John Hancock (ornithologist)
John Hancock | |
---|---|
Born | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | 24 February 1808
Died | 11 October 1890 St Mary's Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne, England[1] | (aged 82)
Occupation | Ornithologist |
Years active | 1829–1880s |
Known for | Ornithological work, including taxidermy, research, art and writing |
Notable work | The Struggle with the Quarry, 1851 |
John Hancock (24 February 1808 – 11 October 1890) was an English
Hancock introduced the style of dramatic and lifelike arrangement in taxidermy. One of his famous works "Struggle with the quarry" depicted a falcon attacking a heron which held an eel. This taxidermy mount was an attraction at the 1851
Life and work
Hancock was born in Newcastle upon Tyne to John Hancock Sr. who ran a saddle and hardware business. Their grandfather, Thomas had been a saddler and ironmonger with a shop on Tyne Bridge prior to 1771 when it was destroyed in a flood. For some time the family lived at Bensham and after the death of their father at the age of 43 in 1812, their mother moved them to Windmill Hills, Gateshead. Along with his brother Albany Hancock they took an early interest in natural history from their father who had a large collection of books on natural history.The children went to a seminary run by a Miss Anna Prowitt and here he learned to draw. The brothers also learned some mathematics from Henry Atkinson, on the High Bridge. They formed a small band of naturalists who travelled to nearby places in summer. This was well before the formation of the Natural History Society of Northumberland and Durham in 1829 and later groups like the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club in 1846 in which he participated. Already in 1829 he was the first to note the differences between the whooper and Bewick's swan although a formal notice on the subject was read first by R.R. Wingate, a neighbour of Thomas Bewick.[5] John Hancock learned taxidermy from Richard Wingate. Hancock travelled with fellow naturalist William C. Hewitson and Benjamin Johnson to Norway in 1833. With Hewitson, they then visited Switzerland in 1845.[6] Hancock was also an artist and produced several lithographic prints in the 1850s depicting his taxidermy preparations. His taxidermy mounts presented in the 1851 Great Exhibition drew great praise for their artistry.[7]
Hancock was a mentor and tutor to the celebrated ornithologist and bird painter,
Drawing and publishing
Hancock learned engraving and lithography and made several illustrated works. His 1863 "A Fasciculus of Eight Drawings on Stone of Groups of Birds, the whole being representations of specimens stuffed and contributed by the Author to the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851" included drawings of his taxidermic mounts. In 1874, Hancock published his Catalogue of the Birds of Northumberland and Durham. These works drew acclaim from Professor Alfred Newton for the accuracy of observation.[7]
Hancock edited Thomas Bewick's 1847 edition of Birds. In 1868 he planned a layout for Newcastle Town Moor, which was only partly realised. In 1875, he was asked to prepare a plan for Saltwell Park, but declined due to pressure of work.
Museum
The
Taxon described by him
References
- ^ Goddard, T. Russell (15 April 2018). "John Hancock: A Biography by T Russell Goddard (1929)". nhsn.org.uk. Natural History Society of Northumbria. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ Davie, Oliver (1900). Methods in the art of taxidermy. Philadelphia: David McKay.
- JSTOR 1363833.
- ISBN 978-1-4733-7688-5.
- ^ Gardner-Medwin, David (2002). "Thomas Bewick and John Hancock" (PDF). Cherryburn Times. 4 (2): 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014.
- ^ Lowther, David; Jessop, Leslie. "John Hancock and the "Laemmergeyer of the Alps"" (PDF). Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumbria. 79: 67–80.
- ^ a b c Embelton, D. (1894). "Memoir of the life of John Hancock". Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 11: 1–21.
- .
- ^ Shufeldt, RW (1892). Scientific taxidermy for museums. Report of US National Museum. US National Museum. p. 369.
- ^ Alder, J; Hancock, A (1907). "Life of Albany Hancock". The British Tunicata. An unfinished monograph. Volume 2. London: Ray Society. pp. xvii–xxviii.
- ^ Howse, Richard (1899). Index-catalogue of the birds in the Hancock collection. Natural History Society.
- ^ Melling, Tim (2009). "Should red-necked nightjar be on the British list" (PDF). British Birds. 102 (3): 110–115.
- ^ Temperley, G.W. (1946). "Breeding of the black redstart in Britain. A century old record" (PDF). British Birds. 39 (4): 110–111.
- ^ Gill, Leonard (1907). "The Hancock Museum and its history". Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 3: i–xxvii.
- ^ International Plant Names Index. J.Hancock.