His father had died in 1761, so when Banks reached the age of 21, he inherited the large estate of Revesby Abbey, in Lincolnshire, becoming the local squire and magistrate, and dividing his time between Lincolnshire and London. He continued to attend the university until 1764, but left that year without taking a degree. īanks left Oxford for Chelsea in December 1763. Determined to receive botanical instruction, he paid the Cambridge botanist Israel Lyons to deliver a series of lectures at Oxford in 1764. At Oxford, he matriculated at Christ Church, where his studies were largely focussed on natural history rather than the classical curriculum. In late 1760, he was enrolled as a gentleman-commoner at the University of Oxford. When he was 17, he was inoculated with smallpox, but he became ill and did not return to school. Īs a boy, Banks enjoyed exploring the Lincolnshire countryside and developed a keen interest in nature, history, and botany. Education īanks was educated at Harrow School from the age of nine and then at Eton College from 1756 the boys with whom he attended the school included his future shipmate Constantine Phipps. He had a younger sister, Sarah Sophia Banks, born in 1744. He was baptised at St James's Church, Piccadilly, on 20 February 1743, Old Style. He was the leading founder of the African Association and a member of the Society of Dilettanti, which helped to establish the Royal Academy.Ī 1757 portrait of Banks with a botanical illustration, unknown artist, but attributed to Lemuel Francis Abbott or Johann Zoffany īanks was born in Argyll Street, Soho, London, the son of William Banks, a wealthy Lincolnshire country squire and member of the House of Commons, and his wife Sarah, daughter of William Bate. Around 80 species of plants bear his name. He is credited with introducing the eucalyptus, acacia, and the genus named after him, Banksia, to the Western world. ![]() īanks advocated British settlement in New South Wales and colonisation of Australia, as well as the establishment of Botany Bay as a place for the reception of convicts, and advised the British government on all Australian matters. He is credited for bringing 30,000 plant specimens home with him amongst them, he was the first European to document 1,400. He advised King George III on the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and by sending botanists around the world to collect plants, he made Kew the world's leading botanical garden. He held the position of president of the Royal Society for over 41 years. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage (1768–1771), visiting Brazil, Tahiti, and after 6 months in New Zealand, Australia, returning to immediate fame. ![]() ![]() īanks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (24 February 1743 – 19 June 1820 ) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences.
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