Transcript

of

William Brodrick, B.A. [Obituary]

Trans. Devon Assoc., 1889, Vol XXI, p.65.

by

Rev. W. Harpley, M.A.

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was presented at the Association’s July 1889 Tavistock meeting. A reasonably comprehensive biography of Mr Brodrick, together with his painting of A Pair of Kestrels is presented at the John Bennett Fine Paintings website. He was the son of an eminent barrister living in Gower Street, London, who had a practice a at the Old Bailey as well as other London Courts and the home circuit of Essex, Hertford and Middlesex. His maternal uncle was the renowned ornithologist P J Selby of Twizell House, Northumberland. He was educated at Harrow and University College, Oxford but he later said of his school days that “…all I learned at Harrow was how to catch birds”. He gained a BA from Oxford in 1836 and then went to Edinburgh University to study medicine but it seems that he never practiced in this profession after completion of his studies as his lifelong passion for natural history held sway. According to his biographer, he was a rather shy and retiring person, consequently not widely known outside his particular field though held in very high regard by that fraternity. It was not until after his death that a large collection of superb drawings was found of British sea anemones and mollusks. When he died on 21st December 1888, Brodrick left an estate valued at £23,000, a significant amount at that time. His coffin was born by eight non-commissioned officers of the Chudleigh Volunteers, a body of which Brodrick had been commanding officer and several other members attended the funeral including the commander at the time, Colonel Lord Clifford. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

William Brodrick, B.A., resided at Little Hill, Chudleigh, and became a Member of the Association in 1872. In 1865, in conjunction with Captain F. H. Salvin, he brought out the first edition of Falconry in the British Isles, of which a second edition appeared in 1873. Mr. Brodrick was an Honorary Member of the Torquay Natural History Society, and delivered lectures to that body on various occasions on the following subjects; " Falconry, as Practised in England in Former limes and at the Present Day;" "Birds: their Friends and Foes;" "Man in his Relation to the Lower Animals;" and "The Balance of Nature."

He was also a member of the Teign Naturalists' Field Club, and filled the office of President during the year 1877. He acted for several years as one of the Local Secretaries, and contributed papers on various branches of Natural History. He died at his residence, December 21st, 1888, aged 74 years.
 

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