NOTICES OF ESSEX ORNITHOLOGISTS. 21
very last, and was buried in the churchyard of Epping Old Church.
His cabinet of lepidoptera was purchased by Mr. T. J. Mann, and is
now at Hyde Hall, Sawbridgeworth. The Essex Field Club owns
specimens of his skill in preserving flowering plants and fungi, and a
list of Epping Forest Mosses left in MS. will shortly be published
in the Essex Naturalist." *
FITCH, Edward Arthur, F.L.S., F.E.S., &c, of
Brick House, Maldon, was born at Chelsea. His father, the late
Edward Fitch, of Bayswater, was born at Sible Hedingham, and
his mother (nee Matilda Pannell) at Stoke-by-Clare, in Suffolk, close
on the Essex border. Mr. Fitch was educated at Great Ealing
School, and at King's College School, London, leaving the latter
establishment in July, 1871. He was then third out of over 700
scholars, and the last speech-day he attended he took five prizes, and
might have held a scholarship. In 1870 he passed the Senior
Oxford Local (A. A. degree) with honours. He has resided in
Essex since 1871, and in his present home since 1874. He
married Fannie, sixth daughter of the late Mr. W. J. Belcham, of
Rayleigh, at one time the largest farmer in Essex. On the 16th of
June, 1887, his eighth child, a boy, was born, and Mr. Fitch then
being mayor of Maldon, the child was named Thomas Maldon.
The burgesses of the borough noted the event by presenting to
their mayor a silver cradle. Mr. Fitch is now deputy-mayor of
Maldon, a town councillor, vice-chairman of the Maldon Union,
chairman of the Assessment Committee, president of the Essex
Field Club, a fellow of the Linnean and Entomological Societies,
(of which latter society he was secretary from 1881 to 1886) and of
several local natural history and archaeological societies. He is
a churchwarden of St. Mary's, Maldon. He farms over 2,000
acres of land in Maldon, Hazeleigh, Purleigh, and Woodham
Mortimer; and last year was elected without a poll as County
Councillor for the Heybridge Division. He has rendered exceed-
ingly valuable assistance during the preparation of this work.
GIBSON, Jabez (1794—1838), of Saffron Walden, though
not eminent as a working ornithologist, deserves mention as having
been the chief of those who were instrumental in organizing the
noble Museum at Saffron Walden. He contributed very liberally
towards the expenses of its establishment and maintenance. In an
account of the Museum which appeared in the Essex Literary
* For the foregoing notice of English, I am indebted to the kindness of Mr, William Cole.