Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Maitland Emmet, MBE, TD, MA, HON. FRES, FLS.
BRIAN GOODEY
298 Ipswich Road, Colchester, Essex C04 4ET.
Entomologists nationally were greatly saddened to hear of the death of Arthur Maitland Emmet on
3 March 2001 following a spell of illness. The previous week, in his 93rd year, he had attended the
annual meeting of the Essex Moth Group and had been in fine form, talking enthusiastically about
moths, surrounded by friends and colleagues.
Maitland started recording moths in Essex in the early 60s, during visits to his mother who lived in
Saffron Walden. Antispila treitschkiella, a diminutive leaf-miner, was noted in 1963 and was among
the first of 138 species he added to the county list (he also added twenty species to the British list).
Very soon he came to live in Saffron Walden and the rest is history (for a fuller account see Profile
of a Naturalist, Essex Naturalist 16: 14 - 17).
Maitland became an Essex Field Club member in 1979 and in that year wrote The Lepidoptera of
Epping Forest-A historical perspective (The Wildlife of Epping Forest, Essex Naturalist, 1979), his
first published work for the society.
He became the Club's microlepidoptera recorder in 1980 and in the following year produced The
Smaller Moths of Essex (Emmet, 1981), a ground-breaking county guide which included distribution
maps for all 1,052 species. These maps were to prove something of a challenge and comprised of an
outline of the county border on to which was individually hand-stuck tiny black dots (if you look
closely at these maps you will see that often the rows of dots arc not quite in line). As the years
passed Maitland used the original maps to update records, only to find the glue holding the dots had
weakened. When we decided to copy the set, we were both alarmed to see clouds of dots being
ejected from the photocopier! Another novel feature of this book are the years given to indicate
when a species was first recorded and last recorded in the county. A huge amount of research would
have been needed just to portray these simple figures.
In amongst the plethora of sometimes rather dry scientific writings came little personal gems, such
as Butterfly Bedfellows (Entomologist's Record, 110; 21 - 23) which illustrates the sheer enjoyment
he got from simply looking at butterflies and moths. Labrey Cottage, never the warmest place in the
world, had become the choice of hibernation site for a number of small tortoise shells and peacocks,
attracted by the cold, dark conditions apparently present in Maitland's bedroom. Eschewing warmth
and comfort for the over-wintering health of his new companions, the bedroom became a chilly
observation base in which the tiniest movements of one small tortoiseshell butterfly were noted
nightly. Eventually, they were safely released into the warm spring sunshine.
Maitland was elected Club President for the years 1985 to 1986, and was proud to receive the status
of Honorary Member in 1996. Those that knew Maitland were touched by his patience, knowledge
and sheer capacity for hard work, all completed in that correct methodical manner that most of us
find impossible to master. Yet he was always approachable, capable of enjoying moths and butterflies
as a pure hobby. He would happily spend hours idly chatting to visitors, perhaps helping to identify
their unfathomable specimens, or simply swapping anecdotes. This is what I'll remember with most
affection.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)
5