| Code | PX677 |
| Dates | 1809-1882 |
| Person Name | Darwin; Charles Robert (1809-1882); Naturalist |
| Surname | Darwin |
| Forenames | Charles Robert |
| Epithet | Naturalist |
| Activity | Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was the fifth child and second son of Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood. Darwin was the British naturalist who became famous for his theories of evolution and natural selection. Like several scientists before him, Darwin believed all the life on earth evolved (developed gradually) over millions of years from a few common ancestors.
From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. The expedition visited places around the world, and Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.
Upon his return to London Darwin conducted thorough research of his notes and specimens. Out of this study grew several related theories: one, evolution did occur; two, evolutionary change was gradual, requiring thousands to millions of years; three, the primary mechanism for evolution was a process called natural selection; and four, the millions of species alive today arose from a single original life form through a branching process called 'specialization'
Darwin's theory of evolutionary selection holds that variation within species occurs randomly and that the survival or extinction of each organism is determined by that organism's ability to adapt to its environment. He set these theories forth in his book called, 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life' (1859) or 'The Origin of Species' for short. After publication of Origin of Species, Darwin continued to write on botany, geology, and zoology until his death in 1882. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Darwin's work had a tremendous impact on religious thought. Many people strongly opposed the idea of evolution because it conflicted with their religious convictions. Darwin avoided talking about the theological and sociological aspects of his work, but other writers used his theories to support their own theories about society. Darwin was a reserved, thorough, hard working scholar who concerned himself with the feelings and emotions not only of his family, but friends and peers as well.
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| Relationships | was the fifth child and second son of Robert Waring Darwin (1766–1848), Shrewsbury's principal physician, and Susannah Wedgwood (1765–1817). His sisters were Marianne, Caroline, Susan, and Emily Catherine, his brother Erasmus Alvey. His grandfathers, the potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) and the evolutionist poet and physician Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802), were leading lights of the industrial revolution; his grandmothers were respectively Sarah Wedgwood (1734–1815) and Mary Howard (1740–1770). |
| RefNo | Title | Source |
| WP/1/8/105 | Herbert Rix to Alfred Russel Wallace, from the Royal Society, Burlington House, London | |
| DF/ADM/1004/269 | Darwin Centenary Exhibition | |
| DF/PAL/100/7/29 | Darwin, C | |
| WP/11/5 | Papers re Darwin Celebration, Cambridge | |
| WP/17/5/3 | Charles Darwin | |
| WP/16/2/28 | Letter to William Greenell Wallace from the Festival of Britain Design Research Unit, London, signed Esther Atkin | |
| DF/PAL/100/6/6 | Darwin, C | |
| WP/1/3/48 | [Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace] (unsigned) to George (Silk) | |
| WP/1/9/58 | Letter from Charles Darwin to Alfred Russel Wallace | |
| DF/LIB/601/62 | Publication of Darwin notebooks M and N: letters from Paul H Barrett | |
| DF/PAL/100/9/22 | Darwin, C | |
| DF/PH/3/1/228 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Statue of Charles Darwin | |
| WP/11/3 | Press cuttings re Darwin | |
| WP/1/2/77 | Alfred Russel Wallace to Violet Wallace, from Parkstone, Dorset | |
| DF/ZOO/200/15/112 | Darwin, Charles Robert | |
| WP/16/1/4 | Cutting annotated in pencil in William Greenell Wallace?s hand 'Times June 7th/29' headlined 'Darwin Memorial Opening of Down House Today' | |
| WP/17/29 | Charles Darwin | |
| WP/14/1/17 | Darwinism book review | |
| WP/1/3/49 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to H W Bates | |
| DF/PH/6/6 | Photograph of Statue of Charles Darwin in Main Hall | |
| WP/11/2 | 'The Centenary of Darwin' galley proofs | |
