Erasmus Darwin
Botanist, Physician
1731 – 1802
Who was Erasmus Darwin?
Erasmus Darwin was an English physician. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave trade abolitionist, inventor and poet. His poems included much natural history, including a statement of evolution and the relatedness of all forms of life. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family, which includes his grandsons Charles Darwin and Francis Galton. Darwin was also a founding member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, a discussion group of pioneering industrialists and natural philosophers. He turned down George III's invitation to be a physician to the King.
Erasmus Darwin House, his home in Lichfield, is now a museum dedicated to Erasmus Darwin and his life's work. A school in nearby Chasetown recently converted to Academy status and is now known as Erasmus Darwin Academy.
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- Born
- Dec 12, 1731
Newark-on-Trent - Parents
- Siblings
- Spouses
- Mary Howard
(1757 - 1770) - Elizabeth Pole
(1781 - )
- Mary Howard
- Children
- Profession
- Education
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Edinburgh Medical School
- St John's College, Cambridge
- Lived in
- Nottingham
(1756 - 1757) - Derby
(1782 - 1802) - Lichfield
(1757 - 1781) - Breadsall Priory
(1802 - 1802) - Radbourne Hall
(1781 - 1782)
- Nottingham
- Died
- Apr 18, 1802
Breadsall - Resting place
- Breadsall
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
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"Erasmus Darwin." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/erasmus_darwin>.
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