INTRODUCTION
When the President and Council asked the present writer to prepare a
history of the Essex Field Club from 1880 to 1980, a complete set of the Essex
Naturalist and its predecessors and a copy of Percy Thompson's 'Short History'
(1880-1930), provided valuable sources of information, in addition to the
writer's own recollection of the past 55 years since his election to Membership.
In endeavouring to paint pictures of the Club and its activities over this
century, he has lively recollections of the kindness of many learned members
who generously shared their knowledge with him, and it is to their memory that
these notes are affectionately dedicated.
THE ORIGIN OF THE CLUB
The nineteenth century was a period of great increase in scientific
knowledge in all disciplines, based on observation and experiment, avoiding
reliance on the dicta of medieval authority. In the fields particularly of
engineering and chemistry this led to the foundation of the University of London
and numerous "mechanics' institutes" throughout the country; a widespread
effort by cultured academics to impart their knowledge to those less well-
endowed, for the material advancement of the Victorians. This tendency led
also in less material matters to the many Natural History Societies which began
in the latter half of the century; among these, our own Essex Field Club.
The Victorians loved the strange and exotic. At an Exhibition of
Lepidoptera in the autumn of 1879, William Cole and his brother had, by
request, arranged a display at Buckhurst Hill of their entomological collection,
which is now in the Passmore Edwards Museum at Stratford. Among the
visitors was Mr H. Vigne, Master of the Woodford Harriers: he was much
impressed and. according to recorded tradition, remarked to William Cole "Mr
Cole, we ought to have a Naturalists' Society for Essex". That night, Mr Cole
wrote to Professor Meldola, whom he and his friend W. J. Argent had met ten
years earlier on entomological forays, to enlist support: and so the Club was
conceived.
The infant club was publicly launched at a meeting held at Buckhurst Hill
on 10 January 1880, with the blessing of many prominent scientists. Prof. R.
Meldola, F.R.S., was elected the first President, William Cole, the Hon.
Secretary, and his friend, W. J. Argent, the Librarian. The first Council
Meeting was held on 28 February 1880: within two months the new Club,
named rather ponderously "Epping Forest and County of Essex Naturalists'
Society", had 140 members. In 1882, the name of the Club was changed to the
more concise one, which is still in use, "The Essex Field Club".
The Club was founded to promote the Study of the Natural History,
Geology and Pre-historic Archaeology of the County of Essex and its
borderlands; to establish a Museum and to issue publications.
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