Eminent zoologist and botanist who was invited to join the 'Beagle' as naturalist, but declined, suggesting in his place young Charles Darwin. Darwin wrote to Jenyns about his scientific ideas and a number of these letters survive in the collection today. Jenyns moved to Bath in 1850, and in 1855 founded the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club. He was a prolific writer of scientific works and he amassed significant botanical and zoological collections. These, along with his substantial scientific library, survive in the Institutions holdings. In 1871 Jenyns changed his name to Blomefield in order to come into an inheritance.

Rev.Leonard Jenyns

Change of name, as it appeared in,
'The Bath Chronicle'.

The Rev. Leonard Jenyns (1800-1893) (who in later life took the name of Leonard Blomefield) was a highly esteemed and very accomplished naturalist. Indeed, he is known to many as the man who was asked to go on The Beagle as the resident Naturalist but declined, thus clearing the way for his friend, Charles Darwin - and with what consequences!

After serving as Vicar of Swaffham Bulbeck near Cambridge for 38 years, he moved to Bath, where he co-founded the Bath History Field Club. He was the author of "A Manual of British Vertebrate Animals, Observations in Natural History", "Chapters in My Life", a memoir on J.S. Henslow (Professor of Botany in Cambridge, mentor of Darwin, and Jenyns's brother-in-law) "Observations in Meteorology", and editor of the 1843 edition of Gilbert White's History of Selborne. In addition to his voluminous correspondence, Jenyns left the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution a large collection of shells, a specialist library, and an impressive herbarium.

Amongst Jenyns's correspondents were some of the most famous names from the world of natural history, many being also his personal friends such as Charles Darwin and Sir Joseph Hooker. The letters have been transcribed by Sheila Metcalf and Trudy Wallace and can be consulted at the BRLSI.