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Thomas Baxter (1809 - 1872)


Portrait

portrait From his memorial in Worcester Cathedral

Biographical notes

Thomas Baxter was a prominent member of the Worcestershire Naturalists' Club and features repeatedly in the published works of Edwin Lees. He was an accomplished musician, active botanist and geologist and, although he seldom published, his opinions and expertise were very well respected by his acquaintances. His interests overlapped extensively with those of Edwin Lees, John Fraser, Joseph Thompson and William Mathews and it is clear that they knew one another well and often shared field expeditions.

Residence

1809 London
1818 Worcester

Associates

Additional links

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Timeline

1809 February 8 :
Birth
Thomas Baxter was baptised at St. Bride's Fleet-street on 28 May 1809. The parish register records his birth date and that his parents were Thomas and Ann.

Thomas Baxter sen. was a celebrated porcelain painter for Flight & Barr, Worcester.
1818 : School Between 1818 and 1822 Thomas Baxter was a scholar at the King's School, Worcester.
1838 March 30 :
Appointed assistant master.
¹Worcester Journal - 1838 April 5: COLLEGE SCHOOL. - At a meeting of the Chapter of Worcester, held on Thursday last, in the Chapter-room of the Cathedral, the Rev. Octavius Fox, M.A., of Lincoln College, Oxford, was appointed head master, and Mr T. Baxter, of this city, under master of the Grammar School attached to the Cathedral.
1845 July 8 :
Marriage to Mary E. Holmes
¹Worcester Journal - 1845 July 10: MARRIAGES July 8, at Claines, by the Rev. T. L. Wheeler, Mr Thomas Baxter, of Bath Road, to Mary Anne East, elder daughter of Mr James Holmes of Sansome Fields.
1853 August : Discovers Elodea canadensis in Worcestershire ¹Worcestershire Chronicle - 1853 August 24 : EXTRAORDINARY WATER WEED - The remarkable water plant, the Anacharis Alsinastrum, which is now making such progress in the British fresh waters, and has become so notorious the botanical world, was discovered by Mr. Baxter, on Friday evening last, the 19th inst., in a small pool, the remains of clay pit, near Bevere Island, about three miles the river Severn; and as it has now made its way into this neighbourhood, short description of it, and account of its history in this island, will be given in our next. link
1856 : Installed Lodge Master The Roll of Honour of the Semper Fidelis Lodge, Worcester no 529, records that he served as master 1856 - 1857.
1860 : Elected Fellow of the Geological Society. ¹Worcestershire Chronicle - 1860 December 12: Geological Society of London.-At a meeting of the Geological Society of London, on our worthy fellow-citizen, Mr. Thomas Baxter of Vim College-school, in this city, was duly elected a Fellow of the Society.
1869 May 26 :
Death of wife
¹Worcestershire Chronicle - 1869 May 26: DEATHS May 22nd, at 26, Sidbury, aged 56, Mary Ann East, the wife of Mr Thomas Baxter.
1871 : Publication ¹Worcestershire Chronicle - 1871 May 24
A KEY TO THE NATURAL ORDERS OF BRITISH WILD FLOWERS, BY THOMAS BAXTER, F.G.S. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. Worcester : Deighton & Son.
This little handbook to the charming study of wild flowers is the production of Mr. Thomas Baxter, well-known as the Second Master of the Cathedral School, and Librarian to the Dean and Chapter, at once a sound natural philosopher and accomplished classic. The tables, of which the book is composed, have been successfully employed in MS. by the author in teaching botany for many years, and they will be found an excellent and valuable help to students pursuing this interesting branch of inquiry. A glossary, explaining the terms most commonly occurring in the science, is applied.

[Google Books]
link
1872 August 1 : Death The Worcester Journal printed useful accounts of a testimonial and an obituary - transcribed here. link
1872 August 19 : Probate Administration of the effects of Thomas Baxter late of Sidbury in the Parish of St. Peter the Great in the City of Worcester Gentleman a Widower who died 1 August 1872 at Sidbury was granted at Worcester to Thomas Holmes Baxter of Sidbury Civil Engineer the Son and one of the Next of Kin. Effects under £3,000.

1 Transcription reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive

Herbarium specimens

The following images are held on the HerbariaUnited server of the Botanical Collection Managers Group, a specialist group of the Linnean Society of London.

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link BIRM:6922 Cotoneaster cambricus Collected by Thomas Baxter 1855 at Great Orme's Head, Llandudno, vc49.
[University of Birmingham]
link K:K001014020 Plantago arenaria Collected by Thomas Baxter 1871 August at Penarth, vc41.
[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]

Managed by Richard Middleton; last updated 2023 October 15