Person Petiver; James (c 1663 - 1718); botanist and entomologist Petiver James botanist and entomologist c 1663 - 1718 British Male Hillmorton, near Rugby, Warwickshire, England, Europe 1663 1663 Aldersgate Street, London, England, Europe 2 April 1718 17180402 Burial: Chancel of St Botolph's Church, Aldersgate Street, London, England, Europe (10 April 1718)

At the White Cross, near Long Lane in Aldersgate Street, London (1692-death)

Apothecary Botany Entomology Education: Rugby School; apprenticed to Charles Feltham, apothecary to St Bartholomew's Hospital, London; University of Leyden (1711) Career: Practised in London; corresponded with John Ray (FRS 1667) and many other naturalists; made a collection of several thousand plants; Apothecary to the Charterhouse (1700-1718); helped initiate 'The Monthly Miscellany; or, Memoirs for the Curious' (1707); Demonstrator of Plants to the Society of Apothecaries (1709); purchased Dr Hermann's museum in Leyden for Sir Hans Sloane (FRS 1685) (1711); Sloane purchased his collections of specimens, books and manuscripts after his death and they are now in the British Museum Parents: James Petiver and Mary Elborowe John Ray (FRS 1667) acknowledged Petiver's botanical expertise along with that of Petiver's friend Samuel Doody (FRS 1695) in his 1688 volume 'Historia Plantarum'. In the early 1690s, Petiver entered into a profitable correspondence with Samuel Browne, surgeon to the East India Company. Scottish surgeon James Cuninghame also proved to be an effective and productive collector for Petiver and sent speciments from China and Vietnam. Additionally, Petiver received specimens from John Smith, minister to the Royal African Company. His posthumous reputation as a collector was tarnished slightly by his close associate Sir Hans Sloane's (FRS 1685) complaint about the state of Petiver's collection, which reportedly delayed the production of Sloane's second volume of work on Jamaican flora and fauna. Petiver and Sloane were both associated with the informal botanical club which met at Temple Coffee House. In his wide-ranging circle of correspondence, which included instructions to correspondents in Jamaica, for example, Petiver did systematise the use of enslaved people as collectors, though they remained uncredited. Royal Society roles: Council: 1702-1709 (with intermittent breaks); 1716-1717 Fellow 27/11/1695 Presented findings as well as correspondence on natural history to the Society (1690s) Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Innes Smith References: Appleby, J H. 2003. 'The founding of St Petersburg in the context of the Royal Society's relationship with Russia', in Notes and Records, vol. 57, pp. 273-284 Armytage, W H G. 1954-5. 'The Royal Society and the Apothecaries', in Notes and Records, vol. 11, pp. 22-37 Delbourgo, J. 2017. 'Collecting the World: The Life and Curiosity of Hans Sloane' (Allen Lane) Egerton, F N. 1970. 'Richard Bradley's Relationship with Sir Hans Sloane', in Notes and Records, vol. 25, pp. 59-77 Fontes da Costa, P. 2002. 'The Culture of Curiosity at The Royal Society in the first half of the eighteenth century', in Notes and Records, vol. 156, pp. 147-166 Ibanez, N et al. 2006. 'Plant material exchanged between James Petiver (ca.1663-1718) and Joan Salvador I Riera (1683-1725). I. The Balearic plants conserved in the BC-Salvador', in Notes and Records, vol. 60, pp. 241-248 Jarvis, C E and Coulton, R. 2020. 'A Chronology of the Life of James Petiver (ca 1663-1718)', in Notes and Records, vol. 74, pp. 183-187 Notes: There is some discrepancy within sources as to Petiver's year of birth. Hunter, as well as Jarvis and Coulton, have 1663, while ODNB estimates 1665. 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 RCN: 49950 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH6686 1663 - 2 Apr 1718 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 23/02/2022 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA6857 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/34799386 6db1365c-37a9-4337-ab77-c3bf75bad138