Person Oliver; Francis Wall (1864 - 1951); palaeobotanist and ecologist Oliver Francis Wall palaeobotanist and ecologist 1864 - 1951 British Male Richmond, Surrey, England 10 May 1864 18640510 Ballards Barn, Limpsfield, Surrey, England 14/09/1951 19510914

Ballards Barn, Limpsfield, Surrey, England

palaeobotanist and ecologist Conservation Ecology Botany Palaeobotany Education: Friends' School, Kendall (1873-1878); Bootham School, York (1878-1881); MA (Cantab); DSc (Lond) Career: Took his father's place at University College, London, initially as lecturer (1888), and then as Quain professor of botany (1890); became associated with D.H Scott, the newly appointed honorary keeper of the Jordell Laboratory (1892), persuading him to give his famous lectures on fossil plants at University College (1896); organised September study visits to the Brittany coast focusing on salt-marsh vegetation (1904-1908); annually took his students to Blakeney Point, Norfolk for a fortnight, to study plants life in relation to habitat conditions, and raised funds to erect a field laboratory there (1910); co-editor of the Annals of Botany (1912-1942); professor at Cairo University (1929-1935); lived on the edge of the desert in order to study the changing aspects of its vegetation 1935); returned to England (1950). Awards/Medals: Linnean Medal (1925) Parents: Daniel Oliver (FRS 1863), keeper at Kew from 1864, and Hannah, daughter of James Wall, of Sheffield. Spouse: Mildred Alice (d. 1932), daughter of Charles Robert Thompson, surgeon, of Westerham (1896). Children: one daughter and two sons, one of whom was Sir Geoffrey Nigel Oliver, naval officer. His work led to the recognition of Lagenostoma lomaxi as the seed of a woody, fern-like plant, the well-known fossil, Lyginopteris oldhamia. Established a group, the Pteridosperms, as an important feature of the Coal-Measure vegetation. Produced detailed accounts of a primitive type of Stephanospermum and, in collaboration with Edward James Salisbury (FRS 1933), an account of the seeds of the genus Conostoma. Later in life he focused on the study of the physiography of shingle beaches and salt marsh development in relation to their vegetation, becoming interested in Spartina townsendii. Many of Oliver’s pupils achieved distinction in their fields, occupying senior botanical positions. Notably, three women feature on this list: Margaret Jane Benson, Professor of Botany at the Royal Holloway College; Dr Ethel N. Thomas, Head of the Botanical Department, University College, Leicester; and Dr Winifred Brenchley, Head of the Botany Department at Rothamsted. Fellow 11/05/1905 41 Dukinfield Henry Scott; John Bretland Farmer; Isaac Bayley Balfour; Frederick Orpen Bower; Harry Marshall Ward; Albert Charles Seward; Walter Gardiner; Joseph Dalton Hooker; William Turner Thiselton-Dyer Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB Obituaries: Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 1952-1953 vol 8 pp 229-240, plate, by E J Salisbury International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.1952.0015 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Oliver%2C+Francis+Wall Article 'Vignettes from Holland', in 'Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society' Vol XII, Part IV, 1927-8; Article on 'The Egyptian Desert', in 'Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society' Vol XIII, Part I, 1929-30; Article ' Oasis Impressions, being a Visit tot the Egyptian Oasis of Kharga', in 'Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society' Vol. XIII, Part II, 1930-31; article 'Flowers of Mareotis, Part II' in 'Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists Society' 1945-6; ' A souvenir of Blakeney Point' 1928; All found under 'Works' in Library 10 May 1864 - 14 Sep 1951 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 06/03/2024 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA1753 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes 2a0a5163-3eb9-4570-ac86-9555b62e0e94