Charles Oldham (naturalist)
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Charles Oldham (16 April 1868 – 13 April 1942) was an English naturalist who was an expert on
ornithology Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...
and
malacology Malacology, from Ancient Greek μαλακός (''malakós''), meaning "soft", and λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (molluscs or mollusks), the second-largest ...
. Oldham was born in
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...
,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
, but grew up in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, where his father, Richard Oldham, was a merchant. He was educated at
Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...
and followed a career with the Commercial Union Insurance Company first in Manchester and later in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
until retirement in 1927. He spent his spare time on his passion for natural history and was a well-regarded field naturalist. Throughout his life he contributed notes and articles to journals and he was co-author of ''The Birds of Cheshire'' (1900) and ''A Practical Handbook of British Birds'' (1919–1924). At various times he was vice-president of the
Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collec ...
, the
Ray Society The Ray Society is a scientific text publication society that publishes works devoted principally to British flora and fauna. As of 2019, it had published 181 volumes. Its publications are predominantly academic works of interest to naturalists, zo ...
, the
British Ornithologists' Union The British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study of birds (ornithology) around the world in order to understand their biology and aid their conservation. The BOU was founded in 1858 by Professor Alfred Newton, Henry Baker ...
(1936–38), the
British Ecological Society The British Ecological Society is a learned society in the field of ecology that was founded in 1913. It is the oldest ecological society in the world. The Society's original objective was "to promote and foster the study of Ecology in its widest ...
and the Malacological Society. He was secretary of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society (1909–19) and its president from 1920 to 1922. He also served on the council of the
Conchological Society The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland is a British-based society concerned with the study of molluscs and their shells. It was founded in 1876, and is one of the oldest such societies in the world. It is a registered UK charity (n ...
, the British Ornithologists’ Club and the
Freshwater Biological Association The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) is an independent scientific organisation founded in 1929 in Cumbria by Felix Eugen Fritsch, William Harold Pearsall, Francis Balfour-Browne, and Robert Gurney among others. Whilst originally created to ...
. He was the first person to show evidence that
black-necked grebe The black-necked grebe or eared grebe (''Podiceps nigricollis'') is a member of the grebe family (biology), family of water birds. It was described in 1831 by Christian Ludwig Brehm. Its breeding plumage features distinctive ochre-coloured feat ...
s breed in Britain. He co-wrote articles and books on ornithology with Thomas Coward, a former schoolmate. He died in Berkhamsted at age 73.


Bibliography

* 1900 (with Thomas Coward): ''The Birds of Cheshire.'' (1900): Manchester : Sherratt & Hughes. . * 1910 (with Thomas Coward): ''The Mammals and Birds of Cheshire.'' (1910): London : Witherby & Co. . * 1920: contributions to: – ''A Practical Handbook of British Birds'', vol. I. (ed.) 1920: London: Witherby & Co.
digital edition
in BHL.
* 1924: contributions to: (ed.) – ''A Practical Handbook of British Birds'', vol. II. (ed.) 1924: London: H.F. & G. Witherby. .


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oldham, Charles 1868 births 1942 deaths British naturalists British ornithological writers People educated at Manchester Grammar School People from Lincoln, England