Doncaster Naturalists’ Society
Past Presidents 1880 – to date

1880 – 1885 Rev. Canon M.F. Brock M.A.
1885 – 1886 Rev. William Robert Weston
1886 – 1887 J. Mitchell Wilson M.D., F.C.S.
1887 – 1888 Rev. George Smith M.A.
1888 – 1889 John Maw Kirk F.R.M.S.
1889 – 1890 Walker Roberts F.R.G.S.
1890 – 1891 Kames Greenhalgh C.E.
1891 – 1892 Thomas Lovel Atkinson M.A., LI. B.
1892 – 1893 Henry Corbett M.R.C.S., F.L.S., F.R.E.S.
1893 – 1894 John Bennett Prosser
1894 – 1895 J. Mitchell Wilson M.D., F.C.S.
1895 – 1896 Henry Culpin
1896 – 1897 Matthew Henry Stiles F.R.M.S.
1897 – 1898 George Bisat
1888 – 1899 George Winter F.R.M.S.
1899 – 1900 Thomas Cutriss
1900 – 1901 Henry Culpin
1901 – 1902 Samuel Edgar J.P.
1902 – 1903 Alma Jordan
1903 – 1904 A.A. Clarkson
1904 – 1905 Samuel Edgar J.P.
1905 – 1906 George H. Greenslade
1906 – 1907 Robert Watson
1907 – 1908 George Grace B.Sc.
1908 – 1909 H.H. Corbett M.R.C.S., F.L.s., F.R.E.S.
1909 – 1910 Rev. Halliwell Thomas
1910 – 1911 F.O. Kirby M.Sc
1911 – 1912 Miss Frances M. Nodes B.A.
1912 – 1913 G.W. Golledge
1913 – 1914 Arthur Crow
1914 – 1915 Robert Watson
1915 – 1916 Mrs. Crow B.Sc.
1916 – 1917 Matthew Henry Stiles F.R.M.S.
1917 – 1918 George Blunt
1918 – 1919 Spencer Baker
1919 – 1920 H.H. Corbett M.R.C.S., F.L.s., F.R.E.S.
1920 – 1921 Major G.W. Phillips A.M.I.Mech.E., F.Z.S.
1921 – 1922 T.M. Williams
1922 – 1923 Arthur A. Dallman F.C.S., A.L.S.
1923 – 1924 Ernest Stainton
1924 – 1925 Joseph Dufty
1925 – 1926 Thomas William Saunders F.G.S.
1926 – 1927 Rev. Yate Allen M.A.
1927 – 1928 Arthur A. Dallman F.C.S., A.L.S.
1928 – 1929 Dr. Samuel Pryce Rowlands M.B., Ch.B.
1929 – 1930 G.H. Brunner
1930 – 1931 L.G.F. Waddington
1931 – 1932 George E. Hyde F.R.E.S (see note 1 below)
1932 – 1933 Joseph Dufty
1933 – 1939 George L. Sutcliffe
1939 – 1944 Canon A.Ll. Davies M.A.
1944 – 1945 Ben Burrel F.R.A.S.
1945 – 1946 Mrs. Elsie M. Moorhouse
1946 – 1947 Norman Smedley M.A.
1947 – 1948 Dr. T.S. Allen
1948 – 1949 Leslie Smith
1949 – 1954 Miss Elia Swires B.Sc.
1954 – 1956 Miss Kathleen Morehouse B.Sc.
1956 – 1958 Ben Burrel F.R.A.S
1958 – 1962 George E. Hyde F.R.E.S.
1962 – 1964 M.P. Salmond
1964 – 1966 Leslie Smith
1966 – 1968 Miss Kathleen Morehouse B.Sc.
1968 – 1970 Miss Jenifer Eagles B.A.
1970 – 1972 John Kemsley
1972 – 1975 Peter Skidmore B.A., M.Phil., F.R.E.S., F.L.S.
1975 – 1976 Miss Kathleen Morehouse B.Sc.
1976 – 1977 Peter Skidmore
1977 – 1979 Colin A. Howes M.B.O.U.
1979 – 1980 George E. Hyde F.R.E.S.
1980 – 1985 Donald Bramley B.Sc., C.Chem., L.T.I.
1985 – 1987 Maurice Hanson
1987 – 1990 George Mitchell
1990 – 1994 Dorothy Bramley? (See note 2.)
1994 – 1995 Tom Higginbottom
1995 – 1997 Pip Seccombe
1997 – 1998 Louise Hill
1998 – 2002 Helen Kirk
2002 – 2005 Pip Seccombe
2005 – 2020 Louise Hill
2020 – 2023 Nora Boyle
2024 – 2026 Jim Burnett
 
Note 1.
Members may be interested to learn that one of the first experts on Purple Emperor Butterfly in the UK was George Hyde of Bessacarr. He was a long term member of the Doncaster Nats and served as president in 1931/32; 1958-62 and the centenary year of 1979/80.
He was one of the first to breed and photograph Purple Emperors and was a joint author with I.H.R.P.Heslop and R.E.Stockley of the monograph ‘Notes and Views of the Purple Emperor’.

Monographs are rare on a single butterfly species. The monograph ‘ Notes and views of the Purple Emperor ( Apatura iris ) published in 1964 has become the definitive work on this superb butterfly. This book was written by the great butterfly hunter I.R.P Heslop who was the lead author . G.E Hyde and R.E. Stockley also contributed to this fine work. The plates of specimens were painted by A.D.A Russwurm. This book has 244 pages which include the colour and black white plates of the early stages, adults and rare aberrations etc.

Note 2.
Dorothy Bramley, a long-time member of the Doncater Naturalists’ Society, serving as President from 1990 to 1992 and as editor of its journal ‘The Doncaster Naturalist’ and subsequent site survey reports from 1982 to 1995. Dorothy’s interests were primarily with botany and botanical illustration, these being reflected in her extensive and immaculately maintained library which her family gifted to the society after Dorothy’s death in 2014. It was initially housed for reference by members and museum natural history staff at Doncaster Museum, an aspiration which due to changes at the museum, turned out to be impractical. The library, temporarily housed on behalf of the Nats committee at the home of Colin Howes, has been offered for sale to members.