John Henry Gurney Jr.

John Henry Gurney Jr. (1848–1922), was British ornithologist, son of John Henry Gurney Sr. and member of the Gurney family.

Family Origins

Gurney was born on 31 July 1848 in Easton Lodge, Easton, Norfolk[1], son of John Henry Gurney Sr. and his second cousin Mary Jary Gurney. He was educated at Harrow School.

Career

For a short time he worked in Messrs. Backhouse's bank at Darlington, but he spent most of his life in Norfolk. In Norfolk he was known as a landowner and country gentleman. He took a prominent part in local religious and philanthropic work.

He was High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1894. At the time of his death he was a Justice of the Peace and a Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk.

Ornithologist

His father, John Henry Gurney Sr, although a politician was probably best known as an ornithologist. So John Henry junior was brought up from an early age to know and love birds.

Gurney gained an international reputation as an ornithologist[2]. He was elected as a Fellow of the Zoological Society in 1868, a Member of the British Ornithologists' Union in 1870 and a fellow of the Linnean Society in 1885.

Gurney also took a keen interest in local ornithology. He was always a generous supporter of the local Wild Birds' Protection Societies. He was one of the original members of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society which was founded in March 1869.[3]

Works

Gurney's first written contribution to ornithology was Variety of the Swallow which appeared in The Ibis of 1866. His works number in the hundreds but his most important ones include:

  1. Rambles of a naturalist in Egypt & other countries (1876)[4]
  2. The House Sparrow (1885)[5]
  3. The Misdeeds of the Sparrow (1887)[6]
  4. Catalogue of a collection of British Birds (1892)[7]
  5. The Gannet: a Bird with a History (1913)[8]
  6. Early annals of ornithology (1921)

Marriage and Family

John Henry Gurney married Margaret Jane Gurney (1851-1940) on 25 October 1876 at St Marylebone church, Westminster, London.[9] Margaret was also his second cousin, daughter of Henry Edmund Gurney (1821-1905) and Jane nee Birkbeck (1828-1888). They had a son and three daughters:

  • Gerald Hudson Gurney (1880-1934)
  • Agatha Gurney (1881-1937)
  • Cecily Jane Gurney (1884-1958)
  • Margaret Editha Gurney (1886-1981)

References

  1. ↑ Norfolk, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1915
  2. ↑ John Henry Gurney Obituary. https://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V16/V16_N09/V16_N09_P240_250_OB043.pdf
  3. ↑ H.F. Witherby (ed): British Birds. London, Witherby & Co, 1907 p.244
  4. ↑ John Henry Gurney: John Henry Gurney: Rambles of a naturalist in Egypt & other countries published by Jarrold & Sons 1876
  5. ↑ John Henry Gurney: The House Sparrow published by Messrs. William Wesley & Son, 1885
  6. ↑ The Misdeeds of the Sparrow pamphlet published by Messrs. Gurney & Jackson, 1887
  7. ↑ John Henry Gurney: Catalogue of a collection of British Birds published by Mr R. H. Porter, 1892
  8. ↑ John Henry Gurney: The Gannet, a bird with a history published by Witherby & Co 1913
  9. ↑ London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: p89/mry1/249


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