John Stevens Henslow, 19th century Cambridge academic and mentor to Charles Darwin, has been commemorated with a blue plaque unveiled at the University’s Botanic Garden.
John Stevens Henslow, 19th century Cambridge academic and mentor to Charles Darwin, has been commemorated with a blue plaque unveiled at the University’s Botanic Garden.
John Henslow founded the Botanic Garden in 1846 and developed a superb plant collection of 8000 species centred on trees over a 16 hectare site. The trees now form the finest arboretum in the eastern region and the Garden remains a living demonstration of Henslow’s ideas about the nature of species.
The plaque reads:
John Stevens Henslow
Henslow first came to Cambridge to study mathematics but it was his geological work in field studies of the Isle of Man and Anglesey that brought him fame.
By the age of 27 he was elected Professor of Mineralogy and two years later became Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge, a post he was to hold until his death in 1861.
Henslow’s research focused on the nature of species and between 1821 and 1835 he compiled a Herbarium of 3,654 sheets containing specimens from over 10,000 plants.
One of his students involved in collecting the specimens was none other than Charles Darwin. Henslow recognised, encouraged and focused the younger man’s talent and, later, secured his berth aboard the HMS Beagle.
Henslow was renowned for what was then considered his revolutionary teaching techniques. He used his own illustrations in lectures, introduced practical science classes, and led walks around the Cambridge district as he taught natural history.
During his scientific career, Henslow was also ordained a minister in the Church of England. He was curate of Little St Mary’s Church in Cambridge and, later, became rector of Hitcham, the largest parish in Suffolk.
Unveiling the plaque, Professor John Parker, Director of the Botanic Garden, said: “Professor Henslow was a major figure in the development of Cambridge science in the early 19th century. His own research on the nature of species, delivered through innovative teaching methods, equipped his student Darwin for a lifetime of scholarship. Within the University, too, he was a strong reformer and a major shaper of our modern institution.”
The Blue Plaque to commemorate the life of John Stevens Henslow was funded by the Cambridge Preservation Society through the Blue Plaque Association and will be installed at the Bateman Street entrance to the University’s Botanic Garden.
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