Constance Sladen (11 August 184817 January 1906) was an artist, architectural historian and philanthropist who was one of the first female members of the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript a ...

and founded the Percy Sladen Memorial Trust in memory of her late husband.

Biography

Constance Anderson was born on 11 August 1848 in York.''"Mrs Percy Sladen",'' Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. (One Hundred and Eighteenth Session, 1905‐1906.) 2 November 1905, to 21 June 1906, p.41. Her father was Dr W C Anderson, Sheriff of York; her brothers were the volcanologist Tempest Anderson, and the barrister Yarborough Anderson; she had a younger sister Ellen, who became Lady Granger.Gardiner, Brian G. (2003).
A biography of Percy Sladen (1849–1900)
(PDF). ''The Linnean'' (Special Issue No. 4) She studied at York School of Art, and later in Rome. In 1890, she married Percy Sladen, who was from a wealthy family from Halifax. They had first met around 1870. Percy Sladen was a zoologist and had a particular interest in

echinoderm An echinoderm () is any animal of the phylum Echinodermata (), which includes starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers, as well as the sessile sea lilies or "stone lilies". While bilaterally symmetrical as ...

s, creating an important collection, including specimens from the ''Challenger'' expedition. In 1898 they moved to a home, Northbrook Park, near Exeter, which Percy had inherited. His health was poor and it was hoped the new residence would improve it, however he died just two years later on a trip to Florence. Their marriage was described as "a union of heart and mind, yielding a bright and tender sympathy which strengthened and stimulated him in his life's work".

Research interests

Sladen (sixth from left) depicted in "Linnean Society of London First Formal Admission of Women Fellows" by James Sant in 1906 Sladen was a notable artist and researcher, who had a keen interest in ecclesiastical architecture and archaeology, as well as natural history.

Art

Constance was a talented artist. Her pictures were exhibited in galleries in London and elsewhere. Her portrait was painted by Henry Tanworth Wells in 1901.

Architecture

Sladen was a noted authority on churches and cathedrals in Yorkshire, contributing to major works on the subject, including the section on

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

in ''Cathedrals and Abbeys of England and Wales.'' She also wrote on the churches of Louth, Bradford and Halifax, and on

Selby Abbey Selby is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town w ...

. She also wrote the architecture of

Castle Howard Castle Howard is an English country house in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire, north of York. A private residence, it has been the home of the Earl of Carlisle, Carlisle branch of the House of Howard, Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle ...

Scientific interests

Sladen was one of the first female members 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 ...

in London, joining as soon as their rules on membership altered: her membership was proposed in 1904 and she entered the society as a member in 1905. She also assisted her husband in some of the classification of his collection.

Philanthropy

After the death of her husband in 1900, Sladen was determined that his collection would be available for the public and endowed a new gallery and curatorial position at the

Royal Albert Memorial Museum Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) is a museum and art gallery in Exeter, Devon, the largest in the city. It holds significant and diverse collections in areas such as zoology, anthropology, fine art, local and foreign archaeolog ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

. She also endowed the Percy Sladen Memorial Trust in 1904 to provide funding for fieldwork for biologists and geologists around the world. Sladen died at Northbrook Park on 17 January 1906; an attack of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

the previous year meant her health had declined. She died, according to the Linnean Society of an "obscure disease" after some months of illness. She is buried with her husband in the graveyard at St Luke's Church in Exeter.

Legacy

After her death, Sladen was described as "a great benefactor of science" by the Linnean Society. She features in the portrait by

James Sant James Sant (1820–1916) was a British painter specialising in portraits and known particularly for images of women and children and artistic exploration of the symbolism of childhood. He was a member of the Royal Academy. George Sant and Sarah ...

showing ''Linnean Society of London: First Formal Admission of Women Fellows'', painted in 1906.Gage, A. T. (1938). A history of the Linnean Society of London: Printed for the Linnean Society by Taylor and Francis, p.90. She is the standing figure centre-left in the portrait.

Eponyms

Two species are named after Constance Sladen as a result of her philanthropic work. The white-bellied woolly mouse opossum (''Marmosa constantiae'') was named by

Oldfield Thomas Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (21 February 1858 – 16 June 1929) was a British zoologist. Career Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum, London, Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and subspecies for ...

in honour of her financing the expedition by Alphonse Robert which collected the type specimen in 1902. The

Fernando Po swift The Fernando Po swift (''Apus sladeniae'') is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. ...

(''Apus sladeniae''), a bird, was also named after Sladen, who provided financial support for its discovery.Beolens, B., Watkins, M. and Grayson, M. (2020). The Eponym Dictionary of Birds: Bloomsbury Publishing, p. 516.

References

External links

Percy Sladen Memorial Fund Grants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sladen, Constance 1848 births 1906 deaths Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Architectural historians English philanthropists British women writers