Past Presidents 1880 – to date
Doncaster Microscopical and General Scientific Society
1880 – 1885 Rev. Canon Henry Frederick Brock M.A. (1819-1889) (Vicar of Christchurch, Doncaster, 1854-84. Canon of York, 1875-89. Rural Dean of Doncaster, 1879-89. Vicar of Brodsworth, Yorks., 1884-9)
1885 – 1886 Rev. William Robert Weston (1833-1895) Vicar of Balby
1886 – 1887 James Mitchell Wilson M.D., F.C.S. (1844-1927) Medical Officer of Health, Doncaster
1887 – 1888 Rev. George Edwards Smith, M.A., (1804-1881) Vicar of Cantley, 1843-1845 (see note 5)
1888 – 1889 John Maw Kirk F.R.M.S. (1850-1894)
1889 – 1890 Walker Roberts F.R.G.S.
1890 – 1891 James G. Walker C.E.
1891 – 1892 Thomas Lovel Atkinson M.A., LL. B. (1865-1919) Solicitor
1892 – 1893 Herbert Henry Corbett M.R.C.S., F.E.S., F.R.E.S. (1856-1921) Medical Practitioner
1893 – 1894 John Bennett Prosser (1863- ) Mechanical Engineer
1894 – 1895 J. Mitchell Wilson M.D., F.C.S.
1895 – 1896 Henry Culpin (1860-1912) Chief Accountant at GNR, Doncaster (see note 3)
1896 – 1897 Matthew Henry Stiles F.R.M.S. (1847-1935) Doncaster Chemist
1897 – 1898 George Battie Bisat (1852-1935) Stationer, Doncaster
1888 – 1899 George Winter F.R.M.S.
1899 – 1900 Thomas Cutriss
1900 – 1901 Henry Culpin (1861-1912) Geologist & Paleontologist
1901 – 1902 Samuel Edgar J.P. (1829-1903) Boot Maker
1902 – 1903 Alma Jordan
1903 – 1904 A. A. Clarkson
1904 – 1905 Matthew Henry Stiles F.R.M.S. (1847-1935) Doncaster Chemist
1905 – 1906 George H. Greenslade
Doncaster Scientific and Naturalists’ Society
1906 – 1907 Robert Watson
1907 – 1908 George Grace B.Sc.
1908 – 1909 Herbert Henry Corbett M.R.C.S., F.E.S., F.R.E.S. (1856-1921) Medical Practitioner
1909 – 1910 Rev. Halliwell Thomas (1846-1917) Unitarian Minister
1910 – 1911 Frederick Oscar Kirby M.Sc. (1881-1951) Civil Engineer
1911 – 1912 Miss Frances Mary Nodes B.A. (1869- 1966) Head Mistress, High School 4
1912 – 1913 G.W. Golledge (1846-1920) Railway Clerk
1913 – 1914 Arthur Crow (1862- ) Customs & Excise Officer
1914 – 1915 Robert Watson
1915 – 1916 Mrs. Crow B.Sc.
1916 – 1917 Matthew Henry Stiles F.R.M.S. (1847-1935) Doncaster Chemist
1917 – 1918 George Battie Bisat (1851-1935) Stationer & Book seller
1918 – 1919 Spencer Baker (1876-1940) Solicitor
1919 – 1920 Herbert Henry Corbett M.R.C.S., F.E.S., F.R.E.S. (1856-1921) Medical Practitioner
1920 – 1921 Major G.W. Phillips A.M.I.Mech.E., F.Z.S.
1921 – 1922 T.M. Williams
1922 – 1923 Arthur Augustine Dallman F.C.S., A.L.S. (1883-1963) Science Teacher, Mexborough G S
1923 – 1924 Ernest Stainton (1885-1949) Railway Clerk
1924 – 1925 Joseph Dufty (1855-1939) Doncaster Butcher
1925 – 1926 Thomas William Saunders F.G.S.
1926 – 1927 Rev. Montague Yate Allen M.A. (1880-1957)Vicar of Moss & Fenwick
1927 – 1928 Arthur Augustine Dallman F.C.S., A.L.S. (1884-1963) Science Teacher, Mexborough G S
1928 – 1929 Dr. Samuel Pryce Rowlands M.B., Ch.B.
1929 – 1930 George Harrison Brunner (1874-1953) Teacher Grammar school
1930 – 1931 Lionel Gordon Frushard Waddington (1890-1977) Accountant
1931 – 1932 George E. Hyde F.R.E.S (see note 1 below)
1932 – 1933 Joseph Dufty (1855-1939) Doncaster Butcher
1933 – 1939 George L. Sutcliffe (1875-1938) Accountant at LNER, Doncaster
1939 – 1944 Canon A. Ll. Davies M.A.
1944 – 1945 Ben Burrell F.R.A.S. (1903-1983) Noted Amateur Astronomer
1945 – 1946 Mrs. Elsie May Moorhouse (nee Andrews 1884-1969)
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 M. Morehouse B.Sc. (1911-1975)
1956 – 1958 Ben Burrell F.R.A.S n(1903-1983) Noted Amateur Astronomer
1958 – 1962 George E. Hyde F.R.E.S. (see note 1)
1962 – 1964 M.P. Salmond
1964 – 1966 Leslie Smith
1966 – 1968 Miss Kathleen M. Morehouse B.Sc. (1911-1975)
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 M. Morehouse B.Sc. (1911-1975)
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 – 2025 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 Doncaster 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.
Note 3.
Henry Culpin (1862-1912) during a busy life as an accountant in the offices of the Great Northern Railway at Doncaster, he devoted his leisure to the task of collecting and recording the fossils encountered in pit-sinkings and other evanescent data invaluable to the mining geologist.
From “The Geology of Yorkshire” by Percy Fry Kendall & Herbert W Wroot – 1924, page 164.
Note 4.
The Frances Mary Nodes Scholarship Fund (Charity No 529418-6)
Trust Deed dated 17 March 1931
Charitable objectives – Promotion and encouragement of Higher Education among the pupils of Doncaster Grammar School
Registration History – 12 October 1967
This Charity is a linked charity of Hall Cross School.
Note 5.
Following on from the article on the Rev. Gerard Edwards Smith Vicar of Cantley 1843-1845 and his Doncaster botanical discoveries (The Doncaster Naturalist 3 (3): 126-132), Graham Coles has written a fascinating and authoritative biography of Rev. Smith in a slim volume entitled ‘A Cudweed New to Science‘. The Cudweed in question being the Red-tipped Cudweed, Filago apiculata, which the Rev. discovered in the sandy soils bordering clover, wheat and fallow fields in Cantley, back in 1845.
Colin Howes.