Martin ListerFRS (12 April 1639 – 2 February 1712) was an English naturalist and physician. His daughters Anne and Susanna were two of his illustrators and engravers.[1]
Lister was educated at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire under Mr Barwick and matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge in 1658. He graduated in 1658/9, and was elected a fellow in 1660.[3] In 1668 he travelled to France to study as a physician and settled at York in 1670 to practice medicine.[4] He became Fellow of the Royal Society on 2 November 1671. He practised medicine at York until 1683, when he moved to London. In 1684 he received the degree of M.D. at Oxford on the recommendation of the Chancellor.[4] In 1687 became F.R.C.P.
Lister bought Carlton Hall in Craven in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He attended the Earl of Portland when he was ambassador to France in 1698.
He was physician to Queen Anne from 1709 until his death.[4] He died at Epsom at the age of 72 and was buried at Clapham Church.[3] He bequeathed his books and copper-plates to the University of Oxford.[5]
Lister was a prolific correspondent. More than 2,000 letters written by and to him survive in the Bodleian Library, Oxford and other repositories. They are to and from a variety of people including family, friends and other scientists. Abstracts of these letters have been published on line.[6]
Memorial inscription
The memorial inscription for Lister in Clapham church is now lost. It read:
Lister contributed numerous articles on natural history, medicine and antiquities to the Philosophical Transactions. He was the first arachnologist and conchologist, and provided an unprecedented picture of a seventeenth-century virtuoso. Lister is recognized for his discovery of ballooning spiders and as the father of conchology, but it is less well known that he invented the histogram, provided Newton with alloys, and donated the first significant natural history collections to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Just as Lister was the first to make a systematic study of spiders and their webs, this biography is the first to analyze the significant webs of knowledge, patronage, and familial and gender relationships that governed his life as a scientist and physician. His principal works were Historiae animalium Angliae tres tractatus (1678) which was the first organised, systematic publication on shells;[8]Historiae Conchyliorum (1685 1692), and Conchyliorum Bivalvium (1696). As a conchologist he was held in high esteem, but while he recognised the similarity of fossilmollusca to living forms, he regarded them as inorganic imitations produced in the rocks. Lister employed his daughters from an early age. His daughters, Anne Lister, and Susanna Lister were both credited as his illustrators and engravers.[1]
In 1683 he communicated to the Royal Society (1684[9]), an ingenious proposal for a new sort of maps of countries; together with tables of sands and clays, such as are chiefly found in the north parts of England. In this essay he suggested the preparation of a soil or mineral map of the country, and thereby is justly credited with being the first to realise the importance of a geological survey.
Dr. Plot, in his 'Natural History of Oxfordshire.' (1677) attributed to a 'plastic virtue latent in the earth' the origin of fossil shells and fishes; and Lister, to his accurate account of British shells, in 1678, added the fossil species, under the appellation of turbinated and bivalve stones. 'Either,' said he, 'these were terriginous, or if otherwise, the animals they so exactly represent have become extinct. This writer appears to have been the first who was aware of the continuity over large districts of the principal groups of strata in the British series, and who proposed the construction of regular geological maps.[10]
He was a benefactor of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.[4] The ridge Dorsa Lister in the Sea of Serenity on the Moon was named after him.
Collections
Title Page of Martin Lister's Historiae Animalium Angliae (1678), from Digital Bodleian
Before he died in 1712, Lister donated over a thousand books and manuscripts to the Ashmolean Museum,[11] most of which were medical and scientific works. In 1769 Dr. John Fothergill gifted the Ashmolean several volumes of Lister’s letters and around 40 of his notebooks, which he had bought at auction.[12]
In 1858 the Trustees of the Museum offered a transfer of their written artefacts to the Bodleian, and in 1860 more than 3700 volumes were received by the Library.[11] Lister’s books and manuscripts form almost a third of this initial collection, making him its second-most represented donor next to Elias Ashmole.[11] His series consists of c. 1260 volumes dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, their topics ranging through medicine, anatomy, natural philosophy, and botany, as well as into voyages and travel.[13]
Publications
Plate from Historiae Conchyliorum (1691).
Histories Animalium Angliae tres tractatus, &ct,, 1678.
Goedartii Historia Insectorum cum notis, 1682.
De Fontibus medicinalibus Angliae,,, 1682.
Historiae Conchyliorum, 1685
Exercitatio Anatomica, in qua de Cochlcis agitur, 1694.
Exercitatio anatomica, in qua de cochleis, maxime terrestribus et limacibus, agitur (in Latin). London: Samuel Smith & Benjamin Walford. 1694.
^ ab J. D. Woodley, ‘Lister , Susanna (bap. 1670, d. 1738)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 10 April 2017
^Roos, Anna Marie (2011). Web of Nature: Martin Lister (1639–1712), the First Arachnologist. Brill Academic Publishers. p. 49. ISBN9789004207035.
