George Carter Bignell (1 March 1826 – 1 March 1910) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

. He was born in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

and left school at the age of 12 to become a bookings clerk but joined the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

when he was 16. He joined HMS ''Superb'', one of the last all-wooden, all-sailing, ships-of-the-line to serve in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. He saw action in the Portuguese " Little Civil War" in 1847, as part of a British squadron sent to support Queen Maria II. During his time in the Marines he developed a passion for natural history, especially insects, which he studied whenever he had the chance. He retired after 22 years' service with the rank of Barrack Sergeant. Bignell was then appointed Registrar of Births and Deaths, and Poor Law Officer for Stonehouse in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. His spare time was devoted to entomology; he scoured the countryside of Devon and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

looking for specimens and studying them in their habitat. Although he studied and collected a wide range of insects, it was his work with the

Ichneumonidae The Ichneumonidae, also known as the ichneumon wasps, Darwin wasps, or ichneumonids, are a family (biology), family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 2 ...

or parasitic wasps that was outstanding; discovering nineteen species that were entirely new to science, two of which are named after him. He devised the Bignell Beating Tray, a folding screen for collecting insects falling from a beaten branch. In addition to insects, he later researched and collected marine algae. Bignell was a member of the Plymouth Athenaeum and the Plymouth Institution, of which he became president in 1893, and a Fellow of the

Royal Entomological Society of London The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of London ...

. He wrote many articles for ''The Entomologist Magazine'', the ''Young Naturalist'' and the ''Transactions of the Plymouth Institution''. A large collection of his specimens is held at the Plymouth Museum and some are 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 London. His first two wives predeceased him and he married for a third time in 1874. In 1898, he moved from Stonehouse to

Saltash Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Corn ...

. Bignell died on his 84th birthday in 1910. He was survived by three daughters and his widow, while a son had died at sea before him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bignell, George Carter 1826 births 1910 deaths English entomologists Royal Marines ranks

Further reading

References