Marmaduke Tunstall facts for kids
Marmaduke Tunstall (born 1743 – died 1790) was an English scientist who studied birds. He was also a passionate collector of natural history items. He wrote a book called Ornithologica Britannica in 1771. This book was likely the first in Britain to use a special way of naming animals called binomial nomenclature.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marmaduke Tunstall was born in a place called Burton Constable in Yorkshire, England. When he was 17 years old, in 1760, he inherited his family's lands. Because his family was Catholic, he went to school in Douai, France. This was common for Catholics in England at that time.
After finishing his studies, Tunstall moved to London. There, he started building a huge collection. He gathered many interesting items for his museum. He also had a large collection of living birds and other animals.
Building a Famous Museum
Marmaduke Tunstall was very dedicated to his collections. He is famous for being the first to officially describe the Peregrine falcon. This means he gave it its scientific name and description.
In 1776, he got married. After his marriage, he moved his entire museum to Wycliffe. At that time, his museum was considered one of the best in all of England. It was a very important place for studying nature.
Important Recognitions
Tunstall was recognized for his scientific work. When he was 21, he became a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London. This group studies old things and history.
Later, in 1771, he was chosen to be a member of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group of scientists in Britain. Being a part of these societies showed how important his work was.
Legacy of His Collections
Marmaduke Tunstall passed away in Wycliffe. His lands and collections went to his half-brother, William Constable. Constable invited a famous artist named Thomas Bewick to Wycliffe. Bewick had previously been asked by Marmaduke to draw a special wild bull.
Bewick spent two months at Wycliffe. He made many drawings of the bird specimens from Tunstall's collection. This collection became known as the Wycliffe Museum.
Later, the museum was sold to George Allan. He was a collector from Darlington. Allan kept the museum's contents in his home. After Allan's death in 1800, the museum stayed at his house until 1822. Then, the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society bought it. This collection then became part of the "Newcastle Museum," where it continued to be studied and admired.
