Thomas Allis

For his son, the British entomologist, see Thomas Henry Allis.

Thomas Allis
Born(1788-01-09)9 January 1788
Tewkesbury
Died24 September 1875(1875-09-24) (aged 87)
York
Occupation(s)Museum curator
Osteologist
Superintendent

Thomas Allis FLS (9 January 1788 – 24 September 1875) was a British osteologist and museum curator.[1][2]

Career

Allis was educated at Burford and married Mary Naish of Flax Burton in 1812, before going to York in 1823.[2] He was appointed Superintendent of 'The Retreat', a private asylum in York; a position he kept until 1842 where he left to work in a similar position in Osbaldwick.[1][2] Alongside his profession he studied ornithology and osteology.

Allis held two Honorary Curatorships at the Yorkshire Museum from 1835 to 1875, was elected as a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1857 and was one of the first members of the British Association.[1][2] He was Honorary Curator of Ornithology from 1835 to 1839 before succeeding James Atkinson, following his death in 1839, in the post of Honorary Curator of Comparative Anatomy - a position Allis held from 1839 until his death in 1875.[3] Allis also served as vice-president of the YPS.[4]

A collection of comparative anatomy was purchased from Allis by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society in 1838 for £350.[5]

Personal life

Thomas Henry Allis, lepidopterist, son of Thomas Allis

Allis had a son, Thomas Henry Allis, who was described as "assiduous collector of Lepidoptera",[6] The son died in August 1870, five years before Thomas Allis senior. Both are buried at the Friend's Burial Ground, York.[7][8]

Select publications

  • Allis, T. 1832. 'On Certain peculiarities of the bony fabric of the Ostrich, Emu, and Swift, Annual Report of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society
  • Allis, T. 1837. 'On the Sclerotic Bones forming the Orbit of the Eye in different Bird and Reptiles', Report of the British Association
  • Allis, T. 1865. 'Further Note on a Skeleton of Dinornis robustus, Owen, in the York Museum', Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London 8 (11–12), 140–141.
  • Allis, T. 1873. 'On the Skeleton of the Apteryx', Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 11 (56), 523.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Allis, Thomas, 1810-1889, Superintendent of The Retreat, York". University of York. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Melmore, S. (1930). "Thomas Allis, Osteologist 1788-1875". Annual Report of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society for 1929: 3–9.
  3. ^ Orange, A. D. Philosophers and Provincials: The Yorkshire Philosophical Society from 1822 to 1844. Yorkshire Philosophical Society. p. 54.
  4. ^ "Report of the Council for 1850-1859". Annual Report of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. 1850–1859.
  5. ^ "Report of the Council for 1838". Annual Report of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society: 3. 1839.
  6. ^ "Death of Mr. T. H. Allis". The Entomologist. 5: 174. 1870–1871.
  7. ^ "Thomas Allis". findagrave.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Thomas Henry Allis". findagrave.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.