William Cole (1844-1922) founder of Essex Field Club
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reproducing photographs as book illustrations. Thompson (1930 p.l 1) believed Cole was spending
too much time frying to float two museums and neglecting the Club's journal which was being issued
at very irregular intervals. The Treasurer believed the regular issue of the Essex Naturalist was
essential to the Club's prosperity and wrote on 7th September 1896 "The Museums are excellent
things, on which we may well spend money when we have got it. But, to get the money we must
foster the Club. Now many of our members never attend a meeting ... consequently, unless they get
their Essex Naturalist they get nothing for their subscription". An extreme example of the delay in
publishing the Club's journal occurred in April 1892 when Volume IV (Part II) of the Journal of
Proceedings appealed containing details of meetings from February 1884. Due to Cole's mental
breakdown Miller Christy was appointed to edit the journal on a temporary basis in 1.910.
Although Cole's routine work as principal honorary secretary and editor of the Essex Field Club left
him little time to pursue his own research interests, he published many short notes and articles in the
journal. For example, in the index to the first 22 volumes of the Essex Naturalist compiled by
Stephen Barns, some 66 articles are credited to William Cole dating from 1887 to 1915. These range
from substantial articles such as his joint report with T.V. Holmes on Denehole Exploration (Essex
Naturalist 1887 Vol. 1 pp. 225-256), to a paragraph or so on natural history topics, including his
beloved entomology. His notes covered such diverse subjects as archaeology, geology, museums
and Epping Forest as well as beetles, moths and butterflies, birds, Cephalopods, mammals and
reptiles. His final report, dated July 1915, consisted of a three page paper on "the collection and
cultivation of medicinal plants in England". The outbreak of the Great War (1914-191S) led to a loss
of suppliers of drugs from Germany and Austria-Hungary. Responding to a general government plea
William Cole was cultivating "large patches and rows of thorn-apple, henbane, belladonna, valerian,
elecampane, camomile, rue, dill" and other plants at St Osyth. He also addressed the practical
challenges of how to get the crops to their proper market by parcel post and by holding village sales
(Essex Naturalist 1915 Vol. 18 pp. 82-84).
Cole the Entomologist
Throughout his life he was an assiduous collector of butterflies and moths, plants and other natural
history objects. Although never a great lover of outdoor sports, William Cole was a keen cyclist and
helped found the first bicycle club in London. He preferred the more sedentary and intellectual task
of naming and arranging specimens collected mainly by his brother Benjamin. As a young man he
was a keen microscopist. He was elected a Fellow of the Entomological Society in 1865 and was a
member until his death. Cole served on its Committee from 1880 to 1882. In 1875 he privately
published, at Buckhurst Hill, a pamphlet entitled Remarks on a Parasite of Humble Bees. Many of
Cole's short notes about beetles, moths and butterflies were published in the Club's journal.
Following William Cole's death, the collection of British Lepidoptera made by the Cole Brothers
was presented to the Essex Field Club, and Mr. A. W Mera was asked to make a report about it. He
stated the collection had painstakingly been compiled with much time and trouble. He detailed
certain specimens that had been collected from the 1860s. Localities collected from included,
Balcombe Wood, Brighton; Chattenden Wood, North Kent; Chigwell; Clapton; Epping Forest; East
Mersea; the New Forest; St. Osyth; Stoke Newington; Wanstead; and Witham. Mera concluded his
short paper by congratulating the Club on the "acquisition of such an extensive and interesting
collection" (Mera 1923 p. 176).
Death and Wealth
During his last few months William Cole sank into a semi-comatosed state and was oblivious to his
surroundings. His sole brother Henry nursed him. William Cole died on 27th June 1922 at the
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)