Born at Nottingham but quickly moved to Glasgow where he gave up a career in medicine to become a businessman. Remained there for forty years until ill health forced his retirement early in 1879 when he moved to Burghill, Hereford to join his son Thomas Algernon (see below). It was here that he died.
Chapman was one of the best known Scottish entomologists of his day, and often acted as host to visitors from the south. Most of his work was on the Lepidoptera (including, later in his career, the fauna of the West coast of Africa), but he did take an interest in beetles too and published two notes on dark forms of Cicindela campestris (Zool., 14, 1858, 6286, and EMM, 3, 1867, 251 (with E.C. Rye)).
The beetles collected by Chapman labelled Kent, 1858 in the Hall collection at Oldham Museum may be referable to this Thomas Chapman. Chapman was an active member and at one time Vice-President of the Glasgow Natural History Society. There are obituaries in Ent, 12, 1879, 299-300 (by J.T. Carrington); EMM, 16, 1879,138; Scottish Naturalist, 5, 1880, 236; and Zool. Anz., 2, 1879, 600. (MD 3/02)