Portrait
Portrait from his published Hawaiian diary, 1925
Portrait from his published Hawaiian diary, 1925
| 1801 | Rugby |
| 1819 | Cambridge |
| 1820 | Oxford |
| 1840 | Twycross |
| 1851 | Twycross - census |
| 1861 | Twycross - census |
| 1871 | St Matthew's-street, Rugby - census |
| 1871 | St Matthew's-street, Rugby - census Later to Harborough Magna |
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Andrew Bloxam was the fourth son, in a family of ten children, of the Rev. Richard Rouse Bloxam, D.D. His father was assistant master at Rugby school and all six of his sons were foundation scholars there. After a brief stay at Cambridge University he matriculated at Oxford in 1820. On completion of his B.A. he took a passage, as ship's naturalist, on board the Navy ship Blonde to Hawaii. This was arranged by his eldest brother, Rev. Richard Rowland Bloxam, who was the ship's chaplain. Andrew seems to have concentrated on the ornithology, conchology and ethnography of the islands at the expense of their plants...
On his return he settled as a Fellow at Oxford before marrying and then taking a living as vicar of Twycross, Leicestershire. His natural history interests were very wide but he is perhaps best known as a botanist and mycologist - interests he may have acquired from his uncle, Thomas Purton. His botanical specimens are well distributed through British herbaria (although many are undated) and show his strong interest in Rubus and Rosa.
In 1871 he retired to Harborough Magna, Warwickshire, where he remained as rector for the remainder of his life.
| 1801 September 22 : Birth | Andrew was born at Rugby, Warwickshire, the fourth son, and sixth child, of the Rev. Richard Rouse Bloxam D.D.and his wife Ann (née Lawrence). He was not baptised until 1802 October 28 but it seems to be generally acceped that he was born in 1801. | |
| 1819 : Cambridge | Admitted to St John's College but migrated to Oxford University the following Year (Venn, J. A., comp.. Alumni Cantabrigienses.) | |
| 1820 : Oxford | Matriculated at Worcester College, Oxford, aged 19. He was awarded B.A. in 1824 and M.A. in 1827. (Alumni Oxonienses: The Members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886) | |
| 1822 : Hyena discovery | Andrew presents bones that he found in the "diluvial" clays of Lawford, near Rugby, to dean William Buckland.. They prove to be the first Hyena bones ever found in Britain. Reliquiae diluvianae (Google Books.) |  |
| 1824 : Hawaii | Between 1824 and 1825 Andrew Bloxam visited the Hawaiian Islands as naturalist aboard HMS Blonde. His diary of the expedition was published by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Hawaii, as Special Publication 10 in 1923. The portrait shown on this page was provided for the publication by his grandson Henry Roby Bloxham, a resident of New Zealand. |  |
| 1825 August 9 : "Mysterious Starling" | On this day Andrew Bloxam collected birds on Mauke, Cook Islands. Among them was a specimen of the now extinct "Mysterious Starling" (Aplonis marvornata). Olsen S. L., 1986. An early account of some birds from Mauke, Cook Islands, and the origin of the "Mysterious Starling" Aplonis mavornata Buller. Notornis 33.4 197 - 208. |
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| 1836 November : Publication | Memoir of the late Thomas Purton, Esq. By A.B. from Magazine of Natural History 9 p606-10 [Although only identified by his initials (with which he frequently annotated his herbarium sheets), his depth of knowledge identifies him as his uncles biographer.] (Google Books.) |
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| 1838 July 4 : Marriage | ¹Leicestershire Mercury : 1838 July 7 - MARRIAGES. On Tuesday last, at Congerstone, in this county, the Rev. Andrew Bloxam, M.A., Fellow of Worcester College, to Anne, daughter of the Rev. John Roby, rector of the former place. |
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| 1839 November 1 : Myriophyllum alterniflorum | Specimens of this plant, found by Bloxam and new to the British flora, were exhibited at a meeting of the Botanical Society. He had first discovered the plant at Whixal Moss, Shropshire around 1836. | |
| 1840 January : Twycross | ¹The Morning Post: 1840 January 13 - "Earl Howe has presented the Rex. A. Bloxam, late fellow of Worcester College, to the perpetual curacy of Swycross (sic), Leicestershire. This much-esteemed nobleman has, we understand, given glebe land and a house, with a valuable endowment, to the Benifice." [It cannot be coincidence that his new brother-in-law, Rev. William Roby-Burgin, was chaplain to Earl Howe.] |
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| 1842 : Publication | Potter, R. T. 1842. The History and Antiquities of Charnwood Forest. London. Appendix by Bloxam and Churchill Babington on the botany of the area. (Internet Archive.) |
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| 1846 : Publication | List of rarer plants found in the neighbourhood of Twycross, Leicestershire. The Phytologist p 640-642. A list of Rubi ibid. p675-6. (Biodiversity Heritage Library.) |
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| 1871 April : Harborough Magna |
¹Gloucestershire Chronicle: 1871 April 22 - "THE CHURCH. PREFERMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS. - ... Rev. A. Bloxam, rector of Harborough Magna, Warwickshire; ..." |
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| 1878 February 2 : Death | Andrew Bloxam died at Harborough Magns, Warwickshire. A very cursory Obituary appeared in the Journal of Botany for that year. (Biodiversity Heritage Library) | |
1 Transcription reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive
Managed by Richard Middleton; last updated 2023 March 29