From Francis Darwin to J. H. Gilbert 8 June 1876
Summary
Asks about constituents of burnt soil.
Author: | Francis Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Henry Gilbert |
Date: | 8 June 1876 |
Classmark: | Rothamsted Research (GIL13) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-10535F |
From David Forbes 1 March 1872
Summary
Sends information on composition of chalk at Shoreham and Folkestone.
Author: | David Forbes |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 1 Mar 1872 |
Classmark: | DAR 164: 149 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8233 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … low water Folkestone Carbonate of lime 94·09 — of Magnesium 0·31 Insoluble (rock …
Kennard, C. A. (1827–1907)
Matches: 1 hit
- … as Springfield Daily Republican; Date: 09-19-1896; Page: 4; Location: Springfield, …
From Asa Gray 22 May 1877
Summary
Asked C. E. Bessey whether Lithospermum longiflorum was dimorphic like its relatives. Encloses CEB’s reply.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 22 May 1877 |
Classmark: | DAR 110: B53–7, DAR 165: 196 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-10969 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … Corolla 1.14 Style .95 Stamens .98 Anthers .09 Pollen falling freely. Plant No 4 Flower 7 …
Darwin, Francis | (1) |
Forbes, David | (1) |
Gray, Asa | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
Gilbert, J. H. | (1) |
Darwin, C. R. | (2) |
Darwin, Francis | (1) |
Forbes, David | (1) |
Gilbert, J. H. | (1) |
Gray, Asa | (1) |
Darwin and Gender Projects by Harvard Students
Summary
Working in collaboration with Professor Sarah Richardson and Dr Myrna Perez, Darwin Correspondence Project staff developed a customised set of 'Darwin and Gender' themed resources for a course on Gender, Sex and Evolution first taught at Harvard…
Matches: 1 hits
- … as “for your private use.” (Letter to Kennard, C.A., 9 Jan 1882 ) In this personal exchange, she …

Darwin in letters, 1860: Answering critics
Summary
On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species, printing off another 3000 copies to satisfy the demands of an audience that surprised both the publisher and the author. It wasn't long, however, before ‘the…

Charles Harrison Blackley
Summary
You may not have heard of Charles Harrison Blackley (1820–1900), but if you are one of the 15 million people in the UK who suffer from hay fever, you are indebted to him. For it was he who identified pollen as the cause of the allergy. Darwin was…
Matches: 1 hits
- … of pollen grains by a dilution method. In his letter of 9 March 1877 , Darwin wrote: ‘Your …
List of correspondents
Summary
Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. Click on a name to see the letters Darwin exchanged with that correspondent. "A child of God" (1) Abberley,…
Matches: 10 hits
- … (1) Caird, James (9) Caldcleugh, Alexander …
- … (3) Canestrini, Giovanni (9) Canfield, C. A. …
- … (1) Caton, J. D. (9) Cattell, John …
- … (6) Claus, C. F. (9) Clendon, George, Jr …
- … (1) Conway, M. D. (9) Conybeare, J. C. …
- … (3) Dareste, Camille (9) Darwin family …
- … (1) Darwin, C. M. C. (9) Darwin, C. R. …
- … (1) Darwin, Elizabeth (9) Darwin, Emma …
- … (2) Ernst, Adolf (9) Errera, L. A. …
- … (1) Galton, E. A. (9) Galton, E. S. …

Science, Work and Manliness
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels published the first edition of what proved to be one of his best-selling works, How Men Are Made. "It is by work, work, work" he told his middle class audience, …
Dramatisation script
Summary
Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007

Henrietta Darwin's diary
Summary
Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…
Interview with Randal Keynes
Summary
Randal Keynes is a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the author of Annie’s Box (Fourth Estate, 2001), which discusses Darwin’s home life, his relationship with his wife and children, and the ways in which these influenced his feelings about…
Matches: 1 hits
- … going to.? Dr White: Right. 9. Emma Darwin's influence and …

Visiting the Darwins
Summary
'As for Mr Darwin, he is entirely fascinating…' In October 1868 Jane Gray and her husband spent several days as guests of the Darwins, and Jane wrote a charming account of the visit in a sixteen-page letter to her sister. She described Charles…
Matches: 4 hits
- … off pretty regularly. We assembled to breakfast at 8½ or 9 in the dining-room from thence we went …
- … Down Sunday morng. we all assembled at breakfast at 9— Each dropping in as Convenient— …
- … 1st— Sunday morng. we all assembled at breakfast at 9— Each dropping in as Convenient— After …
- … off pretty regularly. We assembled to breakfast at 8½ or 9 in the dining-room from thence we went …

Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year
Summary
The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…

Darwin in letters, 1865: Delays and disappointments
Summary
The year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend and supporter; Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and father of Darwin’s friend…
Matches: 3 hits

Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'
Summary
The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…

Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…

Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…

Darwin’s observations on his children
Summary
Charles Darwin’s observations on the development of his children, began the research that culminated in his book The Expression of the emotions in man and animals, published in 1872, and his article ‘A biographical sketch of an infant’, published in Mind…
Matches: 10 hits
- … the Darwin family had increased by five: George Howard, born 9 July 1845; Elizabeth, born 8 July …
- … self-consciousness. Transcription: 1 [9] W. Erasmus. Darwin born. Dec. 27 th …
- … vision at this age is exceedingly imperfect.— At his 9 th day however he appeared to follow a …
- … with his right hand & drew it into his mouth.— 9 Now exactly 12 weeks & on …
- … eyes were just suffused with tears & became red. May 9 th .[24] A watch held close to …
- … days. 7 lb – 10 4 wks 7 – 9½ Feb. 17 7 …
- … 6 wks 8 – 4 March 3 9 wks & 4 days 9 – 7 …
- … 14 Jan. 19— July 9 — 17 – 6 19 lb — …
- … Mon Oct 23 a month old. 9 lb 11 oz clothes 1 lb 10 …
- … not help it awfully”.— 49 June 1854— About 9 months ago, Lenny defined being in good …

Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 3 hits
- … ‘on the grounds of science’ ( letter to John Scott, 9 April 1864 ), but Scott declined assistance …
- … Haeckel’s scientific life, he reported in a letter of 9 [July 1864] , had been transformed by …
- … transmutation theory (see Correspondence vol. 9, Appendix VI). Seven months after happily noting …

Correspondence with women
Summary
We know of letters to or from around 2000 correspondents, about 100 of whom were women. Using the letter summaries available on this website, the letters can be assigned to rough categories. Included in the count are letters to women in Darwin’s family…

Darwin and Fatherhood
Summary
Charles Darwin married Emma Wedgwood in 1839 and over the next seventeen years the couple had ten children. It is often assumed that Darwin was an exceptional Victorian father. But how extraordinary was he? The Correspondence Project allows an unusually…
Matches: 1 hits
- … for anything in this world.’ (Darwin to Syms Covington, 9 March 1856 ) In the late nineteenth …

Interview with Emily Ballou
Summary
Emily Ballou is a writer of novels and screenplays, and a prize-winning poet. Her book The Darwin Poems, which explores aspects of Darwin’s life and thoughts through the medium of poetry, was recently published by the University of Western Australia Press.…
Matches: 1 hits
- … life, at least within his notebooks. 9. Faith and reason as personal issues …
New material added to the American edition of Origin
Summary
A ‘revised and augmented’ American edition of Origin came on the market in July 1860, and was the only authorised edition available in the US until 1873. It incorporated many of the changes Darwin made to the second English edition, but still contained…