Sir Henry Holland, 1st Baronet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Henry Holland Bt FRS
Born	27 October 1788
Died	27 October 1873 (aged 85)
Occupation	physician and travel writer
Nationality	English
Genre	travel writing

Sir Henry Holland (1788–1873) was a famous English doctor and a writer who loved to travel. He was also known as the 1st Baronet, which is a special title. He was a member of the Royal Society, a group for important scientists.

Early Life and Family

Henry Holland was born in Knutsford, a town in England, on October 27, 1788. His father, Peter Holland, was also a doctor.

Henry had some very interesting relatives! His aunt, Elizabeth Holland, was the mother of the famous writer Elizabeth Gaskell. His mother, Mary Willets, was also related to Josiah Wedgwood, who was a very well-known potter. Henry studied medicine at Edinburgh University and became a doctor in 1811.

A Busy Doctor and Royal Physician

Sir Henry Holland became a very popular doctor. He had many patients and even worked for the royal family!

He was a special doctor to Caroline, Princess of Wales, for a short time. Later, he became a doctor for King William IV and then for Queen Victoria. In 1852, he was made the Queen's main doctor.

In 1815, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a big honor for scientists. He was also given the title of Baronet in 1853, which meant he was called "Sir Henry Holland."

Henry Holland even had early ideas about how sickness spreads. He wrote about how tiny living things, like insects, might cause diseases. This was a very early thought about what we now call the germ theory.

Amazing Travels and Adventures

Sir Henry Holland became famous for his travel books. He loved to explore new places! He traveled to Iceland, through the Balkans (a region in Southeast Europe), and across the Iberian peninsula (where Spain and Portugal are). He did all this even when Britain was at war with France!

Because he was good-looking, charming, and had so many interesting stories from his travels, he was very popular in society. Everyone wanted to talk to him!

Meeting Charles Darwin

On December 4, 1836, Sir Henry Holland went to a party. Charles Darwin had just returned from his famous journey on the ship HMS Beagle. Darwin had sent his travel journal home and was wondering if it should be published.

Sir Henry Holland looked at some pages of Darwin's journal. He thought it might not be worth publishing by itself, because it covered some of the same things the ship's captain had written. Darwin thought Holland made "good sense." However, Darwin's cousin, Emma Wedgwood, didn't think Holland was a good judge of what was interesting. Luckily, Darwin's journal, called The Voyage of the Beagle, became a very famous book!

Family Life

Sir Henry Holland was married twice and had several children.

In 1822, he married Margaret Emma Caldwell. They had two sons and two daughters:

• Henry Holland, 1st Viscount Knutsford (1825–1914)
• Francis James Holland (1828–1907)
• Emily Mary Holland (1824–1908)
• Elinor Anne Holland (1826–1829)

Emma passed away in 1830. Later, Sir Henry married Saba Smith. She was the daughter of a famous writer named Sydney Smith. Henry and Saba had two more daughters:

• Caroline Holland (1834–1909), who wrote a book called Notebooks of a Spinster Lady.
• Gertrude Holland (1840–1898)

Sir Henry Holland passed away on his 85th birthday, October 27, 1873, at his home in London.

Images for kids

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  The family crest of Sir Henry Holland.