Theresa Clay facts for kids

Theresa Rachel "Tess" Clay (born February 7, 1911 – died March 17, 1995) was an English scientist who studied insects. She was an entomologist. Her older relative, Richard Meinertzhagen, who studied birds, introduced her to the world of zoology. Theresa Clay became a top expert on Mallophaga, which are also known as chewing lice. However, some of her work is questioned because of her connection to Meinertzhagen, who was known for sometimes making up or changing scientific information.

During and right after World War II, she also worked with Victor Rothschild at MI5, a British intelligence agency.

Early Life and Education

Theresa Clay was born on February 7, 1911. Her parents were Sir George Felix Neville Clay and Rachel Hobhouse Clay. She had four siblings: Margaret, Janet, Henry, and Anthony.

Her family lived in London, England. Theresa went to St Paul's Girls' School.

Working with Richard Meinertzhagen

When Theresa was eleven, her relative, Richard Meinertzhagen, moved into the house next door. Meinertzhagen was a well-known expert on birds and a brave soldier. However, he was also known for sometimes making up or changing scientific information. For example, he would sometimes steal bird specimens or invent stories about his military actions.

Meinertzhagen and Theresa Clay became very close when she was about fifteen. He started spending more time with Theresa and her sisters. His diaries often showed how much he admired Theresa.

After his wife died in 1928, Theresa and her sister Janet helped take care of Meinertzhagen and his children. Theresa was later baptized, and Meinertzhagen was her sponsor.

From around 1930, Meinertzhagen and Clay were often together. They lived, worked, and traveled as a team. Theresa was his housekeeper, nanny, secretary, and scientific partner. She continued to live in her family home, but it was connected to Meinertzhagen's house by an underground passage.

Meinertzhagen even named some bird species after Theresa. One of these, the Afghan snowfinch (Montifringilla theresae), is a real bird.

Her Career in Zoology

Meinertzhagen was the one who first got Theresa interested in zoology, the study of animals. He studied birds, and he encouraged her to study bird parasites. When he collected birds, he would remove the parasites for her to study. He had a large collection of these parasites, and Theresa helped him organize them. They also went on trips together to places like North Africa and the Middle East.

Theresa Clay also went on expeditions to the Arctic in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1938, she started volunteering at the British Museum (Natural History) in London. She became a full staff member in the entomology department in 1949. She stayed there for the rest of her career.

She became a Senior Scientific Staff Member in 1952. In 1970, she became a Deputy Keeper. In 1955, she earned her DSc degree from the University of Edinburgh. This degree was for her important work on Mallophaga, or chewing lice.

One of her most important works was "A check list of the genera and species of Mallophaga" (1955). She wrote this with George Henry Evans Hopkins. This book listed all known chewing lice and helped scientists classify them. It listed 201 groups and 2,657 species as valid. This book was a big step forward in the study of lice.

Clay often worked with Miriam Rothschild. They wrote a book together called Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos in 1952.

It is not clear if Theresa Clay knew about all of Meinertzhagen's scientific actions. As his secretary, she might have helped him with his records. As a volunteer at the British Museum, some people think she might have helped him with specimens. Even if she didn't know everything, many of the lice and other parasites she studied came from birds that Meinertzhagen collected.

Working for MI5

At the start of World War II, Theresa Clay was asked to join MI5. This is a British intelligence agency. She worked with Victor Rothschild, who was Miriam Rothschild's brother.

Victor Rothschild was in charge of a section that worked to prevent sabotage. They tried to protect important scientific and industrial places from German attacks and spies. Theresa Clay helped with a secret operation to find people in Britain who supported the fascists. She stayed with MI5 after the war and left in 1948.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1975, Theresa Clay married Rodney G. Searight. He was a wealthy businessman who had lived in the Middle East. She continued to live in Kensington Park Gardens until after her husband passed away in 1991.

Theresa Clay died on March 17, 1995, in a nursing home in Dorset. After she got married, she retired from the British Museum. Today, her papers, drawings, and letters are kept there.