| WP/18/76 | Tribute to Charles Darwin | |
| DF/ZOO/200/21/105-106 | Darwin, Charles Robert | |
| DF/PH/3/1/62 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Darwin Statue in Central Hall | |
| DF/PH/3/1/456 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Statue of Charles Darwin | |
| DF/PH/3/2/2/6 | A set of photographic views of the Museum: Statue of Darwin, Central Hall | |
| DF/PH/3/1/86 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Darwin statue in Central Hall | |
| DF/PH/3/2/5/1 | Photographs from the 'Illustrated Guide': Statue of Charles Darwin (page 39) | |
| DF/PH/6/8 | Photograph of Charles Darwin statue in North Hall | |
| DF/ZOO/200/11/113-115a | Darwin, Charles Robert | |
| DF/PAL/100/9 | Correspondence, incoming | |
| DF/PH/3/1/69 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Darwin Statue, Central Hall | |
| WP/1/8/104 | M Foster to Alfred Russel Wallace, from the Royal Society, Burlington House, London | |
| WP/1/3/26 | Letter from Richard Spruce to Alfred Russel Wallace | |
| WP/1/5/27 | Press cuttings from the USA | |
| WP/16/1/58 | Letter to William Greenell Wallace from E B Poulton, St Helens, Isle of Wight | |
| WP/1/1/70 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to his son William Wallace, from Broadstone, Dorset | |
| WP/6/5/1 | Papers re Darwinism: an exposition of the theory of natural selection… | |
| WP/18/16 | Empty envelope addressed to 'A. R. Wallace, Holly House, Barking I E.' | |
| DF/DIR/932/3/4 | Flower, W H: letters to and from Sir William and Lady Flower | |
| DF/PH/3/1/77 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Darwin statue in Central Hall | |
| DF/PH/3/1/798 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Statue of Charles Darwin | |
| DF/PH/3/1/229 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Statue of Charles Darwin | |
| DF/PH/3/1/35 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Central Hall looking north from Botany Landing, with Darwin statue | |
| WP/1/3/41 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to W H (sic) Bates | |
| DF/PH/13/20/1 | Tring Museum: Temporary exhibition: general view of exhibition | |
| DF/PH/4/11/5/1 | Protecting Wildlife temporary exhibition | |
| DF/PH/3/2/3/1 | Benjamin Stone Photograph Album: Statue of Darwin on main staircase | |
| DF/PH/3/1/2156 | Gallery Photograph Album 3: Darwin statue being moved from Central Hall Landing | |
| DF/PH/3/1/246 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Statue of Darwin in Central Hall | |
| DF/PH/3/1/344 | Gallery Photograph Album 1: Statue of Charles Darwin | |
| DF/ZOO/205/4 | 'Reports, minutes etc. Zoological Department': reports to Trustees, official letters, correspondence, lists and notes concerning the collections, 1835-1845 | |
| WP/1/1/104 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to his son William Wallace, from Broadstone, Dorset | |
| WP/1/1/197 | Alfred Russel Wallace to William Greenell Wallace from Old Orchard, Broadstone, Wimborne (Dorset) | |
| WP/1/1/198 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to his son William Wallace, from Broadstone, Dorset | |
| WP/1/3/11 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to Mr [Henry ] Bates | |
| WP/1/3/44 | Transcription in an unknown hand, possibly that of Alfred Russel Wallace's mother Mary Anne Wallace, of extracts from a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to his mother, | |
| WP/1/3/54 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to John Wallace | |
| WP/1/5/26 | Letter from Alfred Russel Wallace to his wife Annie | |
| WP/2/6/5/5 | Marchant Miscellanea | |
| WP/6/5/5 | Papers re Darwinism: an exposition of the theory of natural selection… | |
| WP/6/8/3 | Papers re autobiography My Life | |
| WP/7/9 | 'On the tendency of species to form varieties; ....' | |
| WP/7/10 | Note re the loss of the original Ms of Alfred Russel Wallace's paper sent to Darwin | |
| WP/11/1 | Papers re a memoir of Charles Darwin by Alfred Russel Wallace | |
| WP/11/6 | Telegram from the vice-chancellor, Cambridge University | |
| WP/11/4 | Letter from Sydney C Cockerell to Alfred Russel Wallace | |
| WP/18/14 | Empty envelope with 2 cent USA postage stamp, postmarked Chicago Jan 7 1913 | |
| WP/17/6 | Arena Gallery of Eminent Thinkers | |
| WP/6/4/1 | Notes on 'Island Life' by Charles Darwin | |