Person
Elsey, Joseph Ravenscroft (1834 - 1857)
- Born
- 14 March 1834
London, England - Died
- 31 December 1857
St Kitts, West Indies - Occupation
- Surgeon and Naturalist
Summary
Joseph Elsey was employed as surgeon and naturalist to the North Australian Exploring Expedition 1855-1856. While at the depot camp on the Victoria River estuary he studied and collected birds and insects, bred caterpillars, made geological and meteorological observations and cultivated vegetables. Some of his collections proved to be new species. Elsey returned to Moreton Bay by sea at the end of the Expedition, and sailed for London in March 1857. Some of his collections were donated to the British Museum (Natural History). A genus of Australian snapping tortoise was named Elseya in his honour.
Details
Chronology
- 1853
- Education - MB, Guy's Hospital, London
- 1855
- Education - Qualified at the Royal College of Surgeons, London and the College of Chemistry
- 1855 - 1856
- Career position - Surgeon and naturalist on the North Australian Exploring Expedition under A. G. Gregory
- 1857
- Life event - Returned to the United Kingdom, then to the West Indies
Related entries
Archival resources
Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales
- Joseph Ravenscroft Elsey - Records, 1856, ZC 11-1; Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales. Details
National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection
Published resources
Book Sections
- Chisholm, A. H., 'Elsey, Joseph Ravenscroft (1834-1857), surgeon, explorer and naturalist' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Douglas Pike, ed., vol. 4 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1972), p. 139. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040141b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Chisholm, A. H., 'J. R. Elsey, Surgeon, Naturalist, Explorer', Queensland Naturalist, 17 (3/4) (1964), 60-70. Details
- Chisholm, A. H., 'J. R. Elsey, Explorer of the Never-Never', Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 52 (1966). Details
- Macdonald, J. D.; and Colston, P. R., 'J. R. Elsey and His Bird Observations on Gregory's Overland Expedition', Emu, 65 (4) (1966), 255-278. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q22810750. Details
- 'Elsey, Joseph Ravenscroft (1834-1857)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1465261. Details
Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 6 October 2023
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education