Record

Authorised form of nameWillughby; Francis (1635 - 1672); naturalist
Other forms of surnameWilloughby
Dates1635 - 1672
NationalityBritish
Place of birthMiddleton, Warwickshire, England, Europe
Date of birth22 November 1635
Place of deathMiddleton Hall, Warwickshire, England, Europe
Date of death3 July 1672
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
Middleton Church, Warwickshire, England, Europe
Research fieldZoology
Natural history
ActivityEducation:
Sutton Coldfield School; Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1655/6; MA 1659); studied at the Bodleian Library, Oxford (1660)
Career:
Accompanied John Ray (FRS 1667) on botanical research trips through Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire (1660-1662); travelled extensively in Europe (1663-1666) and to the south-west of England with Ray (1667); his work 'Ornithology' published posthumously by Ray (1676; 1678)
Membership categoryOriginal Fellow
Date of election20/05/1663
ProposerJohn Wilkins
RSActivityCommittee and panels:
Committee for the Histories of Trade (1664)
Other Royal Society activityAdmitted 4 December 1661 and 1 October 1662; Involved in experiments and demonstrations of botanical and zoological nature (1662); Pledged £80 in support of the Royal Society College at Arundel House (1667-1668); Frequent correspondent to the Society and sent independent research in natural history; 'Historia piscium' published posthumously by the Royal Society (1686); 'Historia insectorum' published posthumously by the Royal Society (1710), having been edited by William Derham (FRS 1703)
RelationshipsParents: Sir Francis Willughby and Cassandra Ridgeway
Married: Emma Barnard
Children: Francis Willughby; Cassandra Willughby; Thomas Willughby (FRS 1693); son-in-law James Brdyges (FRS 1694)
Additional relatives: cousin of Peter Courthope (FRS 1668)
PublishedWorksRCN: 18575
RCN: 18576
RCN: 18574
OtherInfoWillughby is credited with a profound influence on the history of botany, zoology and on natural history. His new ways of animal classifications, published posthumously by John Ray, and in particular his work on ornithology were also impactful for natural history writers and the development of Linneaus' binomical nomenclature. Prior to his death, Willughby had planned a trip to America in order to expand his zoological knowledge, although this never happened.
Related imagesDiscover a selection of related images in our picture library
SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Venn; Foster; ODNB
References:
R K Bluhm, 'Remarks on the Royal Society's Finances, 1660-1768' in NR 1958 vol 13 pp 82-103
E N da C Andrade, 'The Birth and Early Days of the Philosophical Transactions' in NR 1965 vol 20 pp 9-27
Charles A Rivington, 'Early Printers to the Royal Society 1663-1708' in NR 1984-85 vol 39 pp 1-27
William T Stearn, 'The Wilkins Lecture, 1985. John Wilkins, John Ray and Carl Linnaeus' in NR 1985-86 vol 40 pp 101-123
Sachiko Kusukawa, 'The Historia Piscium (1686)' in NR 2000 vol 54 pp 179-197
Susan McMahon, 'John Ray (1627-1705) and the Act of Uniformity 1662' in NR 2000 vol 54 pp 153-178
R Lewis, 'The publication of John Wilkins's Essay (1668): some contextual considerations' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp133-146
N J W Thrower, 'Samuel Pepys FRS (1633-1733) and The Royal Society' in NR 2003 vol 57 pp 3-13
A Cook, 'Rome and the Royal Society, 1660-1740' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 3-19
Notes:
The election date is Willughby's re-election date into the Society after the grant of the second charter in April 1663. All Fellows admitted in a two-month window after this charter, until 22 June 1663, are considered Original Fellows. He was previously admitted into the Society on 4 December 1661 and 1 October 1662 .The double admission dates are taken from the Journal Book.
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/76431571
CodeNA8374
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
IM/001265Willughby, FrancisMay 2003
RBO/4/22'Experiments concerning the Motion of the sap in Trees made this Spring 1669' by Francis Willughby and John Ray1669
IM/001266Willughby, FrancisMay 2003
LBO/3/55Copy of a letter from Henry Oldenburg, London, to Francis Willughby15 June 1669
CLP/8i/13Copy paper, 'The eclipse was observ'd by Francis Willoughby [Willughby], [Walter] Pope, [Henry] Phillips and myself in Gresham College, London, 22 June 1666' by Robert Hooke1666
CLP/8i/13a/2Diagram, solar eclipse by unknown artist1666
CLP/15i/2Paper, 'An account of the reproduction of insects' by Francis Willughby[1661]
EL/O2/90Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Francis Willughby, dated at London6 July 1672
EL/O2/20Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Francis Willughby, dated at London20 January 1670
EL/W3/36Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton4 July 1670
EL/W3/39Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg19 August 1670
EL/W3/43Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg1671
EL/W3/35Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton7 June 1670
EL/W3/44Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton10 July 1671
EL/W3/33Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Warwickshire12 March 1670
EL/O1/123Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Francis Willughby, dated at London15 June 1669
EL/W3/37Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton19 July 1670
EL/W3/41Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton13 January 1671
CLP/10i/12Paper, 'Experiments concerning the motion of the sap in trees made this spring' by Francis Willughby and Mr [John] Wray [Ray][1669]
EL/A/28Minutes of the Dublin Philosophical Society, sent by St George Ashe, dated at Trinity College Dublin30 May 1685
CLP/8i/13a/1Manuscript, 'The eclipse of the Sun' by Francis Willughby, [Walter] Pope, [Henry] Phillips and Robert Hooke1666
CLP/8i/8Plate, Saturn and Jupiter by Joseph Campani1664
EL/W3/32Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton29 January 1669
EL/O1/124Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Francis Willughby, dated at London9 July 1669
CLP/3i/54Paper, 'Animadversiones in novam theoriam motus a viris Dno Christophoro Wren et Dno Christiano Hugenio' ['Amendments to the new theory of motion of Christopher Wren and Christian Huygens'] by Francis Willughby[1669]
CLP/8i/13aPaper, 'The eclipse of the Sun' by Francis Willughby, [Walter] Pope, [Henry] Phillips and Robert Hooke1666
EL/O2/44Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Francis Willughby, dated at London21 January 1670
EL/O2/53Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Francis Willughby, dated at London27 July 1671
EL/W3/30Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton29 May 1669
EL/W3/31Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton21 June 1669
EL/W3/34Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton16 April 1670
EL/W3/38Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton23 July 1669
EL/W3/40Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton2 September 1670
EL/W3/42Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton16 March 1671
EL/W3/45Letter, from Francis Willughby to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Middleton24 August 1671
RBO/3/49'Account Of the Eclipse of the Sun' by Robert Hookend
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