John Edmonstone facts for kids

John Edmonstone was a skilled taxidermist and teacher in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was an important Black Briton. He taught many students how to preserve animals, including the famous Charles Darwin.

Edmonstone was born into slavery on a wood plantation. This plantation was located in Demerara, which is now part of Guyana in South America. He was given the last name of his slave-owner, Charles Edmonstone. Charles Edmonstone owned the plantation and also an estate in Scotland called Cardross Park.

Around 1812, a naturalist named Charles Waterton visited the plantation. Waterton spent a lot of time teaching John Edmonstone how to do taxidermy. This is the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting animal skins so they look lifelike.

In 1817, Edmonstone traveled to Scotland with his master. He might have gone to work as a servant for the Edmonstone family. Once he arrived in Scotland, he became a free man. He first found work in Glasgow, then moved to Edinburgh.

Becoming a Teacher

In 1823, John Edmonstone opened his own shop in Edinburgh. It was located at 37 Lothian Street, and he called himself a "bird-stuffer." From this shop, he taught taxidermy to students from the nearby University of Edinburgh.

One of his most famous students was Charles Darwin, who learned from him in 1826. Darwin was about 15 years old at the time. Edmonstone had worked in hot places, so he knew how to preserve birds quickly. This skill was very helpful for Darwin later when he needed to preserve birds like the Galapagos finches.

Edmonstone also did work for the Royal Museum of the University. He later moved his taxidermy shop to Edinburgh's main shopping street, Princes Street. He had shops at 29 and then 66 Princes Street. In the 1840s, he moved his shop again to 10 South St David's Street.

Inspiring Charles Darwin

Edmonstone shared exciting stories with Darwin about the tropical rainforests in South America. These stories may have encouraged Darwin to explore those areas himself. The taxidermy skills Darwin learned from Edmonstone were very useful during his famous voyage on HMS Beagle.

It's worth noting that Darwin didn't mention Edmonstone by name in his writings. So, the idea that Edmonstone was Darwin's teacher comes from the research of R. B. Freeman.

Legacy

John Edmonstone is remembered as an important figure.

In 2009, a special plaque was made to honor Edmonstone. It was commissioned by Kings Place, an arts venue in London. The plaque was placed at Negociants Bar in Lothian Street, Edinburgh, but it has since been lost.

Edmonstone is also recognized as one of the "100 Great Black Britons." This list celebrates important Black people in British history.

A poem about John Edmonstone was published in the Winter 2019 issue of African American Review.

See also

In Spanish: John Edmonstone para niños