Edward Forbes

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Timeline

Date	Details
1815	Born February 12th at Douglas, Isle of Man. School – Athole House Academy.
1831	Sent to London to train as artist but after 4 months went to Edinburgh University to study medicine. (Natural History under Jameson).
1834	Voyage to Norway.
1835	Toured France, Switzerland and Germany.
1836	Finally abandoned medicine for Natural History, without taking degree.
1838	Published “Malacologic Monensis” (Catalogue of Manx mollusca). Paper to British Association “On distribution of Terrestrial Pulmonifera in Europe”.
1839	Admitted to Wernerian Society. Read memoir on Starfishes of the Irish Sea. (Memoir Wernerian Society VIII).
1840	Papers to British Association “Pleistocene tract in the Isle of Man” etc.
1841	Mediterranean voyage with Captain Graves.
1842	Red Sea Expedition – abandoned for Chair of Botany at King’s College
1843	Elected Curator of Geological Society. Paper to Linnaean Society on Ofhiuridae of Aegean Sea.
1844	Government grant of £500 to assist publication of Aegean researches. Offered Fullerian Professorship.
1844	Joined Geological Survey.
	Resigned Geological Society Curatorship.
	Worked with De la Beche, Ramsay and Warington-Smyth in Breconshire.
	Elected F.G.S. Lectured at Royal Institute, continued lecturing at King’s.
1845	Dredging in Shetland. Joined De la Beche in Wexford. Illness.
1846	Resumed lectures. Dredging between Southampton and Land’s End. Survey work in Wales – Bala. Published “Travels in Lycia”.
1847	Work in Ireland, London, Wales, etc.
1848	Arranging of exhibits in new Jermyn Street Museum. Papers to British Association.
1850	Lectures, new Museum work, etc. Cruise among Western Isles.
1844	Visited Isle of Wight with Lyell, Ramsay and Bristow. Museum opened May 12th. School of Mines opened November.
	Forbes became Lecturer in Natural History (retained professorship at King’s).
	Visited Paris and Isle of Man.
	Survey duty in Ireland. 3rd volume of British Mollusca completed.
1853	Visited the Auvergne district.
1854	Natural History Professor at Edinburgh in succession to Jameson. Resigned Geological Survey; King’s and President of Geological Society. Left London in May but returned in August to finish off survey work. In September President of Geological Section of B
1854	Died in December.

Biographies and obituaries

Hamilton, W.J. Obituary - Edward Forbes. [In Anniversary Address.]. Proceedings of the Geological Society in Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society. v. 11 p.xxvii-xxxvi. 1855

Publications

Date	Details
	List of works in Appendix to Memoir:
1849	List of works in Appendix to Memoir: Memoirs Dec. No. 1 Echinoderms (1849)
1849	List of works in Appendix to Memoir: No. 2 Trilobites (1849) with J.W. Salter.
1856	List of works in Appendix to Memoir: No. 3 Echinodermata (1856)
1852	List of works in Appendix to Memoir: No. 4 Echinodermata (1852)
1856	List of works in Appendix to Memoir: No. 5. Echinodermata (1856) with S.P. Woodward and J.W. Salter.
	Essays in volumes I and II part 2.
1856	Isle of Wight, Tertiary, Fluvio-Marine Formation of. (1856).
	Memoir. G. Wilson and A. Geikie.

Works listed in the BGS Library catalogue

Forbes, E. (1852). Acrosalenia decorata. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Forbes, E. (1852). Acrosalenia hemicidaroides. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Forbes, E. (1849). Ampyx nudus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 2 (Trilobites of the genera Phacops, Illaenus, Asaphus, Ogygia, Calymene, and Ampyx) (1849).

Forbes, E. (1852). Ananchytes (Holaster) pilula. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Forbes, E. (1852). Ananchytes (Holaster) subglobosa. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Forbes, E. (1852). Ananchytes ovata. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Forbes, E. (1852). Cardiaster excentricus; Cardiaster rostratus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Forbes, E. (1850). Dysaster ringens. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1850).

