GARDNER, John

Born at Egglestone in Upper Teesdale. Moved to Hartlepool in early life and entered business as a timber merchant. He took an active interest in public affairs and was a member of the Town Council and the local Education Authority. After retiring he moved to Hart where he died. Gardner's love of entomology began when he was a boy and collected Lepidoptera on which he subsequently became a considerable authority helping William Buckler on larvae as well as publishing an important local list. His interest in Coleoptera is said in his obituary in EMM., 57, 1921, pp.236-237, to have begun in 1884. As with the Lepidoptera he concentrated on the local fauna discovering a large number of rare and interesting additions to those listed by Bold, (1871-1872). In particular he applied himself to the water beetles which were not well known and much of this research was incorporated by Richard Bagnall in his 'Notes on local Coleoptera', Transactions of the Newcastle Natural History Society. Davis and Brewer (1986) p.67 record that Gardner's collection was donated to the Hancock Museum in 1913-1915. They also note that 2,333 duplicates were donated by the Natural History Society of Northumberland and Durham and Herbert Fletcher on behalf of the Hancock Museum to Sunderland Museum on 19 April and 1 December 1915. There are also specimens in the general collection at Doncaster and in the Hall collection at Oldham (Information from Simon Hayhow). Chalmers-Hun (1976) p.157 records that some Coleoptera were sold through Stevens on 23 March 1920. FRES from 1890, and a member of the Coleoptera Committee of the Yorkshire Naturalists Union. Apart from the obituary mentioned above there are others in Ent., 1921, p.248; ERJV.,33, 1921, p.164; Proc.RESL. 1921, p.cxxix. and The Vascular, 8, pp.27-29. (MD 1/03)