Distinquished early entomologist who is referred to before 1967 as Elizabeth or Lady Glanville. She appears to be the first person recorded to have reared Coleoptera. Glanville's life and work have been the subject of intense research by a number of historians the three most important publications being P.B.M.Allan, 'Mrs Glanville and Her Fritallary’, ERJV., 63, 1951, pp.292-294; R.S.Wilkinson, 'Elizabeth Glanville, an early Entomologist', Ent.Gaz., 17, 1966, pp.149-160; and W.S.Bristowe, 'The Life of a Distinquished Woman Naturalist, Eleanor Glanville (Circa 1654-1709)’,Ent.Gaz., 18, 1967, pp.202-211. Wilkinson showed that Glanville collected widely, particularly Lepidoptera, at a time when it was unusual for anyone, let alone a woman to pursue entomology; that she kept accurate records of larvae and foodplants; and that she reared a number of species still identifiable from her careful descriptions. His evidence is based particularly on the surviving collections and correspondence with James Petiver preserved in the NHM (Sloane MS 3324). Glanville's son, Richard, was apprenticed to Petiver which gives an indication of the closeness of their contact. At least two letters mention Coleoptera. On 28 December 1702, she wrote to Petiver from Bristol that she had neglected to clean her collections properly and 'ye Bettles was molded over wth a whit crusty mould wch when I went to clean broke al to peeces I hope while I live never again to let them be so long neglected', and in another letter of similar date referring to a package of insects from the Bristol area she lists four 'Scarabei ... The Great green bettle in ye box wch has but 2, lays eggs lik smal smoth cariway comfits and at that time, they perf um ye room they are in with an exceding sweet and pleasant smel 2 of them in a room wil give as strong a sent as if you were in a perfumers Shop', presumably a reference to Aromia moschata. Bristowe's research established Glanville's true name, and details the sad story of the end of her life when she was separated from her villainous husband whose exploits appear to have led to her suffering a mental and physical breakdown. An account of Glanville and her involvement in collecting Lepidoptera, taken from the above, appears in Salmon (2000) pp.106-08. (MD 1/03)
Dates
c.1654 - 1709