14
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 1987
ESSEX LEPIDOPTERISTS
Few, if any, counties can boast of having nurtured or
harboured as many lepidopterists of national or local
importance as Essex. To start at the beginning, it
was the native county of John Ray, arguably Britain's
greatest naturalist. He was born at Black Notley,
near Braintree, in 1627. His mother was the village
herbalist, who collected medicinal plants for the use
of the local apothecary or physician and John used to
accompany his mother on her expeditions, thereby acquir-
ing an early interest in botany and natural history.
His academic ability won him a scholarship at Cambridge
where he graduated with distinction, being then appointed
to a fellowship at Trinity College. Then two events
occurred which were to have a profound effect on his
future career. The first was friendship with a pupil,
Francis Willughby, who shared Ray's enthusiasm for
natural history and was not far behind his mentor in
ability to observe, record and interpret. Willughby's
wealthy and aristocratic background was to be of
later importance. The second event was a breakdown
induced by overwork. An enforced curtailment of
academic duties gave Ray the leisure to roam the
countryside, often with Willughby as his companion.
After the Restoration in 1660, Ray was one of many
clergymen who refused on grounds of conscience to
comply with the terms of the Act of Uniformity, and
in consequence he had to resign his fellowship. He
would have been left destitute but for Willughby who
undertook to support him, and suggested that they should
travel together in Britain and on the Continent to
study natural history. In general, Ray covered the
flora and Willughby the fauna, including insects.
Willughby died at a tragically early age, robbing
Britain of a potentially great natural historian.
He made provision for Ray in his will, enabling him