Forbes, E. (1849). Echinus granulosus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

De La Beche, H.T. ; Ramsay, A.C. ; Forbes, E. (1846). [Essays by De la Beche, Ramsay, Forbes &c]. (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain and of the Museum of Economic Geology in London; 1). London : Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans.

Forbes, E. (1849-1875). Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae). In: Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades. London : HMSO. 42.

Salter, J.W. ; Forbes, E. (1849-1875). Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 2 (Trilobites of the genera Phacops, Illaenus, Asaphus, Ogygia, Calymene, and Ampyx). In: Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades. London : HMSO. 38.

Forbes, E. (1849-1875). Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae). In: Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades. London : HMSO. 46.

Forbes, E. (1849-1875). Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea). In: Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades. London : HMSO. 42.

Forbes, E. ; Salter, J.W. ; Woodward, S.P. (1849-1875). Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 5 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae). In: Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades. London : HMSO. 57.

Forbes, E. (1849). Galerites (Discoidea) cylindricus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Forbes, E. (1849). Galerites (Discoidea) subuculus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Forbes, E. (1850). Galerites (Galerites) albogalerus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1850).

Forbes, E. (1850). Galerites (Galerites) castanea. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1850).

Forbes, E. (1850). Galerites (Holectypus) hemisphaericus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1850).

Darwin, C. ; Sowerby, G.B. ; Lonsdale, W. ; Forbes, E. (1876). Geological observations on the volcanic islands and parts of South America visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle.. 2nd ed. London : Smith, Elder and Co..

Dixon, F. ; Lonsdale, W. ; Sowerby, J. ; Egerton, P. ; Owen, R. ; Forbes, E. ; Bell, T. (1850). The geology and fossils of the Tertiary and Cretaceous formations of Sussex. London : Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans.

Forbes, E. (1850). Hemicidaris intermedia. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1850).

Forbes, E. ; Hanley, S. (1853). A history of British mollusca and their shells. Vol.I: Including the tunicata, and the families of lamellibranchiata as far as cyprinidae. Vol.II: Including the remaining families of bivalves, the pteropoda, and the gasteropoda as far as ianthinidae. Vol.III: Including the families of gasteropoda from neritidae to elysiadae. Vol.IV: Pulmonifera and cephalopoda. London : Voorst.

Forbes, E. (1841). A history of British starfishes, and other animals of the class echinodermata. London : Van Voorst.

Forbes, E. (1852). Hyboclypus agariciformis. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Jukes, J.B. ; Forbes, E. ; Playfair, L.P. ; Smyth, W.W. ; Percy, J. ; Hunt, R. ; Institute of Geological Sciences ; Geological Museum (1852). Lectures on gold for the instruction of emigrants about to proceed to Australia. London : D. Bogue.

Wilson, G. ; Geikie, A. ; Forbes, E. (1861). Memoir of Edward Forbes. London : Macmillan and Co..

Forbes, E. (1850). Micraster cor-anguinum. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1850).

Forbes, E. (1848). A monograph of the British naked-eyed Medusae, with figures of all the species. London : Ray Society.

Forbes, E. (1849). Nucleolites (Catopygus) carinatus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Forbes, E. (1849). Nucleolites clunicularis. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Forbes, E. ; British Association for the Advancement of Science. On a Pleistocene tract in the Isle of Man and the relations of its fauna to that of the neighbouring sea : Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (10th), 1840, Trans Sect. C p.104-105.

Forbes, E. (1848). On the Asteriadae found fossil in British strata. In: Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and the Museum of Practical Geology in London, Vol.II, Part II. (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and the Museum of Practical Geology in London; 2/2). London : HMSO. 457-482.

Forbes, E. (1846). On the connexion between the distribution of the existing fauna and flora of the British Isles, and the geological changes which have affected their area, especially during the epoch of the northern drift. In: Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and the Museum of Practical Geology in London, Vol.I. (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and the Museum of Practical Geology in London; 1). London : HMSO. 336-432.

