Cardale Babington

Who was Cardale Babington?

Charles Cardale Babington was an English botanist and archaeologist. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851.

Babington was the son of Joseph Babington and Cathérine née Whitter, and a nephew of Thomas Babington Macaulay. He was educated at Charterhouse and St John's College, Cambridge, obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in 1830 and his Master of Arts in 1833. He overlapped at Cambridge with Charles Darwin, and in 1829 they argued over who should have the pick of beetle specimens from a local dealer. He obtained the chair of botany at the University of Cambridge in 1861 and wrote several papers on insects. He married Anna Maria Walker on 3 April 1866.

Babington was a member of several scientific societies including the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, the Linnean Society of London, the Geological Society of London, the Royal Society, and in 1833 he participated in the foundation of the Royal Entomological Society. Babington was President of the Cambrian Archaeological Association at their meeting at Church Stretton in 1881 and for many years served as Chairman of the council of the Association.