Joseph Sabine FRS ( ; 6 June 1770 – 24 January 1837) was an English lawyer,

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and writer on horticulture.

Life and work

Sabine was born into a prominent Anglo-Irish family in Tewin,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, the eldest son of Joseph Sabine. His younger brother was Sir Edward Sabine. Sabine practised law until 1808, when he was appointed Inspector General of Taxes, a position he held until 1835. He had a lifelong interest in natural history and was an original fellow 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 ...

, elected on 7 November 1779. Sabine was honorary secretary of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

from 1810 to 1830 and treasurer, receiving their gold medal for organising the accounts left in a state of disarray by

Richard Anthony Salisbury Richard Anthony Salisbury (born Richard Anthony Markham; 2 May 1761 – 23 March 1829) was a British botanist. While he carried out valuable work in horticultural and botanical sciences, several bitter disputes caused him to be ostracised by hi ...

. The society's gardens at Hammersmith, then Chiswick, were established under his guidance. He sent David Douglas and others to collect specimens, initiating local societies as extensions of the society. He contributed around forty papers for their ''Transactions'', on garden flowers and vegetables. His management of the accounts led to large debts and after a threat of censure by a committee he resigned in 1830. Sabine then focused on the position of secretary and vice-chairman of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

, significantly increasing their collection of animals. He was a recognised authority on the moulting, migration and habit of British birds. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in November 1799. Edward Sabine was a member of John Ross's Arctic voyage in 1818. He sent Joseph a specimen of a new gull which had been discovered during the expedition, which Joseph named Sabine's gull (''Larus sabini'') in honour of his brother. Sabine died in Mill Street, Hanover Square, London, on 24 Jan. 1837 and was buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

on 1 February. There is a lithograph of him after a portrait by Eddis and his name was commemorated by de Candolle for a leguminous genus ''Sabinea''.

List of selected publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabine, Joseph 1770 births 1837 deaths People from East Hertfordshire District 18th-century British botanists Botanists with author abbreviations English zoologists Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery 19th-century British botanists