Forbes, E. (1848). On the Cystideae of the Silurian rocks of the British Islands. In: Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and the Museum of Practical Geology in London, Vol.II, Part II. (Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and the Museum of Practical Geology in London; 2/2). London : HMSO. 483-538.

Forbes, E. ; Museum of Practical Geology. School of Mines and of Sciences applied to the Arts (1853). On the educational uses of museums. London : HMSO.

Ibbetson, L.L.B. ; Forbes, E. On the section between Blackgang Chine and Atherfield POint : Proceedings of the Geological Society of London vol.4 1844 p.407-414.

Forbes, E. (1856). On the Tertiary fluvio-marine formation of the Isle of Wight. (Memoir (District) Geological Survey of GB). London : HMSO.

Forbes, E. (1849). Oolitic species of Astropecten. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Burmeister, H. ; Bell, T. ; Forbes, E. (1846). The organization of trilobites, deduced from their living affinities, with a systematic review of the species hitherto described. London : Ray Society.

Forbes, E. (1852). The relations of natural history to geology and the arts (a lecture introductory to the course to be delivered during the session 1851-1852). (Rec Sch Mines; 1/1). London : HMSO.

Forbes, E. (1849). Salenia personata. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Forbes, E. (1849). Silurian species of Uraster. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Forbes, E. (1852). Temnechinus excavatus. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 4 (Echinodermata of the order Echinoidea) (1852).

Forbes, E. (1849). Tertiary (Eocene) species of Goniaster. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 1 (Echinoderms of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1849).

Forbes, E. (1850). Uraster gaveyi. Memoirs (Palaeontology) of the Geological Survey of UK: Figures & Descriptions of British Organic Remains Decades ; Figures and descriptions illustrative of British organic remains, Decade 3 (Echinodermata of the orders Asteriadae and Echinidae) (1850).

BGS archives

Ref No	Title	Description
GSM/DC/A/C/3/243	E. Forbes: Letter to J. Goadby.
GSM/DC/A/C/4/242	E Forbes: Annual Report.
GSM/DC/A/C/4/245	E Forbes: Report of Palaontology Dept.
GSM/DC/A/C/4/291	E Forbes: Annual Report.
GSM/DC/A/C/4/291	E Forbes: Memorandum on the progress.
GSM/DC/A/C/4/343	E Forbes: Annual Report.
GSM/DC/A/C/4/343	E Forbes: Report of Palaeontology Dept.
GSM/DC/A/C/5/64, 280	E Forbes: Letters mentioning Forbes.
GSM/DC/A/C/6/4	E Forbes: Annual Report.
GSM/DC/A/C/6/4	E Forbes: Report of Palaeontology Dept.
GSM/DC/A/C/6/108	E Forbes: Annual Report.
GSM/DC/A/C/6/108	E Forbes: Report of Palaeontology Dept.
GSM/DC/A/C/6/136,159	E Forbes: Letter from H T De la Beche about a replacement for Forbes.
GSM/DC/A/C/6/192	E Forbes: Memorial subscription.
GSM/DC/A/C/6/192	R I Murchison: Letters. Staff. Memorial to Forbes.
GSM/DC/A/C/11/64-67	H T De la Beche: Letters: Ireland. Forbes' work.
GSM/DC/A/C/11/65	E Forbes: Letter on work in Ireland.
GSM/DC/A/C/11/65-67	E Forbes: Letters to H T De la Beche about the classification of specimens.
GSM/DC/A/C/11/78	E Forbes: Letter regarding the collection of fossils.
GSM/DC/A/C/12/173	E Forbes: Letter regarding his resignation
GSM/DR/St/A/7	Edward Forbes Centenerary - London Manx Society, proposed visit to Museum of Practical Geology
GSM/GL/Fb	E.Forbes	Professor of Botany in London prior to joining the Survey staff in 1844. He remained until 1853...
GSM/GL/Fb/1	Report of inaugural lecture, obituary and printed leaflet about the Forbes Memorial
GSM/MG/P/4/73	Letter to F.W. Rudler about the bust of E. Forbes.