P000028 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human McCarthy, G.J. & Walsh, N. updated 2025-09-02 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000028b.htm person Backhouse James AACR2 8 July 1794 20 January 1869 Place of Birth Durham, England Place of Death York, England Botanical collector Missionary Minister of religion James Backhouse was a Quaker missionary who visited Australia in 1832-1838, making observations of Australian flora and fauna as well as writing about Australian society. As a botanical collector in Australia and Norfolk Island, he contributed to the classification and taxonomy of eucalypts. Notably, Joseph Hooker, George Bentham and Ferdinand von Mueller named eucalypt specimen collected by James Backhouse. The genus Backhousia (Myrtaceae) was named in his honour.

Backhouse was apprenticed to a chemist in Darlington and trained for two years in a Norwich nursery. On return to England, he gave two manuscript volumes of botanical recollections in Australia to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Commemorated by Backhousia, a genus of a myrtaceous shrub.

1816 1831 Career position - Nursery owner in York, UK 1832 1832 Life event - Arrived in Australia (Hobart) 1832 1834 Career position - Reported on penal settlements and Aboriginal establishments in Tasmania 1835 1837 Career position - Collected plant specimens for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1835 1837 Career position - Reported on penal settlements and Aboriginal establishments in New South Wales, Norfolk Island and Moreton Bay 1837 1838 Life event - Visited Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth promoting temperance and Aboriginal protection committees 1838 1841 Career position - Missionary work in Africa 1841 Career position - Nursery Manager in York, UK 1843 1843 Publication - "A Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies", published in London 1844 1844 Taxonomy event - Eucalyptus maculata Hook. Backhouse collected a syntype 1866 1866 Taxonomy event - Eucalyptus siderophloia Benth. var. rostrata Benth. (= Eucalyptus fibrosa F. Muell. (1859)). Backhouse collected the syntype Colony of Tasmania (1856 - 1901)

James Backhouse provided the Colony of Tasmania with a number of reports on conditions in penal settlements (including Macquarie Harbour and Port Arthur) and Indigenous "establishments".

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1759 - )

Collector in Tasmania 1835 - 1837

 Robinson, George Augustus (1791 - 1886)

Reported on Indigenous "establishments" in Tasmania

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Backhouse, James (1794-1869)

Trove

 'Backhouse, James', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Backhouse, James Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Book Section: Backhouse, James (1794-1869), naturalist and Quaker missionary Trott, Mary Bartram Backhouse, James (1794-1869), naturalist and Quaker missionary Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1966 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 1: 1788 - 1850 A-H Douglas Pike 45-46 Journal Article: Visit of an Early Naturalist to Victoria Gilbert, Lionel Visit of an Early Naturalist to Victoria 1952 The Victorian naturalist 68 175-178 Book: Extracts from the letters of James Backhouse : whilst engaged in a religious visit to van Diemen's Land, New South Wales, and South Africa accompanied by George Washington Walker Backhouse, James Extracts from the letters of James Backhouse : whilst engaged in a religious visit to van Diemen's Land, New South Wales, and South Africa accompanied by George Washington Walker London Harvey and Darton 1842 Book: A narrative of a visit to the Australian colonies Backhouse, James A narrative of a visit to the Australian colonies London Hamilton Adams 1843 Edited Book: Weep in silence: a history of the Flinders Island Aboriginal settlement, with the Flinders Island journal of George Augustus Robinson, 1835 - 1839 Plomley, N. J. B. Weep in silence: a history of the Flinders Island Aboriginal settlement, with the Flinders Island journal of George Augustus Robinson, 1835 - 1839 Sandy Bay, Tas. Blubberhead Press 1987 Journal Article: James Backhouse of York (1794 - 1869): missionary, traveller and botanist Davis, Peter James Backhouse of York (1794 - 1869): missionary, traveller and botanist 1989 Archives of natural history 16 3 247-60 Journal Article: Botanical pioneers in Victoria - I Willis, J. H. Botanical pioneers in Victoria - I 1949 Victorian naturalist 66 5 83-9 Journal Article: Ronald Gunn's Tasmanian "agrostid" grass collections (Poaceae) Brown, Austin J. Ronald Gunn's Tasmanian "agrostid" grass collections (Poaceae) 2022 Muelleria 40 57-131 Journal Article: A century of botanical endeavour in South Australia Maiden, J. H. A century of botanical endeavour in South Australia Adelaide Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1908 Report of the eleventh meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science Walter Howchin 11 158-199 Book: Botanical Pioneers in Victoria Willis, J. H. Botanical Pioneers in Victoria [Melbourne] [Brown Prior Anderson] 1949 The Victorian naturalist 66 19 Journal Article: Records of Victorian Botanists Maiden, J. H. Records of Victorian Botanists 1908 The Victorian naturalist 25 101-117 Journal Article: Records of Queensland Botanists Maiden, J. H. Records of Queensland Botanists Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1910 Report of the twelfth meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 12 373-383 Journal Article: Records of Australian botanists:- (a) general; (b) New South Wales Maiden, J. H. Records of Australian botanists:- (a) general; (b) New South Wales 1908 Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales 42 60-132 Book: Botanists of the Eucalypts: short biographies of people who have named eucalypts, whose names have been given to species or who have collected type material Hall, Norman Botanists of the Eucalypts: short biographies of people who have named eucalypts, whose names have been given to species or who have collected type material Melbourne CSIRO 1978

Source used to compile entry

 James Backhouse - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales James Backhouse - Records FM 4/3134-3148 1831 - 1868 Microfilm of personal and official papers of J. Backhouse 1831-1868 in the papers of the "Society of Friends" [15 reels altogether including Backhouse and others, FM 4/3134-3148]. 15 reels James Backhouse - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales James Backhouse - Records C393 1835 List of plants of Norfolk Island 1835 supplementary to a former list by A. Cunningham [C393]. James Backhouse - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales James Backhouse - Records Ab 124 Botanical notes and diagrams. Linnean Society of London - Records State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection Linnean Society of London - Records M596-597 1790 - 1870 Records from the Linnean Society of London relating to Australia 1790-1870, including correspondence and miscellaneous papers of George and Alexander Macleay; correspondence of William Swainson; and miscellaneous manuscripts relating to Australian botany and birds. Microfilm copies of originals held by the Linnean Society of London. 2 reels Microfilm James Backhouse - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales James Backhouse - Records B730-732 1831 - 1841 Various records regarding Australian society, convicts, Aborigines, the Society of Friends, botany, natural history and other subjects including a journal of a visit to Australia and South Africa 1831-41 with pen and ink sketches, (this is an original manuscript in 19 volumes with loose maps, one of Tasmania and one of NSW [B730-B732]. 19 volumes Artwork Australian Botanists - Biographies Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science Australian Botanists - Biographies MS 064 Hunt Institute Biographies. Short biographies, averaging 2 pages, of Australian botanists, botanical collectors or artists. 0.24 m, 3 boxes Linnean Society of London - Records Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection, State Library of New South Wales Linnean Society of London - Records FM 4/2699 1792 - 1870 Correspondence, 1805-1870, and manuscripts, 1792-1861. Microfilm