^ ab"Lister, Martin (LSTR655M)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
^ abcdRoyal Society (Great Britain), Charles Hutton The Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London, Volume 1
^Keynes, Geoffrey (1979)."Dr. Martin Lister, F.R.S." The Book Collector 28 no.4 (Winter):501-520.
^Historiae Conchyliorum, Vol. 1 and 2 (1685) – digital facsimile, Linda Hall Library]
^Lister M. An ingenious proposal for a new sort of maps of countries, together with tables of sands and clays, such chiefly as are found in the north parts of England, drawn up about 10 years since, and delivered to the Royal Society Mar. 12. 1683. by the Learned Martin Lister M.D. In Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society[dead link]. 1684. Vol. 14. P. 739-746.
^ abcMacray, William Dunn (1890). Annals of the Bodleian library, Oxford : with a notice of the earlier library of the University (Second ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 388–390. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^Roos, Anna Marie; Cultures of Knowledge. "The Correspondence of Martin Lister (1,212 letters)". Early Modern Letters Online. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
^"Rare Books: Named collections index: Lister, Martin". The Bodleian Libraries. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
Sources
Dr. Martin Lister: A bibliography by Geoffrey Keynes. (Includes illustrations by Lister's wife and daughter). Published by St Paul's Bibliographies (UK) with an ISBN0-906795-04-4
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lister, Martin". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links
Lister, Martin (1678) Historiæ Animalium Angliæ - digital facsimile at the Linda Hall Library
Lister, Martin (1685) Historae conchyliorum.../ Susanna et Anna Lister figuras pin, two vol. - digital facsimile from the Linda Hall Library
The Correspondence of Martin Lister in EMLO
February 27, 2023
martin, lister, father, english, politician, april, 1639, february, 1712, english, naturalist, physician, daughters, anne, susanna, were, illustrators, engravers, born, 1639, april, 1639radcliffe, buckinghamshiredied2, february, 1712, 1712, aged, epsom, surrey. For his father the English politician see Martin Lister MP Martin Lister FRS 12 April 1639 2 February 1712 was an English naturalist and physician His daughters Anne and Susanna were two of his illustrators and engravers 1 Martin ListerBorn 1639 04 12 12 April 1639Radcliffe BuckinghamshireDied2 February 1712 1712 02 02 aged 72 Epsom SurreyResting placeClapham ChurchCitizenshipBritishAlma materSt John s CambridgeScientific careerFieldsPhysician and naturalist Contents 1 Life 2 Memorial inscription 3 Scientific work 4 Collections 5 Publications 6 See also 7 References 8 Sources 9 External linksLife Edit Lister s mother Susan or Susanna Temple later Lady Lister 1620 by Cornelius Johnson Lister was born at Radcliffe near Buckingham the son of Sir Martin Lister MP for Brackley in the Long Parliament and his wife Susan Temple daughter of Sir Alexander Temple Lister was connected to a number of well known individuals He was the nephew of both James Temple the regicide and also of Matthew Lister physician to Anne queen of James I and to Charles I He was also the uncle of Sarah Churchill Duchess of Marlborough who corresponded with him throughout her life 2 Lister was educated at Melton Mowbray Leicestershire under Mr Barwick and matriculated at St John s College Cambridge in 1658 He graduated in 1658 9 and was elected a fellow in 1660 3 In 1668 he travelled to France to study as a physician and settled at York in 1670 to practice medicine 4 He became Fellow of the Royal Society on 2 November 1671 He practised medicine at York until 1683 when he moved to London In 1684 he received the degree of M D at Oxford on the recommendation of the Chancellor 4 In 1687 became F R C P Lister bought Carlton Hall in Craven in the West Riding of Yorkshire He attended the Earl of Portland when he was ambassador to France in 1698 He was physician to Queen Anne from 1709 until his death 4 He died at Epsom at the age of 72 and was buried at Clapham Church 3 He bequeathed his books and copper plates to the University of Oxford 5 Lister was a prolific correspondent More than 2 000 letters written by and to him survive in the Bodleian Library Oxford and other repositories They are to and from a variety of people including family friends and other scientists Abstracts of these letters have been published on line 6 Memorial inscription EditThe memorial inscription for Lister in Clapham church is now lost It read Near this place is buried the body ofMARTIN LISTER Doctor of Physick a Member of theRoyal Society and one ofQueen Ann s Physicians who departed this life the second day ofFebruary 1711 12 7 Scientific work EditLister contributed numerous articles on natural history medicine and antiquities to the Philosophical Transactions He was the first arachnologist and conchologist and provided an unprecedented picture of a seventeenth century virtuoso Lister is recognized for his discovery of ballooning spiders and as the father of conchology but it is less well known that he invented the histogram provided Newton with alloys and donated the first significant natural history collections to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford Just as Lister was the first to make a systematic study of spiders and their webs this biography is the first to analyze the significant webs of knowledge patronage and familial and gender relationships that governed his life as a scientist and physician His principal works were Historiae animalium Angliae tres