Person Clift; William (1775 - 1849); museum curator and scientific illustrator Clift William museum curator and scientific illustrator Cleft 1775 - 1849 British Male Burcombe, near Bodmin, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, Europe 14 February 1775 1775 Stanhope Cottage, Mornington Crescent, Hampstead Road, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe 20 June 1849 1849 Baptism: Bodmin Parish Church, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, Europe (12 April 1775) Burial: Highgate Cemetery, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

13 Castle Street, Leicester Square, London (1793-)

Comparative anatomy Palaeontology Geology Education: Bodmin school (-1792) Career: Apprenticed to John Hunter (FRS 1767) as an anatomical assistant (1792) until Hunter's death in 1793; engaged by Hunter's executors to care for Hunterian collection (1793); appointed official conservator of the Hunterian Museum; published articles for Philosophical Transactions, the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, and Transactions of the Geological Society; compiled the 'Catalogue of the Hunterian Collection of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of London' (1830-31) Memberships: Fellow of the Geological Society; Society for Animal Chemistry (1809 until its end in 1825) Parents: Robert Clift and Joanna Coutts Married: Caroline Amelia Pope Children: William Home Clift; Caroline Amelia Clift Additional relatives: son-in-law Sir Richard Owen (FRS 1834) The Hunterian collection reportedly improved in quality under Clift's curatorship and was bought by the College of Surgeons England under request from Parliament in 1799. His artistic abilities in anatomical illustrations and his thorough approach to record-keeping put him in good stead with many fellow scientists and surgeons. A substantial part of his papers are now a part of the Natural History Museum's 'Owen papers' or in the holdings of the College of Surgeons. His diaries additionally give a detailed insight into the various aspects of the Hunterian Museum, College of Surgeons, and London scientific life of the period. Royal Society roles: Sworn in on 1 December 1832 Committee and panels: Committee of Zoology and Animal Physiology (31 May 1838) Fellow 08/05/1823 48 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; ODNB Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc 1849 No 74 pp 876-880 References: Sir Harold Hartley, 'Richard Owen and William Clift' in NR 1953 vol 10 pp 60-62 N G Coley, 'The Animal Chemistry Club; Assistant Society to the Royal Society' in NR 1967 vol 22 pp 173-185 Clift P0024.jpg ©The Royal Society 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/rspl.1843.0207 RCN: 50752 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH1811 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/image-rs-9657 14 Feb 1775 - 20 Jun 1849 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 20/10/2021 as part of Name Authority Project update. NA7491 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/37721856 2175da80-975a-45c5-ad8b-bbc196b8bbaf