Gustavus Brander facts for kids
Gustavus Brander (born in 1720, died on January 21, 1787) was an English naturalist with a Swedish family background. He was born in London. He started his career as a merchant and became very successful, even becoming a director of the Bank of England.
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Who Was Gustavus Brander?
Gustavus Brander was a well-known person in the 1700s. He was born in London in 1720. Even though he worked as a successful merchant and helped run the Bank of England, his real passion was science.
A Passion for Fossils
In his free time, Gustavus loved to study nature. He had a home in Christchurch, Hampshire. There, he became very interested in fossils. These ancient remains of plants and animals were found in the clay layers of places like Hordwell and Barton nearby.
He collected many of these fossils. He then gave a special collection of them to the British Museum. A famous scientist named Daniel Solander later described these fossils in a beautiful book. The book was called Fossilia Hantoniensia collecta, et in Musaeo Britannico deposita a Gustavo Brander, published in 1766. This showed how important Brander's fossil collection was.
Helping Important Institutions
Gustavus Brander was also involved with several important groups. In 1754, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group for scientists. He was also a trustee of the British Museum. A trustee helps manage and look after an organization.
He was also one of the people who helped start the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in 1754. This society aimed to encourage new ideas and improvements in different fields.
An Old Cookbook Collector
Besides his work and scientific interests, Brander also owned a very old handwritten cookbook. It was called The Forme of Cury. This book is one of the oldest medieval cookbooks known. Later, in 1790, a man named Samuel Pegge published this cookbook, and it was even presented to the Queen!