tractatus 1678 which was the first organised systematic publication on shells 8 Historiae Conchyliorum 1685 1692 and Conchyliorum Bivalvium 1696 As a conchologist he was held in high esteem but while he recognised the similarity of fossil mollusca to living forms he regarded them as inorganic imitations produced in the rocks Lister employed his daughters from an early age His daughters Anne Lister and Susanna Lister were both credited as his illustrators and engravers 1 In 1683 he communicated to the Royal Society 1684 9 an ingenious proposal for a new sort of maps of countries together with tables of sands and clays such as are chiefly found in the north parts of England In this essay he suggested the preparation of a soil or mineral map of the country and thereby is justly credited with being the first to realise the importance of a geological survey Charles Lyell speaks of Lister in his Principles of Geology as follows Dr Plot in his Natural History of Oxfordshire 1677 attributed to a plastic virtue latent in the earth the origin of fossil shells and fishes and Lister to his accurate account of British shells in 1678 added the fossil species under the appellation of turbinated and bivalve stones Either said he these were terriginous or if otherwise the animals they so exactly represent have become extinct This writer appears to have been the first who was aware of the continuity over large districts of the principal groups of strata in the British series and who proposed the construction of regular geological maps 10 He was a benefactor of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford 4 The ridge Dorsa Lister in the Sea of Serenity on the Moon was named after him Collections Edit Title Page of Martin Lister s Historiae Animalium Angliae 1678 from Digital Bodleian Before he died in 1712 Lister donated over a thousand books and manuscripts to the Ashmolean Museum 11 most of which were medical and scientific works In 1769 Dr John Fothergill gifted the Ashmolean several volumes of Lister s letters and around 40 of his notebooks which he had bought at auction 12 In 1858 the Trustees of the Museum offered a transfer of their written artefacts to the Bodleian and in 1860 more than 3700 volumes were received by the Library 11 Lister s books and manuscripts form almost a third of this initial collection making him its second most represented donor next to Elias Ashmole 11 His series consists of c 1260 volumes dating from the 16th to 18th centuries their topics ranging through medicine anatomy natural philosophy and botany as well as into voyages and travel 13 Publications Edit Plate from Historiae Conchyliorum 1691 Histories Animalium Angliae tres tractatus amp ct 1678 Goedartii Historia Insectorum cum notis 1682 De Fontibus medicinalibus Angliae 1682 Historiae Conchyliorum 1685 Exercitatio Anatomica in qua de Cochlcis agitur 1694 Exercitatio anatomica in qua de cochleis maxime terrestribus et limacibus agitur in Latin London Samuel Smith amp Benjamin Walford 1694 Cochlearum ct Linacum exercitatio Anatomica 1695 Conchyliorum bivalvium utriusque aquae exercitatio Anatomica tertia 1696 Conchyliorum bivalvium utriusque aquae exercitatio anatomica tertia in Latin London 1696 Exercitationes Medicinales amp tc 1697 Journey to Paris c 1699See also EditSusanna Lister Anne Lister Historia animalium by Conrad GessnerReferences Edit a b J D Woodley Lister Susanna bap 1670 d 1738 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press 2004 online edn Jan 2008 accessed 10 April 2017 Roos Anna Marie 2011 Web of Nature Martin Lister 1639 1712 the First Arachnologist Brill Academic Publishers p 49 ISBN 9789004207035 a b Lister Martin LSTR655M A Cambridge Alumni Database University of Cambridge a b c d Royal Society Great Britain Charles Hutton The Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London Volume 1 Keynes Geoffrey 1979 Dr Martin Lister F R S The Book Collector 28 no 4 Winter 501 520 Early Modern Letters Online Royal College of Physicians Historiae Conchyliorum Vol 1 and 2 1685 digital facsimile Linda Hall Library Lister M An ingenious proposal for a new sort of maps of countries together with tables of sands and clays such chiefly as are found in the north parts of England drawn up about 10 years since and delivered to the Royal Society Mar 12 1683 by the Learned Martin Lister M D In Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society dead link 1684 Vol 14 P 739 746 Charles Lyell Principles of Geology 1832 p 35 a b c Macray William Dunn 1890 Annals of the Bodleian library Oxford with a notice of the earlier library of the University Second ed Oxford Clarendon Press pp 388 390 Retrieved 13 December 2021 Roos Anna Marie Cultures of Knowledge The Correspondence of Martin Lister 1 212 letters Early Modern Letters Online Retrieved 13 December 2021 Rare Books Named collections index Lister Martin The Bodleian Libraries Retrieved 13 December 2021 Sources EditDr Martin Lister A bibliography by Geoffrey Keynes Includes illustrations by Lister s wife and daughter Published by St Paul s Bibliographies UK with an ISBN 0 906795 04 4 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Lister Martin Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed Cambridge University Press External links EditLister Martin 1678 Historiae Animalium Angliae digital facsimile at the Linda Hall Library Lister Martin 1685 Historae conchyliorum Susanna et Anna Lister figuras pin two vol digital facsimile from the Linda Hall Library The Correspondence of Martin Lister in EMLO Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Martin Lister amp oldid 1115427819, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
