| Authorised form of name | Leach; William Elford (1790 - 1836) |
| Dates | 1790 - 1836 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Hoe Gate, Plymouth, Devon, England |
| Date of birth | 2 February 1791` |
| Place of death | Palazzo San Sebastiano, near Tortona, Italy |
| Date of death | 25 August 1836 |
| Dates and places | Burial:
Grounds of Palazzo de Ferraris, at San Sebastiano Curone near Tortona, then moved to perimeter wall of the cemetery, marked by his sister's original monument. |
| Activity | Education:
St Bartholomew's Hospital, London; in 1810 moved to Ediniburgh MD (1812, Edinburgh) Graduated from St Andrew's University Hospital in 1812.
Career:
Abandoned medicine for natural science; Assistant Librarian, Natural History Department, British Museum in 1813; Assistant Keeper, Natural History Department, British Museum (1821); published first part of his history of British crustaceae (1815); "his mind gave way"; retired to Italy with his sister (1821); died of cholera
Memberships:
Linnaean Society of London; the Entomological and Zoological Societies fo London; Fellow of the Royal College of surgeons; the Wernerian society of Edinburgh |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 15/02/1816 |
| Relationships | Son of Jane Elford of Bickham House, Roborough, sister to Sir William Elford (FRS 1790) |
| Sources | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1836 No 27 p 439
References:
E Murphy, 'A mad house transformed: the lives and work of Charles James Beverly FRS (1788-1868) and John Warburton MD FRS (1795-1847)' in NR 2004 vol 58 pp 267 - 281 |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/64788965 |
| Royal Society code | NA7442 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| Reference number | Title | Date |
| EC/1815/24 | Leach, William Elford: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| PT/13/9 | Paper, 'On the genus Ocythoë' extracted from a letter from Thomas Say to Wm [William] Elford Leach | [1819] |
| PT/73/6/15 | Paintings, Helix janthina [marine snail] by Franz [Andreas] Bauer | [1817] |
| PT/73/6/14 | Paintings, Ocythoe cranchii [winged argonaut] by unknown artist | [1817] |
| PT/11/22 | Paper, 'Observations on the genus Ocythoë of Rafinesque with a description of a new species' by Wm [William] Elford Leach | [1817] |
| RR/54/23 | Referee's report by Vernon Herbert Blackman, on a paper 'Researches on plant respiration IV— The relation between the respiration in air and in nitrogen of certain seeds during germination, (b) seeds in which carbohydrates constitute the chief food reserve' by William Elford Leach | December 1935 |
| PT/73/6/16 | Paintings, argonaut shell and eggs by Franz [Andreas] Bauer | [1817] |