HEYSHAM, Thomas Coulthard

Often confused with his father Dr John Heysham another well known Cumberland naturalist. Thomas Coulthard was born in Carlisle and devoted the greater part of his life to the study of natural history particularly ornithology, conchology, entomology and botany. He moved to Carlisle where he set up as an ornithological taxidermist. Subsequently he moved to Preston and to Warringtom where he was Curator of the Museum. As an entomologist Heysham was interested in both the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and other orders. James Murray, in an interesting memoir of Heysham as 'A Byegone Cumberland Naturalist' in Trans. Carlisle nat. hist. Soc., 1, 1909, pp.1-12 quotes correspondemce between Heysham and Rev. W. Little, John Walton, the elder Dale, Sir W. Jardine and others, much of which refers to his interest in Coleoptera and to specific captures. Frank Day in his 'The Coleoptera of Cumberland' which appeared in ibid., 1, p.909 - 5, 1933 (see p. 165) also includes a detailed account of Heysham's interest in Coleoptera. Heysham's collection was auctioned by Stevens in 1859 when the NHM purchased 225 coleoptera and other insects (1859/42) Heysham is referred to by Stevens (1828) pp.65,177-178; (1829) p.22, and by Dawson (1854) pp.55,62. (MD 3/03)