Shakspeare in Noctes Shaksperianae'' (1887) *''Crinoidea of Gotland, Stockholm'' (1893) * *''The Genera and Species of Blastoidea'' (1899) *
The Man as Museum-Curator,'
Museums Journal, (1902). *''Chapters on Echinoderms in Lankester’s Treatise on Zoology, Encycl. Brit.'' *''Triassic Echinoderms of Bakony'' (1909) *''Cystidea from Girvan'' (1913) *''Studies in Edrioasteroidea'' (1915)

References

1863 births 1934 deaths Blomfield family British palaeontologists Employees of the Natural History Museum, London Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the Royal Society Lyell Medal winners {{paleontologist-stub