'You ask what is the use of butterflies?
- I reply to adorn the world and delight the eyes of men;
to brighten the countryside like so many golden jewels.'
John Ray 1627- 1705
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John Ray (1627 - 1705) - Theologist, Scientist, Cleric and Explorer
John Ray was born in a time, when plantslore was still inextriably linked with superstition, legend and magic. As a prolific cataloger and writer of the botanical and zoological world, he introduced the use of species as a fundamental unit of classification, based on anatomy and physiology. He inspired generations afterwards such as Linnaeus, to collect, document, and classify organisms and so effectively began to bring order to the study of species.
'Most accurate in observation, the most philosophical in contemplation,
and the most faithful in description of all the botanists of his own or perhaps any other time.'
Sir James Edward Smith (1759 - 1828), Founder of the Linnean Society
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Black Notley - The birthplace of John Ray
John Ray's journey from a lowly blacksmith's son to a pioneer of science, could have long been forgotten, were it not been for his numerous books and observations. Born at Black Notley, at the heart of the estate's farming operations, his daily school walks would have taken him along the local streams and fields learning about flora from his mother who was a herbalist. Fortunately he showed great academic ability, and so with the support of the local vicar, he entered Catherine Hall (St. Catherine's College) and then later studied at Trinty College.
Cambridge Years
At Cambridge, he was taught alongside Issac Barrow by James Duport who later tutored Isaac Newton. Later he became a fellow at Trinity College and a lecturer in Greek, Mathematics and a reader in Humanities. However it was only following an illness did he have the chance to observe the local countryside and discover his love of that natural world.
' I had leisure in the course of my journies to contemplate the varied beauty of plants and the cunning craftmanship of nature that was constantly before my eyes. I became inspired with a passion for Botany.' From the preface of 'Catalogus Cantabrigiam' - a book on British Local Flora published in 1660.
Whilst at Cambridge that he made friends with Francis Willughby who Ray later described as the catalyst for his decision and determination to establish an ordered system of classification for the botantical world.
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New Rules of Plant Classification
However Ray could not ignore the political and social upheaval that England was experiencing. The restoration of the Monarchy and the Act of Uniformity during the 1660s, led to Ray having a crisis of conscience and refusing the Oath of Allegiance. Suddenly he found himself debarred from his work as a tutor and a clergyman.
With encouragement from Willugby, the two men set off to record all that they could of both Flora and Fauna. Travelling the length and breadth of the country and across to the Continent, allowed Ray to collect and record plants that would provide the basis of his most famous work -'Historia Plantarum'.
This encyclopaedic work divided into three volumes, within which he describes the structure and function of nearly 18,000 plants. He began to separate flowering plants into groups (monocots and dicots); and used the terms 'petal' and 'pollen', which are all familiar to us today. The first two described plants from Britain and Europe. The third treated plants from Jamaica, following a visit by his great friend Sir Hans Sloane (whose own collection formed the basis for the British Museum, London).
As a founding memeber of The Royal Society in London, Ray was at the forefront of discovery in the scientific world. He was close friend of James Petiver - 'Father of British Entomology' who was the first to give butterflies English names such as Brimtstones, Admirals and Tortoiseshells. Ray's book 'Historia Insectorum' describes for the first time in detail the life cycle of a butterfly.
In 1679, he returned to Essex and eventually to his mother's house that he had built for her at Black Notley. There he wrote his most popular work, 'The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation' (1691). Previously, theologians had believed that the natural world distracted people from salvation and should be avoided, however Ray argued that by examining the relationships of organismal form to function, living things showed adaptations to their environments. For Ray, these were signs of God's design and hence worthy of study.
His insight that fossils were once living organisms was a significant advance over most other theories of his time, and his prophetic questions as to what fossils might indicate about the Earth's age and history would be taken up by later generations of paleontologists. He would influence future scientists such as such as Agassiz, Paley, Sedgwick, and Buckland, that lead to Charles Darwin to write the infamous 'The Origin of Species'.
He died aged 77 and was buried in the quiet country churchyard of Black Notley overlooking the countryside that he knew and loved so well.
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Find out more about John Ray and his works, please click on the links below:
Local Interest
John Ray Walk - A 9 mile walk through Essex countryside retracing the footsteps of John Ray.
John Ray Knot Garden - A garden dedicated to John Ray using plants that would have been familiar to him.
Organisations associated with John Ray:
British Natuarlist Association - Founded in 1905, it promotes the study of natural history through its regional branch network. bna-naturalists.org
The John Ray Trust - Created to spread awareness and understanding of the work and life of John Ray. It also offers annual award of bursaries to students in the natural sciences.
The John Ray Initative - Educational Charity connecting environment, science and christianity. jri.org.uk
The Linnean Society - The world's oldest extant biological society founded in 1788, which remains a leading modern forum for debate and discussion of natural history. linnean.org
Books referring to John Ray
'Flower Hunters' - Mary Gribbin & John Gribbin
'The Naming of Names' - Anna Pavord |
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