William Babington (physician)

William BabingtonFRS FGS(21 May 1756 – 29 April 1833) was anAnglo-Irish physicianandmineralogist.

Life and work[edit]

William Babington was born inPortglenone,near Coleraine, Antrim,Ireland.He was the son of Rev. HumphreyBabington,the great-great-grandson ofBrutus Babington(sent to Ireland byJames VI and I),^[1]and his wife Anne (née Buttle). Apprenticed to a practitioner at Londonderry, and afterwards completed his medical education at Guy's Hospital, London, but without at that time taking a medical degree. In 1777 he was made assistant surgeon to Haslar (Naval) Hospital, and held this appointment for four years. He then obtained the position of apothecary to Guy's Hospital, and also lectured on chemistry in the medical school. He resigned the post of apothecary, and, having obtained the necessary degree of MD from theUniversity of Aberdeenin 1795.^[2]in 1796 he joinedDr William SaundersatGuy's HospitalinLondonas his assistant and in 1802/3 (at Saunder's recommendation) replaced Saunders as head Physician.^[3]

Babington was physician toGuy's Hospitalfrom 1795 to 1811. He was a founder member of theGeological Society of Londonand served aspresidentfrom 1822 to 1824. He was elected as aFellow of the Royal Societyin 1805.

He was the curator for the enormous mineral collection ofJohn Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute.When Bute died in 1792, Babington bought the collection. The mineralBabingtoniteis named after him.

William and Martha Elizabeth Babington were married before 1794, and had four sons and four daughters between 1794 and 1810. Babington died on 29 April 1833 and was buried atSt. Mary Aldermanburyin London.^[4]He left a son,Benjamin Guy Babington,^[5]also physician to Guy's Hospital, and a daughter, Martha, who married the physicianRichard Bright.^[6]

A statue of Babington byWilliam Behnes(1795–1864) is inSt Paul's Cathedralin London.^[7]

Anthony Babington,theIrishpolitician was a direct descendant.

Selected publications[edit]

"A Systematic Arrangement of Minerals, founded on the joint consideration of their chemical, physical and external characters; reduced to the form of tables." (1796) London, T. Cox.
"A New System of Mineralogy, in the form of a Catalogue, after the manner of Baron Born’s Systematic Catalogue of the collection of fossils of Mlle Éléonore de Raab".(1799) London, T. Bensley. (Referring toIgnaz von Born's catalogue of the collection of Austrian collector Éléonore de Raab^[8])

References[edit]

^Burke's Landed Gentry of Irelandby Bernard Burke^{[full citation needed]}
^A biography on William Babington,‘Babington, William (1756–1833)’,sourced from the college archives in King's College London.
^The European Magazine and London Review vol 72 (1817) p.295
^Munk, William(1878).The Roll of the Royal College of Physicians of London.London: Royal College of Physicians. pp. 451–455.
^Bevan, Michael. "Babington, Benjamin Guy (1794–1866)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/968.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
^Thackray, John C. "Babington, William (1756–1833)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/977.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
^"Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral"Sinclair, W.p. 472: London; Chapman & Hall, Ltd; 1909.
^Kahr, Bart (27 February 2022)."Gender and Library of Mineralogy".Crystals.12(3): 333.doi:10.3390/cryst12030333.

External links[edit]

Webb, Alfred(1878)."Babington, William".A Compendium of Irish Biography.Dublin: M. H. Gill & son.
Babingtonite
King's College London Archive Holdings for Babington.

[1] Burke's Landed Gentry of Irelandby Bernard Burke^{[full citation needed]}

[2] A biography on William Babington,‘Babington, William (1756–1833)’,sourced from the college archives in King's College London.

[3] The European Magazine and London Review vol 72 (1817) p.295

[4] Munk, William(1878).The Roll of the Royal College of Physicians of London.London: Royal College of Physicians. pp. 451–455.

[5] Bevan, Michael. "Babington, Benjamin Guy (1794–1866)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/968.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)

[6] Thackray, John C. "Babington, William (1756–1833)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/977.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)

[7] "Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral"Sinclair, W.p. 472: London; Chapman & Hall, Ltd; 1909.

[kahr-8] Kahr, Bart (27 February 2022)."Gender and Library of Mineralogy".Crystals.12(3): 333.doi:10.3390/cryst12030333.

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v t e Presidents of the Geological Society of London
19th century	George Bellas Greenough Henry Grey Bennet William Blake John MacCulloch George Bellas Greenough Earl Compton William Babington William Buckland John Bostock William Fitton Adam Sedgwick Roderick Murchison George Bellas Greenough Charles Lyell William Whewell William Buckland Roderick Murchison Henry Warburton Leonard Horner Henry De la Beche William Hopkins Edward Forbes William Hamilton Daniel Sharpe Joseph Ellison Portlock John Phillips Leonard Horner Andrew Crombie Ramsay William Hamilton Warington Wilkinson Smyth Thomas Henry Huxley Joseph Prestwich George Douglas Campbell John Evans Peter Martin Duncan Henry Clifton Sorby Robert Etheridge John Whitaker Hulke Thomas Bonney John Wesley Judd William Blanford Archibald Geikie Wilfred Hudleston Henry Woodward Henry Hicks William Whitaker
20th century	Jethro Teall Charles Lapworth John Marr Archibald Geikie William Sollas William Watts Aubrey Strahan Arthur Smith Woodward Alfred Harker George Lamplugh Richard Oldham Albert Seward John Evans Francis Bather John Gregory Edmund Garwood Thomas Holland John Green Owen Thomas Jones Henry Hurd Swinnerton Percy Boswell Herbert Leader Hawkins William Fearnsides Arthur Trueman Herbert Harold Read Cecil Tilley Owen Thomas Jones George Lees William King Walter Campbell Smith Leonard Hawkes James Stubblefield Sydney Hollingworth Oliver Bulman Frederick Shotton Kingsley Dunham Neville George William Alexander Deer Thomas Westoll Percy Kent Wallace Pitcher Percival Allen Howel Francis Janet Watson Charles Holland Bernard Leake Derek Blundell Anthony Harris Charles Curtis R. S. J. Sparks Richard Hardman Robin Cocks
21st century	Ronald Oxburgh Mark Moody-Stuart Peter Styles Richard Fortey Lynne Frostick

Authority control databases
International	FAST ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany United States Netherlands
People	Ireland Deutsche Biographie
Other	SNAC

Life and work[edit]

Selected publications[edit]

Further reading[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]